Video: Matt Anderson's Jig Jag Jug

The Dankworth Prize for Composition was recently announced and LCoM alumnus Matt Anderson scooped the small ensemble prize for his work, Jig Jag Jug.

The inspiration for the piece came from the beautiful landscapes of his home, the North Yorkshire Moors. As a nod to this, Matt has released a video of the composition accompanied by photography of the area.

Many of the personnel of the band will be familiar to NJN readers, with many having come through the jazz degree programme at LCoM -

Matt Anderson - Tenor & Composition
Matt Roberts - Trumpet
Jim Gold - Alto
Owen Dawson - Trombone
Aubin Vanns - Guitar
Will Barry - Piano
Will Harris - Double Bass
Jay Davis - Drums

Click here to watch the newly released video for Jig Jag Jug.

Applications now open for the Eddie Harvey Jazz Arrangers Award

Applications are now open for this year's Eddie Harvey Jazz Arranger Award, now administered by the Worshipful Company of Musicians as well as the original trustees.

The award is given to a jazz arranger for an outstanding big band arrangement. The winning piece will be performed at a concert at Milton Court Concert Hall in London on 23rd March 2017 and the winning arranger will also receive a cash prize of £1,000.

Applications will be accepted until 2nd December 2016 and there is no age limit for applicants. The pieces will be judged blind and a panel of judges will decide on a winner.

Full information and the online application form can be found on the Worshipful Company of Musicians website.

B-Jazz Composition Contest - Applications now open!

B-Jazz is a Belgium jazz competition aimed at international musicians under 30. They have launched their Jazz Composition Contest and are calling for composers to submit their work to be in with a chance of winning a 2,000 euro cash prize.

The winning composition will then be interpreted and performed by the finalists in the B-Jazz Contest (finalists announced 21st January) on 18-19 March in OPEK Leuven, Belgium.

Criteria:

- Contest is open to composers of all nationalities born on or after 1st January 1986.

- Each applicant should only submit one piece

- Compositions should be submitted as a score (max. 3 pages) and a demo (mp3 quality or better)

- Compositions are judged blindfold so no links to websites or names should be included on the score, just the title of the piece.


The deadline for submissions is February 15th 2016 and full information can be found on the B-Jazz website.

Submissions Now Welcomed for Dankworth Composition Prize

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2016 Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition.

There are categories that composers may submit works to - the Big Band category and the small ensemble category (between 7 and 9 players). A winner will be selected from each category and will each receive £1,000.

This prize fund was set up in memory of John Dankworth and has run since 2008. Three Northern composers have received the prize including James Hamilton (pictured above) in its inaugural year, James Beckwith (LCoM alumni) and Matt Roberts (Darlington-born LCoM alumni).

Submissions will be accepted until 3rd December 2015 and interested parties should visit the Worshipful Company of Musicians website to download the information sheet and application form. Applicants must be aged 28 or under.

Previous Winners of the Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition

2008 James Hamilton (Leeds) Big Band; Nicky Jacques (Birmingham) Small Ensemble
2009 James Beckwith (Leeds) Big Band; Matt Roberts (Leeds) Small Ensemble
2010 Matt Roberts (Trinity) Big Band; Yuriy Galkin (RAM) Small Ensemble
2011 Laura Jurd (Trinity) Big Band; Alex Roth (RAM) Small Ensemble
2012 James Opstadt (RAM) Big Band. No competition for Small Ensemble Composition
2013 Daniel Thorne (WAusAPA) Big Band; Tom Green (Cambridge & RAM) Small Ensemble
2014 Misha Mullov-Abbado (RAM) Big Band; Andrew Woodhead (Birmingham) Small Ensemble
2015 Chris McMurran (Cambridge) Big Band; Ralph Wyld (RAM) Small Ensemb

BBC Documentary featuring music of Matt Bourne airs tonight

A new six-part series about the canal network in the UK begins tonight on BBC One and will feature original music by pianist Matthew Bourne.

Matthew Bourne and Sam Hobbs worked on this BBC commission together and brought in some of Leeds' finest musicians to join them including Jonny Flockton, Mark Creswell and Richard Ormrod.

Interested in canals or music by one of the country's most respected pianists and improvising musicians or both? Tune in!

Find out more on the BBC Website or on Matthew's website.

MJF Originals 2015 - Apply Now

Applications are now open for the 2015 Irwin Mitchell MJF Originals scheme, the flagship commissioning project run by Manchester Jazz Festival.

Aimed at developing the work and careers of musicians working primarily in Manchester and the North West, the scheme has produced 16 unique works in recent years. 2015 marks the 20th year of MJF and proposals which reflect this are particularly welcome.

Applicants are invited to submit a 100-word synopsis of their idea and, if it fits the criteria of the scheme, will be asked to submit a full application. The deadline for this 100-word synopsis is Monday 8th December at 10am.

This year, guitarist Anton Hunter (pictured above) was awarded the commission and premiered his new work, Article XI at the festival in July. Previous composers have included The Felonious Monks (Mike Hall & Debbie Rogers), George King and Pete Moser.

For more information, visit the MJF website.

Sketch: Composers Workshops in Cumbria

A six-week course in composition is running in Penrith during May and June, led by composer Ella Jarman-Pinto and in conjunction with BlueJam Arts.

As you'll see in the poster above, sessions will last for 2 hours and take place on Wednesday evenings at the BlueJam Space in Penrith between 7th-21st May and 4th-18th June. The cost is £48 for the full six-week course.