THREE years ago the Portico Quartet didn't even have a name, never mind a record contract.

But since then they have established themselves as an emerging force in the post-jazz scene, having played at Glastonbury, won a string of awards and been shortlisted for the coveted Mercury Prize for their debut album Knee Deep in the North Sea.

The quartet's inclusion on the shortlist alongside such names as Radiohead, Elbow and The Last Shadow Puppets, is impressive given the fact that in this country jazz usually finds itself drowned out by its louder cousins.

It's a far cry from the days they spent busking on the streets of London.

Jack Wyllie, who plays soprano saxophone, has been friends with the band's double bass player, Milo Fitzpatrick, since their school days and met the rest of the quartet – drummer Duncan Bellamy and hang player Nick Mulvey – while studying at London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

"We moved in together and because we all played instruments we would do jamming sessions, that's how it started," explains Wyllie.

"We used to go busking on the South Bank quite a lot and one day someone saw us play and we got invited to do a festival in Italy.

"At the time we didn't even have a name so it came totally out of the blue."

It turned out they were playing to a small crowd "somewhere in the middle of the Italian countryside", but nonetheless it was an opportunity to hone their skills.

They returned home and began doing gigs wherever they could, in churches, galleries and chill-out clubs.

Their intuitive blend of jazz and African music and their use of the hang, a strange steel drum, made them stand out from the crowd and they were quickly snapped up by a record label.

The band's subsequent album, with its melodic, foot-tapping hooks, had critics falling over themselves to praise their "danceable chamber jazz soundscapes".

As well as being a Mercury Prize album it was also crowned Time Out's Jazz, Folk and World music album of the year for 2007.

But despite the plaudits Wyllie is keen to point out that they're not a jazz band per se.

"We don't really consider our music as jazz, maybe it's about 10 per cent jazz, but that's just one of the musical genres we draw on."

He cites post-jazz avatars EST, Polar Bear and Acoustic Ladyland as influences before name-checking the obligatory John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

"We don't shy away from different types of music, we're influenced by all sorts of things, I think the Arctic Monkeys are great and they influence us but they do it in a subtle kind of way."

As well as doing sessions on BBC Radio One they also played a set at this year's Glastonbury Festival and now they are about to embark on their first major UK tour.

"In the past we had to drive to gigs with our instruments in the back of the car, but this time we've got a driver and a tour manager," he enthuses.

The band are busy working on their second album, due out in the middle of next year, which Wyllie says is taking them in a new direction.

"We're using delays and a loop station, which has enabled us to create a bit more texture. It's still got catchy hooks and everything else, it's just a bit more edgy."

Despite all the praise that's come their way Wyllie admits that modern jazz struggles to find an audience in this country.

"British jazz isn't doing particularly well at the moment, it's become very academic and technical and it's hard for most people to understand. It's not like America where the jazz tradition is ingrained in people."

However, the Portico Quartet are proof that music doesn't have to be all about rock and pop, and with the band members all in their early 20s we can expect to hear a lot more from them in the future.

"I think it's great that we've been able to find our own space and hopefully people will continue listening to us. But we're not interested in being the next big thing or anything like that, we just love making new music and doing our own thing."

The Portico Quartet play the HiFi Club, Leeds, November 25, and Fibbers Barfly, York, on November 27.