Congratulations to the National Youth Jazz Orchestra celebrating fifty years

On the 10th of September I attended a performance of City Lights at the Cadogan Hall sponsored by Citi and organised by Edicis. The event was to celebrate 125 years of British film. City Lights is Charlie Chaplin’s silent masterpiece that was produced after the introduction of the Jazz Singer in the Autumn of 1927…

There was an article in the G2 section of the Guardian on the 25th April 2018 saying music streaming saved the music industry. Streaming may have saved some parts of the music industry but it carries problems for under-represented music such as jazz. The nub of the problem with streaming for the jazz musician is…

On the 2nd April I wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. My letter is printed below. “Dear Mr Whittingdale Re: The Culture White Paper I read the Culture White Paper and I have a number of comments that I trust you will find helpful. Perhaps it might help to explain…

The ‘Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton’ Tour November/December 2021 An ensemble of jazz musicians from the UK and USA embark on tour in November 2021, in celebration of the legendary trumpeter, band leader and BBC broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton, on what would have been his 100th birthday anniversary year. Rising to prominence in the early 1950’s, Lyttelton’s…

Yorkshire Bitter The other day I noticed an article in the Guardian, “Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra brought back to life after 66 years”.  The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra has been revived seventy-four years after it was first formed.  The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra has been revived to support musicians in northern England hit by the pandemic. A few idle thoughts…

Charlotte Higgins in her article, “After the war the arts came back stronger” had a self-prophesying ring about it (Please see article here). Ms Higgins erroneously says that the war was the last time cultural organisations ground to a halt. The Arts Council developed from the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA)…