"It's contemporary improvisation which can be pretty crazy," he continued.

"Some of it is out there – abstract sounds, sometimes there's no rhythm and it's just a textural sound world."

The drummer, who was born in Northern Ireland and – after an eight-year stint in England – now lives in Donaghadee, will be performing as part of the trio in Belfast tonight.

The frightening image of jazz would suggest that it's elitist and impenetrable form of music – especially to ears which have been weaned on a diet of pop.

But, as Steve said, it's a genre which deserves further investigation – and brings rewards of its own.

"Jazz is a minority music, and it will probably always be," he said.
"It's not immediately accessible, you need to learn how to listen to it."

And he gave a rather fitting analogy: "It's like learning to drink wine – once you study the grapes and learn what suits your palate then you gain a deeper understanding of it."

Of course, there's a certain responsibility on the musicians themselves to whet the listener's appetite.

And, far from being a stuffy trio, Bourne, Davis, Kane are about reaching out – with live outings geared towards connecting with the listener.

"We use a lot of comedy and crowd interaction, we'll talk to the audience and explain what's happening," Steve said.

"It brings the people closer to what's going on – we're hoping to have a bit of fun and break down the wall between the band and the audience."
Steve first encountered the drums in his early teens, though wasn't serious about them until he turned 18, "which is quite late," he said.

"I did get a drum kit when I was 13, which was weird considering I wasn't really into music then.

"I just said to my dad that I wanted a drum kit and he found me a set in the paper for about £50, but I never learnt how to play them.

"I'd just hit them – I didn't know how to play rhythms – and, eventually, I got frustrated and they just lay there.
"It was only when I was 18 that I started hanging about with people who were into music, that I began playing and then I studied the drums."

Steve cut his teeth with rock and indie music but, when he began to take the drums more seriously, he was drawn to jazz and the expertise involved.

"Once I started listening to the music I just fell in love with it," he said.

From there, he studied jazz at university, and went on to perform on a range of projects with many notable names, including Evan Parker, Django Bates and Julian Seigal.

Steve admits jazz is a huge genre, that covers a vast range of styles – "There's latin music, swing music, funk, jungle, a lot of hip-hop and R&B," he said – and today's cutting-edge artists are experimenting and fusing those styles to create a sound that is constantly evolving.
This, in turn, is an added challenge for the players.

"You need to approach it differently to when you're playing with a pop, rock or country band.

"With that, the drummer is predominantly a timekeeper for the band.
"With jazz you need to be a lot more creative – understanding the dynamics of the music, being able to interact and take on a solo are some of the skills which are expected," Steve said.

While jazz performers may not command the column inches of their more rock and pop oriented counterparts, they can still find fame and fortune in their chosen field.

"There are world-renowned jazz musicians who make a great deal of money, but I'm under no illusion that I'll get to that level," Steve said.

"Financially, I play other music to make a living, but money isn't my reasoning for playing jazz – I do that because it's the music closest to my heart."

n Bourne, Davis, Kane perform in the Black Box in Belfast tonight at 9pm. Tickets cost £10/£7 and are available by calling 9024 6609.

The event is part of the Moving On Music festival which runs at the Black Box until Sunday.

For more information, log on to www.movingonmusic.co.uk