A "KEYBOARD Cavalier" from Fence has taken runner-up spot at the prestigious Perrier Young Jazz Musician awards in London.

Pianist John Pickup, 23, beat off competition from as far afield as Scandinavia, the USA and Japan to reach the the two-man final in the West End's Cafe de Paris -- just four years after taking up jazz.

The former pupil of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, was pipped at the post by Leeds player Matthew Bourne, whose gimmick-laden originality won him the majority vote of the judges.

But John, who graduated last year with first class honours from Sir Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, put in no mean performance himself. Jack Massarik, judge and jazz writer for contest sponsor the London Evening Standard, said in most years the East Lancashire finalist would have won. He was beaten only by an inspired eccentric, sometimes playing with his stockinged feet.

Of John's performance, he said: "The way he tore through John Coltrane's Giant Steps presaged a golden future."

John, who moved to London to join the jazz community and seek his professional fortune six months ago, said he was very happy with his performance and the opportunity to showcase his work to high-profile jazz specialists.

He said: "I take nothing away from Matthew, who is a friend and whose performance was gloriously creative and inspired."

The former Nelson and Colne College music student who began his piano playing at the age of four, said moving to London had put him on a huge learning curve.

His work has included a short Christmas season in Lapland and playing at the Park Lane Hilton.

"London is a thriving jazz scene with massive competition -- it is about building up awareness of my work," he said.

"I have no work at the moment but I am trying to get some gigs and perhaps try to enter the Montreux Jazz Festival in July."

He added: "I didn't originally want to be a professional musician.

"I just loved playing."