FOR jazz lovers across the North West, Tuesday nights have come to mean only one thing - a trip to Rawtenstall.

In this small East Lancashire town a group of enthusiasts have created a weekly jazz night which has attracted some of the top performers from both sides of the Atlantic.

Next week, the Rhythm Station will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special concert. But it will also be an evening tinged with sadness.

For it will mark the farewell performance by Tommy Melville, the man who is widely credited with establishing the Rhythm Station's reputation as one of the finest jazz clubs in the region.

Tommy, who will be 81 later this year, is stepping down as leader of the resident house band due to ill health.

He said: "I shall be hanging up my saxophone on Tuesday, the club's 10th anniversary which seems as good a time as any to retire.

"It seems like only yesterday I walked into the Rhythm Station for the first time with a view to starting a jazz club."

Jazz at the Rhythm Station was the idea of local businessmen Alan Greenhalgh and John Ashworth but it was left to Tommy to develop the Tuesday nights to the level they are at now.

As a tenor sax player, Tommy has worked with some of the most famous jazz musicians during his career and this involvement immediately gave the fledgling jazz nights the credibility they needed and attracted major names to the venue.

Denis Dundon is now the booker for the Tuesday jazz nights and he is in no doubt about the role Tommy, who lives near Saddleworth, has played in their success.

"The Rhythm Station simply would not have been what it is today without Tommy," said Denis. "He is just so well known in the jazz world that people would do things for Tommy that they would not do for anyone else. The last 10 years have really seen a who's who of the British and US jazz scenes at the Rhythm Station and that is due to Tommy's influence."

Originally jazz at the Rhythm Station was held at weekends before moving to its now familiar Tuesday night slot.

The opening night saw The Animals take to the stage and since then artists such as Stan Tracey, Scott Hamilton and the Northern Jazz Orchestra have delighted audiences.

"The thing about the Rhythm Station is that it is a genuine jazz club full of genuine enthusiasts," said Denis. "People come together on a Tuesday night because they love to listen to jazz and the artists appreciate playing in front of such an appreciative audience."

Rawtenstall has a tradition of attracting leading musicians to play in the town.

"It used to be the Astoria which would get all the big bands," said Denis. "People would come from all over on a Saturday night."

Now the Rhythm Station is, in its own way, doing the same thing.

"We regularly get people coming from Manchester, Liverpool and even Lancaster on a Tuesday," said Denis. "I think it's because it is a proper jazz club.

"You do get people who say they don't like jazz but I don't think they have ever heard the music played live in the right surroundings.

"It is something you need to experience before you can really make a decision on whether you like it or not."

Fred Shawcross, one of the North West's leading jazz experts, said: "The Rhythm Station is now without question one of the top jazz venues in the UK.

"Tuesday will be an emotional night as Tommy Melville's contribution to the venue's success is immense. First you have to respect him as a musician in his own right and then there is his passion for jazz."

On Tuesday night Tommy will lead his quartet - Dennis Freedman on piano, Jimmy Scaiffe on drums and Steve Berrry bass - as they provide support for three internationally renowned soloists, Alan Barnes on saxophone, Roy Williams on trombone and Bruce Adams on trumpet.

l Tickets for Tuesday night's 10th anniversary concert are £10 including supper, available from Denis Dundon on 0161 796 0275.