Questions to the musicians: Billy Jenkins

Are we allowed to laugh at your music and performances? (Stephen, Pinner)

Laugh!? Are you saying I'm not serious!? Yes - laugh, but only genuine please. In fact a complete moratorium on all cynical laughter in live music venues. It usually comes from Guardian readers and I'm a Speedway Star man myself. "Jazz Had A Baby And They Called It Avant Garde" is a track on your Blues Collective’s S.A.D. album.

If Avant Garde was the baby what was the grandchild called? (Helmut, Austria)

I'll answer that in forty years. Why don't you play the Vortex more often and when will you be playing there next? More often?! At least eight times a year—with the first four of 2002 in January! Got to let other people play there too! If I play there any more I'll move into the 40% tax bracket (ho ho).

What music have you been listening to and is there any music that you would particularly recommend?

I have been, and am constantly being, forced to listen to my teenage children's too loud too repetitive 'stuff'. When all is quiet (after about 11.30pm) I quietly get on with my listening ‘research’ - I’ve never been able to listen for pure pleasure as I’m too much of a music insider. The last few days I've been cross-referencing mastering and recording variations on many, many blues CD's, LPs, cassettes and DATS. For listening, I recommend that you explore the BJ Babel catalogue - I am still very pleased that they all sound exciting and timeless (I'm referring to the recordings - not the drummers).

Last I heard, you had 'given up jazz' as elitist, and decided to concentrate on blues instead; is the learning of the (arguably more accessible) language of the blues really that different, or am I behind on your current thinking, or have I misunderstood his position entirely? (Mike, Dorset)

The problem is not with the music, the player or the learning of the language, but the perception of the genre. To me, 'jazz' is a dynamic adjective or verb - 'let's get jazzy' or 'jazz something up'. However, to promote 'jazz', it has to become a noun - a static matter. Therefore, all too often by being promoted in this way, it is not longer what it should be or was. I want no part in the desecration of the energy which is a basis of human nature that MUST be retained. So, add to that a mid-life crisis, and we have a happy car crash resulting in the Blues Collective. The spontaneity of dynamism remains, but melded over a three chord safety net. Meanwhile, I shall allow the joys of the stuff on Babel to be fully appreciated - for the recordings, as I try not to repeat myself, are probably now (also ironically) deemed ‘jazz’.