Jazz North Awarded Strategic Touring Funding for Alt Shift J

Jazz North have been awarded over £70,000 from Arts Council England's Strategic Touring fund to develop Alt Shift J, a one-day pop jazz festival to showcase emerging artists and the use of digital technology, aiming to develop a younger audience for jazz and improvised music.

From the press release...

Jazz North has been awarded a grant of £71,646 from Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring fund to curate, produce and tour Alt Shift J, a one day pop-up jazz festival aimed at developing younger audiences for jazz.  The festival will present new artists and use digital technology to encourage more young people to experience jazz music both as participants and audience members.  Accompanied by an extensive audience engagement programme, the project will involve young people in programming the festival and will aim to inspire and engageindividuals and families who may not usually access the arts. Theaward was one of 8 Strategic Touring grants announced earlier this week.

Jazz North Alt Shift J will tour to Cleethorpes, Clitheroe, Middlesbrough and Penrith in Autumn 2018 and over the course of the project will:

•             Present 16 performances by extraordinary jazz artists, selected by a network of 8 local young scenebuilders

•             Deliver 24 interactive performances in local primary and secondary schools

•             Engage local residents through a programme of workshops and participatory activities

•             Stream each festival live to a worldwide audience

Partners on the project include The Culture House, Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues, Blue Jam Arts and Middlesbrough Town Hall.

Welcoming the grant, Lesley Jackson, Executive Director of Jazz North said: “We are really thrilled that Arts Council England is supporting this project: one that will help us to develop the next generation of jazz listeners. This investment will build on their support for the sector in recent years”

She continued “The way that young people engage with music is changing. Alt Shift J will give us the opportunity to redefine the genre and the word ‘jazz’, which often comes with its own baggage, and will break down some of the barriers that currently exist.  Developing younger audiences isn’t just about more and better marketing, so we will explore new ways to connect with them. The chance to use digital technology and work with promoters more closely will release the potential of this amazing music to reach more people and connect young audiences to their local venue.”

To find out more about Shift Alt J and about the other projects run by Jazz North, visit their website.

Arts Council England Announces NPO grants - who got cash for jazz?

This week, Arts Council England announced the recipients of their National Portfolio Organisation funding. NPOs are offered long term funding, previously for 3 years periods and for the first time this year, 4 year periods. A number of jazz organisations that support jazz have been awarded funding -

- Manchester Jazz Festival
- National Youth Jazz Collective
- Jazz Re:Freshed
- National Youth Jazz Orchestra
- J-Night
- Cheltenham Festivals
- Jazzlines Birmingham
- Serious 
- Jazz North
- East Midlands Jazz
- Tomorrow's Warriors
- Brownswood Music/Gilles Peterson

This means that there are 3 NPOs that focus on Jazz based in the North alone - a great success!

Congratulations to all organisations awarded funding (and in some cases, an increase in their provision).

For more information, visit the Arts Council England website.

PRS Announces latest Beyond Borders funding recipients

PRS has announced the latest projects to be supported by their Beyond Borders initiative. The scheme supports co-commissions and tours and seeks to develop relationships between composers, musicians and ensembles and music organisations throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A number of names familiar to the jazz community are featured this time including LCoM alumnus Phil Meadows, Lauren Kinsella and Chris Hyson's duo Snowpoet and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Below are the full list of recipients and a brief description of their projects. To see the full press release, visit the PRS website.

• Cryptic – the UK tour of Oliver Coates’ first full length music theatre, Shorelines is set in the aftermath of the North Sea flood of 1953 is a work for string quartet (Ragazze Quartet) and electronics commissioned by Cryptic, in partnership with Belfast International Arts Festival, Sound Aberdeen and Southbank Centre, London
• Decibel Ensemble –a landmark 35-minute work ‘Togetherness’ for amplified large ensemble and electronic media by the acclaimed Northern Irish composer Ed Bennett. The work explores the contradictory notions of independence, pluralism and unity in music, culture and society, and will tour in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland
• Engines Orchestra – ‘Phronesis’ mind expanding collaboration with composer Dave Maric and the Engines Orchestra ‘Decade Zero’, tours the UK in 2017 in partnership with Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz and the EFG London Jazz Festival
• Falkirk Community Trust –a live dynamic alternative reinterpretation of Mazzetti’s ground-breaking work together with acclaimed musician/composers Raymond MacDonald and Christian Ferlaino composed for saxophone and percussion, with engagement opportunities for D/deaf/HoH audiences.
• Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival – A new commission for UK harpist and composer Rhodri Davies, for voice and ensemble working with different systems of time to govern musical interactions. Touring to Huddersfield, Cardiff and Glasgow.
• Snowpoet – an ambitious tour for album number 2 across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
• Sound Festival – a new cross art-form project from composer Colin Riley exploring ‘a sense of place’ comprising a 70-minute multi-media song cycle for singer and 4-piece instrumental/electronic ensemble which will be toured across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• The Wallace Collection Ensemble – Composer Jay Capperauld will shake up the British brass band movement with an exciting and atmospheric new work for brass quintet and brass band called ‘New Moves for The Movement’ to be toured in Scotland, England and Wales

Ronnie Scott's Charitable Foundation - Jazz Education Grants

In 2015, the Ronnie Scott's Charitable Foundation was set up to support jazz education projects across the UK and overseas. So far, 11 projects have received funding to support their activities including Young & Gifted, The York Music Service, Doncaster Youth Jazz Association and NYJO.

The foundations are now accepting applications for the next round of funding available. Their aim is to support activities that provide access to music education for all young people, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds.

To apply for a Ronnie Scott’s Foundation Grant contact:

Fatine Boumaaz, RSCF Projects Manager

fatine@ronniescotts.co.uk  or foundation@ronniescotts.co.uk

For more information on The Foundation:  http://foundation.ronniescotts.co.uk

Ronnie Scott’s

47 Frith St, London, W1D 4HT

Box office 020 7439 0747

Commission Opportunity at Kendal Calling

Well loved festival Kendal Calling has put out a call to artists to apply for a commission fund. Nine commissions will be offered this year, with one of the artists being offered a larger commission to perform their work at two other festivals.

From the Kendal Calling website...

Over the last two years, Lost Eden has commissioned a variety of brand new artworks, including the Mechanical Heart by Felicity Jones and the Umbrella Tree by Tim Hill and Dave Young (Rag and Bone). In 2017, nine commissions will be offered. Of these one artist will be offered a larger commission to tour their work to an additional 2 major boutique music festivals.  Lost Eden at Kendal Calling is produced in partnership with Walk the Plank. A panel made up of Walk the Plank and Kendal Calling representatives will shortlist and select applicants. In their proposals, successful applicants will have demonstrated good value for money, artistic excellence, understanding of logistical and production and plans for sustainable working practices.  Successful applicants will receive funding to create and install their work, and will be promoted in the 2017 Lost Eden launch and arts programme. All commissions are subject to securing Arts Council funding in 2017 (a bid is currently in place).  

For more information, visit the Kendal Calling website.

Apply to play at 12 Points 2017

As the nights draw in each year, we have a number of things to look forward to - venues end their summer break and there's a whole host of new gigs to attend, TV channels start to show good dramas again, all the wasps bed in for the winter and stop their buzzy reign of terror AND musicians have a bunch of bursaries and opportunities to apply for ahead of the new year.

The latest application portal to open is 12 Points. Their festival will take place in Aarhus in Denmark in July next year and they are on the look out for the next round of artists and ensembles to apply.

They receive a very large number of applications each year, so they highly recommend fully reading the guidelines before submitting yours. There is also a fully completed example application for prospective bands to look at to get a sense of what they should aim for.

For full information and to view the bands that have performed at previous festivals, visit the 12 Points Festival website.

Applications Now Open for Peter Whittingham Award

Help Musicians UK have this week announced that applications are now being accepted for the Peter Whittingham Award.

Open to solo artists and ensembles in the first two years of their professional careers or in higher education, the award offers a £5,000 grant to support an important creative project.

Claire Gevaux, Creative Director at Help Musicians UK said, “The continued support of the Whittingham Family through this unique award allows us to invest in the next generation of jazz musicians, helping the most talented artists through these formative and crucial stages of their career. We can’t wait to see the incredible standard of applications and know that our esteemed panel of experts will have an enjoyable challenge in finding the winner.” 

In recent years, the award has been given to Patchwork Jazz Orchestra (pictured above), Square One, Phil Meadows, Roller Trio, Soweto Kinch and more. (You'll notice some Northern favourites popping up on that list!)

Applications will be accepted until Friday 11th November at 5pm. Auditions will take place in London on Friday 9th December. 

For full information and find out more about the projects the award has helped to support, visit the Help Musicians UK website.

Deadline Extended on Help Musicians UK Development Bursaries

Help Musicians UK have announced that they are extending the deadline for applications to their Career Development Burasary scheme until 23rd September 2016.

The bursary fund is open to emerging professional musicians aged between 21 and 35 primarily based in the UK. Grants of between £500 and £2000 are available to support activities which will have a significant impact on musical development. This could include -

• Participation in masterclasses, academies and short courses (such as residential programmes at Aspen Music School, Yale, Lucerne Festival Academy and Banff Centre)
• A time-limited period of mentoring with a leading expert in your field, focused on specific repertoire or technique
• Travel for research and creative collaboration
• A short period of intensive coaching with a world-class tutor in advance of a major performance or project

A large number of jazz and improvising musicians have already benefited from this support including Radek Rudnicki, Lilli Unwin, Alex Roth, Sam Gardner, Sam Vicary and Elliot Galvin.

To apply and for full information, visit the Help Musicians UK website
 

Lauren Kinsella UK Tour, September 4-23rd

Vocalist Lauren Kinsella's star is in ascendence. In recent years, she has worked extensively with groups like Blue Eyed Hawk, Thought Fox and Snowpoet. She has won awards and delighted audiences across the country and has released albums on Edition Records, Two River Records, Diatribe and WideEarRecords. She has also taken up a post teaching voice at Leeds College of Music.

In September, Lauren will tour across the UK with a band including Tom Challenger (sax), Dan Nicholls (piano), Conor Chaplin (bass) and Simon Roth (drums) with support from the PRS Women Make Music fund.

Audiences in the North will have a number of opportunities to catch this wonderful band in action; first at Chapel Allerton Jazz Festival on September 4th, then at the Lescar on September 7th and finally at The Black Swan in Newcastle on September 8th.

One of the brightest creatve sparks to come out of the contemporary jazz vocal feld in a long while.
Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise

A full list of tour dates is given below - for more information on Lauren, visit her website.


September 4 - Chapel Allerton Arts Festival, Leeds 3.30pm 
September 7 – The Lescar, Sheffield 8.30pm 
September 8 – Jazz North East present Women in Music @ The Black Swan, Newcastle 8pm
September 18 – Clapham Omnibus, London 8pm 
September 22 – The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen 8.30pm 
September 23 – Edinburgh house concert (message Lauren via www.laurenkinsella.com for full details and ticket reservation) 

Recipients of PRS Funding Announced

The recipients of PRS for Music funding in the Open fund and the Women Make Music strands have been announced this week and jazz is represented in each category.

There are 9 musicians in the Women Make Music category, including LCoM tutor Lauren Kinsella and LUME founder and saxophonist Dee Byrne. This funding is described as a way to support the development of outstanding women songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career. The fund can support projects by women songwriters, composers, artists, bands and performers who are writing their own music.

Jazz in the North is well represented in the Open Fund for music creators with the inclusion of Beats & Pieces' Ben Cottrell. Byron Wallen and Yazz Ahmed are also featured in this list, receiving funding to create new original music.

A number of organisations received funding from PRS, too including the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, an annual festival that features a lot of improvised music. Swanage Jazz Festival also received funding.

To find out more about the funds and to read the full list of recipients, visit the PRS website.

Kickstarter Campaign - Keith Tippett Octet on Discus

Martin Archer's label Discus Music have launched a Kickstarter campaign to support the release of Keith Tippett's newest album, The Nine Dances of Patrick O'Gonogon.

The 56th album to be released on the label features a new suite of music commissioned by Richard Wiltshire and was recorded at Real World Studios.

This new suite is based on themes from Irish folk music and was written for his new octet, which includes several recent graduates from the Royal Academy of Music’s jazz programme along with a long-time collaborator, the drummer Peter Fairclough, and the London-based Italian trumpeter Fulvio Sigurta.

As the album has already been recorded, mixed and mastered, the kickstarter campaign is a way for listeners to purchase their copies in advance to enable Discus Music to distribute the album. The campaign lasts for another 29 days and has a target amount of £1,500.

Keith Tippett Octet are -

Fulvio Sigurta (trumpet/flugel)
Sam Mayne (alto)
James Gardiner-Bateman (alto & flute)
Kieran McLeod (trombone)
Robbie Harvey (trombone)
Tom McCredie (bass)
Pete Fairclough (drums)
Keith Tippett (piano/composition)
Julie Tippetts (voice)

For more information and to contribute to the campaign, visit the Kickstarter page.

Funding for Jazz - talk to ACE & Jazz North

Jazz North and Arts Council England have teamed up to offer advice for jazz musicians planning to apply for Grants for the Arts.

On April 26th, individuals will be able to book a skype session lasting up to 40 minutes in which they will talk to an ACE relationship manager and a member of the Jazz North Executive team.

To be eligible, participants must have read through the guidance for Grants for the Arts, have a project in mind and be familiar with the application form.

To apply for a session and to find out more, visit the Arts Council England website.

The Orpheus Project - Tour Dates & Website Launch

The Orpheus Project, a joint venture between NORVOL Jazz and Apollo Jazz Network, has announced the launch of its new website and full information about the upcoming tour featuring Ingrid Jensen in May/June.

Described as one of the most gifted trumpeters of her generation, Ingrid Jensen will join forces with Jez Franks (guitar), Andy Champion (double bass) and Tim Giles (drums) to tour venues around the North between May 26th and June 5th, as well as a special one-off large performance in collaboration with Phil Meadows' Engines Orchestra at Ronnie Scott's in London.

Split UK have done a fantastic job with the new website. It will act as a central point for information before, during and after tours. You can book tickets, read interviews, watch videos and find out more about the people involved and you can also sign up to the mailing list to keep up to date as the project progresses.

For full information, visit The Orpheus Project website.

Tour Dates

May 26th - Black Swan Venue & Bar, Newcastle
May 28th - HEART, Headingley
May 29th - Ingrid guests with LJO, Seven Jazz Leeds
June 1st - The Cask, Scarborough
June 3rd - Wakefield Jazz
June 4th - Ingrid leads NYJO masterclasses London
June 5th - Ronnie Scott's, London (quartet & Engines Orchestra)

Katherine McGillivray's Get A Life fund

There is one week left to submit applications to the Katherine McGillivray's Get A Life fund. The fund, set up after the sudden death of highly respected viola player and teacher Katherine Gillivray in 2006, provides two award of up to £10,000 each to allow musicians over the age of 30 to take a sabbatical and undertake projects that will re-inspire and re-charge the artistic lives of applicants.

Applicants are required to outline their plans for their project and its outcomes, as well as a CV and budget. The projects supported by the fund cover a broad range of creative practices and the main eligibility criteria is that applicants should be 30 or over and domiciled in the UK or Eire. Most projects funded are between 6 and 12 months in length but other lengths will be considered.

This fund is slightly different from the usual funding opportunities we see popping up for professional musicians and highlights the real need to support working musicians and allow them space to seek inspiration. It is a fitting legacy for a musician and educator who touched so many lives.

For full information, visit the Get A Life website.

Future of Keswick Jazz Festival Uncertain

For the past 25 years, Keswick has been home to an annual weekend of traditional, gypsy and New Orleans jazz. Set in beautiful settings, the festival has drawn in audiences from far and wide and each year there are over 90 performances during the 4 day festival.

However, there are fears that this year's festival may be the last with the recent news that Theatre on the Lake, the festival's home, is no longer in a position to manage the festival in its current format.

In an article in the Times and Star reported that due to falling ticket sales and public funding cuts, they cannot carry on. A call has been put out to find an events director or promoter to take over the festival to ensure that it continues.

We hope to find an experienced and enthusiastic promoter who can devise a credible business plan to take the festival forward and ensure its financial stability by our deadline of May 9. If no credible offers are received by that date then 2016’s festival will be the last in its current form.

 You can read the full Times and Star article here and for details on this year's festival, visit the Keswick Jazz Festival website and facebook page.

Albums, TV shows & festivals all thanks to Liverpool Jazz

Liverpool Jazz has been supporting the jazz scene in Merseyside for 11 years. The gift of funds left by one of its supporters has meant that they have recently been very active in supporting a range of projects and events.

Recording - Three local bands have been supported in producing albums of their own material recorded at Parr Street Studios. The Weave (pictured above), Ginger Tunes Quartet and Viktor Nordberg Trio will all be featured in a special showcase event at the Liverpool International Jazz Festival on February 28th.

TV - Liverpool Jazz were approached by a group of students at Edge Hill University making a Jools Holland-style show as part of their course. The organisation was able to sponsor the programme and pay musicians to take part as well as providing a grand piano. The show featured performances from The Weave, The Bobby Swing Band and vocalist Su Eyo.

Music Education - Liverpool Philharmonic Society's In Harmony programme and Rare Studios both offer performing arts tuition either for free or at subsidisd rates to young people in underprivileged areas. Liverpool Jazz sponsors these programmes and supports the work they do.

These projects above are the tip of the iceberg, with a range of other sponsored concerts, a regular radio show and a website full of useful information all going on throughout the year. NJN would like to congratulate Liverpool Jazz on the vital work they do to support jazz and music education - long may it continue!

For more information, visit the Liverpool Jazz website.

Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra team up with NYJOS for special collaboration

Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra are to team up with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland for a special Double Big Band collaboration led by Jo McCallum.

Supported by Arts Council England, the project will see NYJOS travel to the Greater Manchester area for a weekend of rehearsals with WYJO culminating in a performance on April 17th at Halle St Peters which will also showcase the two bands individually.


The funding will allow for two new works to be commissioned; one by saxophonist Iain Dixon and the other by composer Mike Gibbs. It is hoped that the double big band material will be available shortly after the concert for any youth jazz orchestra to use across the UK.

Tickets are on sale now for the concert and are priced at £8/6. Seating is limited so early booking is recommended. Doors open at 1.30pm and the concert beings at 2pm.

For more information, visit the NYJOSWYJO Project website.

Lancaster Jazz Festival - Submissions Open

2016 marks the 6th Lancaster Jazz Festival and under the watchful eye of festival director Matt Robinson and his team, it continues to grow year on year.

They have opened the floodgates for artist submissions to take part in this year's festival and will be accepting submission until the 20th March at 5pm.

When programming we look for exciting artists that we feel might bring more to the festival than just a performance. This could be something very tangible, such as a workshop or a seminar (like Seth Bennett or A Dread Supreme from last year for example) or the hosting of a jam session or a new collaboration (like Word of Moth). Or, it could be something else, a buzz from peers about being on the same bill (Trevor Watts or Richard Illes), a truly amazing performance that is talked about for months (Thunkfish or Dakhla Brass), or a million other things that we haven't thought of yet.
We aim to promote the best in contemporary music and jazz from around the UK as well as locally. We are especially interested in promoting a diverse programme of events, including new works, emerging artists and underrepresented groups.

The application process is simple and is done through an online portal. Applicants are required to provide two tracks to be listened to (linked to directly so that the panel can listen online) and answer questions to describe their project. The festival open useful advice on their guidance page (like staying away from stock phrases like 'a new take on jazz standards' which incidentally was used over 30 times in applications last year...!)

Those under 25 can also apply to the Festival Commission fund. Each year, one group or artist is selected to develop a new piece of work to be premiered at the festival. These artists receive support from the festival and mentorship from the artist in residence throughout their project.

All the information you need can be found on the Lancaster Jazz Festival website. Good luck!

Funding Success for Corey Mwamba and Out Front!

                                                Corey Mwamba (Photo by George Harris)

Highly respected vibes player Corey Mwamba has received an Arts Council grant over over £31,000 to produce a 9 month programme of work and a mini-festival intended to raise the profile of contemporary improvised music.

The initiative is called Out Front! and will feature a number of high profile artists performing in Derby starting from March, with the festival scheduled for Autumn.

In a recent article for Derby Telegraph, Mwamba said

This latest funding from Arts Council England will enable us to create a fantastic series of events here and work with others to further strengthen the music and arts scene. We're looking forward to hosting local innovative jazz and improvised music groups who haven't had the chances to perform in the area, as well as national and international acts. It's very exciting and we are also hoping to have more involvement and support from people in Derby and the wider Midlands.

Corey's website is full of information on all of his projects and further information on Out Front! will be available soon.

 

Big News for Band on the Wall

Manchester's Band on the Wall has recently announced the good news that it has secured funding for an expansion which will see the capacity increase 35%.

The charity that runs Band on the Wall, Inner City Music, were successful in a funding application to Arts Council England, which is to be stage one in a two stage plan estimated at around £2.5 million.

These development plans will also see an increase in the provision of educational facilities and charitable activities run by Brighter Sound, its partner charity.

From press release...

Gavin Sharp. CEO, Inner City Music said: While we have a long way to go to secure the extension of Band on the Wall, this first stage of funding is crucial to allow us to develop our plans and we are very grateful to Arts Council England for its support.
Now is the right time to extend Band on the Wall, with the huge amount of development taking place in our neighbourhood – such as NOMA - and the rapid growth of Manchester City Centre we want to be able to bring exceptional, international artists to our growing audience.

Find out more about Band on the Wall by visiting their website and see this newspaper article for further information on the funding.