Congratulations to the National Youth Jazz Orchestra celebrating fifty years

Jazz Education Awards Trinity Laban Conservatoire hosted this year’s Will Michael Jazz Education Awards on 22 November 2017. Retiring Awards Panel chair, Ivor Widdison paid tribute to outstanding commitments to jazz education demonstrated by the following music education hubs and music services all of whom were awarded Diplomas Bromley Cumbria Devon Doncaster Gloucestershire Oxfordshire Sheffield…

The Knowledge. Jazz by John Fordham was published by Quadrille on the 2nd July and is priced at £10. The book is one of a series of information-led pocket guides with the purpose of introducing a range of subjects ranging from Red wine to Opera via Whiskey and Stargazing. See www.quadrille.co.uk Since 1978 John Fordham…

Intellectual Property Office consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence There is an Intellectual Property Office (IPO) consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence – GOV.UK The consultation will run for 10 weeks. It commences at 10:30 on 17 December 2024 and will close at 23:59 on 25 February 2025. I am attaching a briefing paper from UK…

There was an article in the Guardian on the 18th June 2020, “Act to save industry, leading lights of stage urge government” https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jun/17/cultural-catastrophe-uk-theatre-faces-ruin-amid-coronavirus-crisis . Dowden was quoted as saying  “he does not want to let anyone down”. Well his insouciance to date has let a whole raft of jazz musicians and volunteer jazz promoters down and…

Industrial Strategy – Creative Industries Sector Deal Set out below is my response to the recently published (March 2018) Creative Industries Sector Deal that forms part of the Government’s industrial strategy. The document can be downloaded at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/695097/creative-industries-sector-deal-print.pdf 1 Analysis of the Creative Industries Deal The first step in any strategy formulation is to ask and…

Review of Jazz in England: an Honest Portrait and an Actionable Roadmap – A Green Paper Report plots ways for jazz to keep swinging A cross-party Parliamentary focus group has published a review of jazz in England that sets out the way ahead for the music to flourish nationally over the next ten years. The…