ONE of the brightest names on the British jazz scene will be bringing his band to Clitheroe on August 16.

The Dylan Howe Quintet will play the Key Street Music Bar and for drummer Dylan, it's a date he's really looking forward to.

"I do like playing smaller venues," he said. "If the sounds right then you create a really intimate atmosphere which means that if the show's good, it's really good."

The quintet, which formed in May 2003, has been heralded as being the future of jazz.

Apart from Dylan, who is 36, all the other members are under 30.

"I think people who don't know much about us are surprised when we come out on stage@ said Dylan.

"But it's important if we can go someway to change the stereotype.

"If younger people don't discover jazz then in 20 or 30 years time I'd be afraid there would no longer be a jazz scene at all and I'm hoping we can help spread the word that jazz is thriving and music which younger audiences can enjoy."

As well as his own quintet, Dylan also has a second role - as drummer with The Blockheads.

"I'd met Chas Jankel from the band at a studio session a few years ago and then The Blockheads needed a drummer for a gig and I got a call.

"It was only supposed to be for one gig - it was 10 years ago and I've been playing with them ever since."

And Dylan's musical pedigree doesn't stop there.

He is the son of Yes guitar maestro Steve Howe.

But has that helped or hindred his career?

"A bit of both, if I'm honest," he said.

"Overall my dad inspired me but initially I think I felt I had more to prove as I did get comments about how I'd had it easy because of who my dad was."

Playing a different instrument and a different type of music has allowed Dylan to easily shrug off any negative comments and establish himself as a leading musician in his own right.

"I never thought about playing the guitar," he said.

"Subconsciously I think I knew that I'd never be as good as my dad.

"That's why I am amazed by people like Zak Starkey or John Bonham's son who play the same instrument as their fathers. But if it's in you, you can't hide from it.

"When I was 10 we had a studio in our house and part of it was converted into a live room and Alan White's drum kit was in it.

"I saw it and thought I liked the look of it and it went from there."

Dylan admits that both White, the current Yes drummer, and Bill Bruford, the original drummer with the rock group fronted by Accrington-born Jon Anderson, both gave him a few lessons when he was younger.

But he's forged his reputation as a musician in his own right.

The gig will see the quintet showcasing their new album Live in Soho, which has just been released to great reviews.

The Dylan Howe Quintet play the Music Bar in Key Street, Clitheroe on August 16. 8.30pm. 01200 422 588.