ONE of Oxford's hidden musical gems is seeking a new home.

The Oxford Jazz Kitchen – a group of professional musicians, who perform at various locations across the city – has been run by Trish Elphinstone for the past six years.

Ms Elphinstone fears the group, which until now performed every month at the James Street Tavern, may be without a home if a new location does not open its doors to the musicians.

The saxophone player said: "I think it's very important that we preserve the jazz scene in the city because not only does it showcase talent, it brings people from all parts of the community together, including students and professionals.

"The Oxford Jazz Kitchen also helps people who aren't confident to come out of their shell and improve on their ability by performing with our fantastic live band."

The Oxford Jazz Kitchen often has up to 20 players perform in a night.

Ms Elphinstone said: "The jazz community is a big part of Oxford and we need somewhere for all of us to come together and jam and have a good time.

"I would urge anyone who knows of anywhere we can go to come forward and let us know."

Avid fan of the group and jazz performer Gavin Killip said he thought the event was the best of its kind.

He said: "Jam sessions can easily descend into self-indulgent noodling in the corner of a pub if you're not careful, but the Oxford Jazz Kitchen isn't like that.

"Trish manages it so that anyone who wants to play or sing a song can do so, but she always has in mind the audience experience as well as the needs of the musicians.

"The house band are amazing. They are always tight and expressive and they can play literally hundreds of tunes at the drop of a hat.

"The result is a consistently high level of music-making. The more seasoned performers like Trish are very generous and encouraging to people like me, who are relatively new to it.

"I've learned a huge amount by playing there and for those in the know, it's a little gem of Oxford's cultural life."

If you have somewhere to offer the group, please email: trish@oxfordjazzkitchen.com