We have been debating the question of where young musicians can develop their interests and talents. These are the people that will take forward jazz in all its forms and we should be encouraging them. Amongst others, Jonathan Eno of the East Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra (EMYJO) deserves credit for the work he puts in inspiring young people to play jazz and he has sent us details of the Derby Jazz Summer School 2007 which runs at the Cedar Park Arts Centre, Murray Park Community School, Mickleover, Derby from August 20th to 23rd. The summer school, directed by Jon, is for young musicians of secondary school age who want to explore jazz and improvisation through a variety of small and large group workshops.
We also contacted Cardiff University which we understand has a good reputation for including jazz in its curriculum. We asked them about their experience of opportunities for students who do well in jazz, and whether there might be benefit in co-ordinating opportunities that do exist. Robin Stowell, the Professor and Head of Music, replied and his response is amongst the letters below.
We should like to hear from any bands or clubs about things they might be doing to encourage young players; whether you would be interested in giving us your details if you would welcome young players sitting in with you occasionally, and whether it would be helpful to have a page on this website where young musicians could find out where such opportunities exist. Please let us know what you think.
(Item from December 2007 What's New Page)
We have heard from Cameron Reynolds, the Learning Co-ordinator at the international live music producers Serious, about the education work that took place as part of the London Jazz Festival. Tom and Phil Bancroft worked with nearly 200 primary school children in four schools in Barnet using their new teaching method 'Apple Banana Carrot'. For older kids, 'Grime Bop - Jazz in the Urban Jungle' was a project to explore the relationship between hip hop, urban music and jazz, and students from three other schools worked with FinnPeters and Drew Horley to create new music.
There was an intensive music journalism programme The Write Stuff, led by Kevin Le Gendre in partnership with Jazzwise magazine. One of the sessions included an interview with drummer Bill Buford. The Write Stuff is now online and anyone can submit a review of a show they have seen by emailing: mike@jazzwise.com. One participant said: "The opportunity to have our work published on the Jazzwise website is a fantastic platform for seeking out further journalistic work and I feel quite proud that my work has made it on to it. Many thanks again for running the course".
There was also a series of free talks with musicians performing at the Festival
at the South Bank Centre, a Jazz Big Sing with Claire Martin, and a saxophone masterclass with Andy Sheppard.
Serious also ran the New Audiences initiative giving 300 young or less advantaged people the opportunity to see either US sax player Joshua Redman or the UK's Jazz Jamaica. During Redman's encore, a group from Bradford Youth Club were leaving: "They're begging me to stay, but I was supposed to have them home by 10 pm!" the worker said.
Serious are also offering a unique work-experience opportunity. They are looking for 3 young people between 17 and 21 living in London to become peer mentors and lead a new youth steering committee. They will gain skills in live event production, marketing, music education, publishing and more. If you are interested or know anyone who might be, contact www.myspace.com/youngandserious, or the Serious link below.
(Item from September 2007 What's New Page)
In August 2007, we mentioned the 'Take Five' scheme funded by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation and the PRS Foundation and produced by the organisation Serious.We wrote to Serious asking about what has happened to the musicians who have been on the scheme and we have been contacted by one of them, vibraphonist Corey Mwamba.
Corey is an excellent example of how a scheme like Take Five can have far reaching benefits. Corey, at 30 and based in Derby, is one of the exciting new generation of composers and musicians in improvised, contemporary music, and a committed advocate of culture and heritage in the East Midlands. He was part of the third intake of the Take Five initiative and found the seminars and sessions with people like John Surman and Evan Parker inspirational. He was the musical director of a youth performance project 'Unity' based in Derby; he has worked in Creative Partnerships in Leicester and Derby schools, and he has developed the Symbiosis Ensemble, a network of creative musicians in the East and West Midlands that now includes around 35 musicians who give each other support, play in each other's gigs, and who are prepared to communicate with audiences in a simple way about the work they produce. You won't find any recordings by Corey yet, although he plays live gigs regularly, including a workshop with children in Gloucestershire this October. You can hear some of his playing on his website www.coreymwamba.co.uk, if you go to the Projects - Argentum page, but I don't think this recording does him justice as the drums seem to have been recorded in a way that dominates the piece. Look out for Corey if he is playing somewhere near you - we could do with more musicians like him.
(from Jon Eno, EMYJO, August 2007)
Just read the last update. Jeff Matthews sounds like an informed chap. I have to say from my perspective as an educator I get as many requests from mature musicians to learn jazz as I do from young musicians. They are keen and dedicated but do not have the pathway open to them as young muscians do. I have in the past worked on adult-centric jazz education workshops and they were both rewarding and stimulating for all involved. They easily pay their own way, it just takes a little time for an administrator to do the paper work and appropriate advertising, something that arts provision organisations can do easily. I'd happily work on more adult projects if someone helped get them off the ground (promotion, advertising, handling of funds). As time goes by and my educational work expands I will look into offering something along these lines. Has anyone tried the Adult Education courses I use to do jazz versions?
On a side note, to ensure an audience for tomorrow the focus on youth has to be paramount, their musical involvement and enjoyment will ensure a healthy, living art form. Long Live Jazz in all its multifaceted glory!
(from Jeff Matthews, August 2007)
Thank you for placing my words on the site. Interestingly, I joined a jam session this week at a pub on the Shropshire/Welsh borders. It was well attended but there wasn't one musician under 40 and most were retiredmen and women who had come back to music when they had time to pursue it. Some notable players were extremely good and were able to show a path to the less experienced but enthusiastic members.
This is the second 'band of oldies' that I have played with in recent months. Another in Cardiff, supported by Martin Butterworth, a wonderful reeds player, now goes out and does local gigs. This is no competition to the established bands but additional promotion for the older style of jazz. But Martins 'mentorship' has born fruit - and it is good! Again, there is no one under 50 years of age in this band. However, there is also no 'gate' closed against younger enthusiasts. There just is not the interest from that quarter. Why should there be?
My own band played a 90th (60 + 30) combined birthday party last Saturday. We played the older numbers, not because we can't play modern stuff, but because that jazz style is generally more acceptable to a 'non-jazz' audience. Yes - we did have youngsters in their early 20's dance enthusiastically to this jazz - they cheered and clapped because it is fun music and accessible.
We will see Traditional, pre 1950's style jazz disappear in the next 20 years unless it is preserved by those that remember it when it was still popular. It has to be handed on. Develop it and change it, keep it from going mouldy, but keep the style. That can only be done by older, experienced musicians. The revivalist movement of the 1940's in the USA was headed by older guys, not by 20 year olds. But once shown to be a valid and popular art form, it was followed by younger people and copied - in the UK for instance. But the older guys had to do it first.
Just my thoughts.
From Robin Stowell, Professor and Head of Music, Cardiff University (July 2007)
In July we contacted Cardiff University which we understand has a good reputation for including jazz in its curriculum. We asked them about their experience of opportunities for students who do well in jazz, and whether there might be benefit in co-ordinating opportunities that do exist. Robin Stowell, the Professor and Head of Music, replied:
"We try to give jazz instrumentalists as much opportunity as possible whilst at Cardiff and we back up their practical music making with modules in jazz, popular culture, etc. and occasional jazz concerts. There is a pretty lively jazz scene in the Cardiff locality and of course the Brecon Jazz Festival is well known.
"We do try to maintain communication with all students after graduation, but I guess our contact is not specifically in respect of opportunities in jazz. Some co-ordination of these opportunities would doubtless be extremely valuable, though to date we have received no comments about this from our students."
From Jon Eno, East Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra (April 2007)
This is an interesting topic as it brings into play demographics of the wider jazz audience and fraternity as well as the concepts of jazz environment and the legacy of an American pretext. From my point of view as a jazz educator and pedagogist, the opportunities for a young jazz musician to play, rehearse and perform (in a non-professional context) have never been greater. There is a plethora of superb youth music institutions that provide a 'world class' level of jazz instruction. These range from Youth Jazz Orchestra ensembles that include Aylesbury Music Centre through to the Saturday Jazz Schools based at the Conservatoires.
As MD of EMYJO (East Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestras) I have seen an explosion of demand and quality since its inception 5 years ago. EMYJO now has over 140 regular attendees (weekly), 3 Big Bands, a Saxophone Choir and Theory Classes. EMYJO (top band) has performed around North America and Europe, and has garnered awards from IAJE and 4 star Guardian reviews. The demand is such that our regional development plan involves opening two further ensembles in geographical areas along with a Saturday Morning Contemporary Music School. The top band performed 18 gigs last year and is trying to beat this record currently. We are part of a jazz infrastructure of which I am extremely proud that helps propel young musicians into a career in music.
The problem arises when young musicians arrive at college and begin trying to earn a crust from playing. They go from an exciting and varied music life to a very small college environment which is naturally a little more focused on quality than quantity. In my experience it is here that young musicians lose the ability to continue developing semi-pro networks, partly due to the lack of opportunity and partly to the psychology that is imparted to them. To be successful you have to put a lot of time and effort in (with gigs and promoters) with little or no reward. In an ideal world, when they complete their courses they would already have an excellent network of contacts upon which to build a career. The problem is that we are not taught, or do not learn, how to manage different demographics. We all want our audience to like what we like and want to do. We really do not give young musicians adequate advice and practice at working with a variety of demographics. If you travel to Tamworth Jazz, the average age of the jazz audience may be sixty, but if you go to a college gig it may be twenty-one. This skill at manipulating an audience is not valued as highly as the ability to play a lick in twelve keys. Sometimes young musicians are encouraged to indulge in being too musically clever and not musically tasteful. The perfect example of a professional musician is Alan Barnes who has it all, a massive following, and the ability to be sincere to his art.
I sometimes feel that we expect our country and musical culture to be more like what we perceive an American environment to be - gigs everywhere, willing audiences, and a wage. Frankly both impressions are wrong and we need to be realistic about the world in which we live. In my private teaching I am always trying to stress that a balanced varied career will more likely last longer and find eventual artistic fulfilment. If, as I believe, there are more young musicians than ever, then that bodes well for future audiences. Why do our current crop find it difficult to generate performance opportunities? Nothing is ever layed on a plate. Sadly, education has tended to err towards the side of providing all of the answers and information for us so that we don't have to put any effort in (check out the GCSE syllabuses, very limited and all able to be spoon-fed by teachers). You have to be resourceful and use your own incentive to succeed in today's market. Heaven knows there are enough old guys like me out there who'd be willing to help in any way. Access your peers and contemporaries is what I may start telling my students!
I would welcome further discussion on this topic. The EMYJO website can be found at www.emyjo.co.uk. There are a lot of things happening out there!
From Bill Ashton, National Youth Jazz Orchestra (March 2007)
The problem of performance opportunities for young players has always been with us. Usually what happens is that they set up their own gigs at a local level. Obviously NYJO makes around 70 appearances annually. Most of those will be the first band NYJO, others will be smaller bands like Tomorrow's Face (5 front-line, 4 rhythm, singers if necessary), trios, quartets and quintets, mostly for functions. The second band, NYJO2, has about 4 gigs a year. The key to this is merely to come to the Saturday morning workshop/rehearsals at the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone (look at the website NYJO.org.uk). Everything is free and there are no auditions. Virtually everybody who comes to NYJO ends up in the profession. (There are) no real opportunities for New Orleans/Dixieland/even maintream players unless they can read music, but failure to do this is mere laziness. Never believe anyone who tells you that reading will 'make you lose your ears'.
From Penny Robinson (February 2007)
We have often pondered on the age of jazz players we go to see, and have said more than once 'Where is the next generation of traditional musicians coming from?' We did see a terrific double bass player called Steve Tucker from Devon, just before Christmas, who was younger than most and really loved his music, but all his band were older, or seemed so, perhaps it's just too difficult to age these guys! There is a young chap from Bleadon called Guy Morris who plays a mean guitar, we saw him at the Burnham on Sea Jazz Club last year, so they are out there, it's just knowing where to look.
Initial Letter From Keith Williams (February 2007)
Late last summer I came across a couple of young guys, probably late teens, early twenties, busking jazz with trumpet and guitar in the market place. Richie, the trumpet player stood out – good tone, good control of his trumpet, imaginative improvisation. I bought their CD for £2 and asked where they would be playing again. A week later, I heard them playing one lunchtime at a local church music festival. A friend had been persuaded to join them on bass. They kicked off with their version of West End Blues and played a great set for half an hour or so.
Speaking to them afterwards, I discovered they had no other gigs lined up. Richie had just left college and was starting a teaching job locally, Nick (guitar) was heading back to university as, I think was Ash (bass).
It made me wonder what opportunities there are for young jazz musicians. Ash had played in the excellent NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra), and I know there are a number of good Youth Jazz Orchestras around, but outside of that where are the gigs? Where are the opportunities for getting regular paid work in small bands?
Most local Jazz Clubs I have come across have a membership of older people supporting bands of middle-aged to older musicians. I don’t see a lot of evidence that they invite or encourage younger players, even those as outstanding as Richie. If the young don’t get the encouragement, their chances of developing their talents must be pretty restricted. Is there a role here for local clubs to actively seek out and foster young talent?
At the same time, the buzz for young players would probably come from playing to a young audience, and I guess that since the 1960s, the interest of potential audiences has been in other forms of music. On the other hand, if young bands were able to play regular gigs, this might encourage younger audiences to support them.
I noticed recently that the Folk House Jazz Club in Bristol was advertising a jam session with musicians of all abilities invited. Does this happen elsewhere?
It seems a tragedy to me that talented young musicians might so easily fall by the wayside for lack of opportunity. Perhaps the picture is different to the one I imagine – if so, it would be good to know.