NYJO Academy Big Band - Apply Now

Calling young musicians across the UK; the NYJO Academy Big Band are holding auditions for new members in September and you have until Monday 21st August to apply to take part.

The band, led by drummer Sebastiaan De Krom, is the NYJO Academy’s flagship ensemble designed to equip talented young musicians with a solid foundation in the big band genre – helping to prepare them for entry into the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, further education or the music profession.

The NYJO Academy Big Band is structured around a series of ‘projects’ centred around the work of a particular composer or genre, such as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus or Loose Tubes.

We are on the lookout for promising musicians under the age of 20 to join the band. Auditioning is free but rehearsal sessions cost £100 per term (free for music students at university and bursaries are available). Candidates must be strong improvisers with sight reading ability, who are keen to improve their section playing and gain an in depth understanding of the big band tradition and its future.

Although the rehearsals take place in London, NYJO are committed to ensuring that no young musician misses out on participating in music making and as such, travel bursaries are available for non-London based musicians to be part of the band.

For full information on the band and how to be involved, see the NYJO Academy Big Band website.

Want to support Jazz in the North East? Here's how...

Paul Bream, champion of jazz and improvised music in the North East, runs a very informative and handy Jazz Alert mail-out so you'll never again miss out on a gig in the area. This time, he also flagged up an opportunity to support the scene in other ways - by becoming a board member for Jazz North East.

He says...

Jazz North East is the longest established promoter of Jazz in the UK, with 2016 having seen us celebrate 50 years of bringing the best contemporary jazz to Tyneside. But for us this anniversary was just the launchpad for the future. We’re much more interested in looking forward to our future concert programmes, with diversity very much at the heart of our approach. 

As a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, our activities are managed by a Board of Trustees, who play a crucial role in making sure the organisation manages its funds properly and fulfils its role of promoting gigs that showcase the best of British and international jazz.

We are currently looking to recruit new members to our Board to help us manage our existing programme of gigs and build on our past success. We are particularly keen to recruit people who have skills and experience in any of the following areas: 

Graphic design

Website development and management

Audio and video recording

Online sales and streaming

Education/music development. 

But specialist skills aren’t essential: a love for jazz is the foremost requirement, and we don’t expect volunteers to have a comprehensive knowledge of jazz and its artists - enthusiastic newcomers would be very welcome, and being a Board member is itself an exciting learning experience! 

The role is a voluntary one. You will be expected to attend Board meetings (normally around 10 a year, and usually held in central Newcastle in the evening) and help out at our regular gigs (generally four a month but you won’t need to be at every one). In return, you will help shape our future activities and get free entry to hear and meet some of the most exciting jazz musicians around. 

Check out our website http://www.jazznortheast.com/ to get an idea of the quality and variety of our current programme. 

If you are interested in joining us then please send an email to info@jazznortheast.com, giving us an idea of how you would like to be involved." 

My understanding is that JNE aren't expecting anybody to dive in without getting a good idea of what is involved, and interested people will be able to sit in at one or two Board meetings and other events before making a firm decision . . . readers of 'Jazz Alert' are clearly committed consumers of jazz; here's a chance to help out as a provider.

Call for Musicians for Jazz Directors Series with Zoe Rahman

Applications are now being accepted to be part of the third Jazz Director Series, run by Band On The Wall & Brighter Sounds. As with their two previous projects, featuring Terence Blanchard and Chris Potter), the call-out is for musicians to form the Inner City Ensemble. This time, the featured musician is pianist Zoe Rahman.

The Inner City Ensemble will work with Zoe in a residency before embarking on a short tour in October 2017. The instrumentation required for this incarnation of the band is - double bass, drums, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tuba, alto sax and tenor sax.

From Band on the Wall...


Described by the Observer as “a remarkable pianist by any standard”, pianist and composer Zoe Rahman has firmly established herself as one of the brightest stars on the contemporary jazz scene. A vibrant and highly individual artist, her style is deeply rooted in jazz yet it reflects her classical background, British/Bengali heritage and her very broad musical taste. Known for her powerful technique, wide-ranging imagination and exuberant performances, she has become a highly sought-after musician, recently working with the likes of George Mraz, Courtney Pine and Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA Orchestra. She is a winner of the prestigious UK Parliamentary Jazz Award, and has been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.  

“I’m really looking forward to working with open-minded improvising artists who have a strong grounding in jazz, a deep sense of groove and who like to listen to a wide range of musical styles. There will be opportunities for all of the musicians to shine individually as well as contribute to the ensemble as a whole. Hopefully the project will be challenging, rewarding and above all fun for all of us.” – Zoe Rahman

The deadline is 13 August 2017 and successful applicants will be notified by 18th August. For more information and to apply, visit the Band on the Wall website.

Jazz Promoter Fellowship Announced by Help Musicians UK

Help Musicians UK have announced their new Jazz Promoters Fellowship in partnership with award-winning composer Issie Barratt.

From the Help Musicians UK website...

This fully-funded HMUK Fellowship has been developed out of the need to create a gender balance within the jazz scene in the UK and provide a framework for best practice in training for promoters. The move has been supported by industry leaders across the sector.

Recent evidence—from Issie’s extensive four-year research project—shows that women are hugely underrepresented in jazz, often excluded from performance opportunities, rarely booked as often as their male counterparts, and infrequently considered in development initiatives.

The Fellowship will aim to change perceptions and create a new, inclusive jazz landscape. It will focus on equipping the next generation of male and female promoters for a career in the industry by working closely with many of the UK’s best jazz promoters, venues and festival directors.

By the end of this Fellowship's pilot year (July 2018), participants will have had invaluable opportunities in order to deliver a year-long personal project aimed at addressing the equality gap.

Key opportunities of the programme include:
• Seven seminar days hosted at key points in the jazz calendar
• Development of a promoter’s job description and toolkit
• Monthly tutorials
• Mentoring from leading experts and peers
• Participation in roundtable discussions
• Devising and delivering a year-long self-initiated project

Applications are being accepted until July 7th 2017 and successful applicants will be notified in late July.

For more information and to apply, visit the Help Musicians UK website.

Volunteer at this year's Marsden Jazz Festival

Set in beautiful surroundings, the Marsden Jazz Festival takes over a village each October and fills it with jazz from mainstream to cutting edge in venues indoors and out. Each year, they run a programme packed full of performances ranging from youth ensembles from the local area to internationally recognised artists.

The festival team have put a call out to recruit volunteers to help run the festival. They have a very simple form to fill in and have a range of jobs on offer.

To find out more, visit the Marsden Jazz Festival website.

Calling all young musicians: LCoM Generation Big Band

Leeds College of Music is welcoming applications for young musicians to take place in the newly assembled Generation Big Band.

From the LCoM website...

Generation Big Band at Leeds College of Music aims to bring together excellence across all generations of the Yorkshire jazz community.
Using cutting edge arrangements the band will consist of alumni who are working professionally in the music business, existing LCoM conservatoire students, along with up and coming young musicians who show great potential. Whilst this is a three-tier ensemble the emphasis is on quality and an opportunity to bring together the best of the best.
Through the audition process we are excited about reaching out especially to the younger jazz community and bringing together musicians who are passionate about improvising. Whilst places will be limited, this is a chance to connect with you, so please apply for an audition if you are interested – it might lead to other things.
The fee for young musicians is £125.

The deadline for applications is Midday on Wednesday 23rd November. Auditions will then take place on November 26th. There are 6 places available and while they would expect to receive applications from musicians aged over 14, they are open to applications from younger musicians too.

Congratulations to LCoM for this exciting initiative - bringing generations of musicians together to share music and learn from each other is a great idea!

For more information, visit the LCoM website.

NYJO are recruiting for 2017

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra is recruiting for 2017 and are on the lookout for talented instrumentalist aged 24 and under from across the UK.

From the NYJO website...

You will work with NYJO’s Artistic and Music Director Mark Armstrong, performing an eclectic repertoire of new music and classics from the big band canon, giving inspiring concerts around the country and also be involved in delivering NYJO’s learning and participation programme. Successful applicants normally hold their position in the band for at least one year.

Recent NYJO highlights include performances at the EFG London Jazz Festival, a major European tour with the German and Dutch National Youth Jazz Orchestras, an annual residency at Ronnie Scott’s, recording a celebrated 50^th anniversary double-album ‘NYJO FIFTY’, and a landmark collaboration at the Barbican with Jazz at Lincoln Center.

“We are looking forward to auditioning potential new NYJO chair holders in January. Although an audition is a short amount of time to gauge a player’s potential, their choice of material and ability to play it, combined with sight-reading, gives a good indication of how they might fit in the band. For some really important chairs, a trial period may be needed to ensure the right person fills the role.”

“Although we rehearse in London every Saturday morning, through our partnership with Help Musicians we have the funds to help pay travel expenses to any players based away from London, should they be invited to attend regular rehearsals. Even if you are not successful in becoming a chair holder with the band, it is possible that you will be asked to be an ‘authorised deputy’ which means doing some gigs with the band, provided you can attend some rehearsals. We’re excited about hearing you play!”

Mark Armstrong, NYJO’s Artistic and Music Director 

Auditions will take place in London on January 7th and in Manchester on January 8th. Applications will be accepted until November 14th 2016.

For full infomation, see the NYJO website.

Apply Now for B-Jazz 2017

Applications for the B-Jazz International Jazz Competition are open until 31st October 2016 so it's time to get that application!

This annual competition runs as part of the Leuven Jazz Festival in Belgium which this year runs on the 24th and 25th March 2017. Ensembles selected to participate in the final will perform in front of a panel of judges and the winner will be offered performances at Getxo Jazz Festival in Spain, Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, Ameersfoort Jazz Festival in the Netherlands and the Druivenfestival in Belgium.

There are also two other prizes available - one for the Best Bass Player and one for the best performance of the mandatory composition (the winner of the B-Jazz Composition Contest 2017).

Full details on how to apply and the eligibility criteria can be found on the B-Jazz website.

Commission Opportunity from THSH Birmingham

We've heard through the grapevine of a commission opportunity open to jazz composers which is being offered by THSH in Birmingham. The deadline is soon (Monday 17th October) but just in case it seems like the perfect opportunity for any composer out there, here is the information:

Jazz Electives KS2 Composer: £2500
Jazz Electives KS3 Composer: £2500

We are seeking up to two jazz composers and performers to write two pieces; one for large Primary KS@ children's ensemble and one for KS3 students. These will be performed at Symphony Hall on Friday 9th June 2017. This fantastic opportunity will also include activities such as leading a creative familiarisation session with music service tutors, school-based workshops, mass rehearsal sessions and the final performances.

If you wish to apply, please see the commission profiles and provide a CV (focused on recent commissions and education work), covering letter including 500 words describing why you are applying and how you meet the skills and experience outline and examples of previous including soundcloud links or youtube footage. 

Please note that if you wish to apply for both commissions, you will need to submit two separate applications. 

For full information and application forms, visit the THSH website.

Want to play at JazzAhead 2017?

JazzAhead is one of the largest jazz expos in the world and it takes place over in Bremen each April. Thousands of musicians, agents, festival directors and organisations gather for the 4 day event and there are four official showcase concerts across the event.

Musicians can attend as a delegate and many do so a chance to meet with promoters and festival directors from across Europe to begin building relationships and setting up gigs for their ensembles. They can also apply to play in one of the showcase events and applications are now being accepted for these showcases.

Currently, there is only one of the four that UK groups can apply for - European Jazz Meeting. This features musicians from across Europe. The other three showcases are German Jazz Expo (german jazz), Overseas Night (jazz from outside of Europe) and the showcase hosted by the event's partner country (2017's is Finland).

Applications are judged by a panel and the deadline is October 31st. In terms of opportunities to apply for, this certainly isn't for everyone and musicians should carefully read the guidelines on the website to ascertain whether their music is at the right stage to benefit from this kind of event. However, it can be a great stepping stone to building an international reputation so it worth investigating.

See the Jazzahead website for further information.

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.

Applications Now Open for The Write Stuff

Applications are now open for the 2016 edition of the The Write Stuff, an initiative run by Jazzwise and Serious for budding music journalists.

This free programme allows new jazz and improv writers to work with professional journalists to improve their work and learn about the world of music press, blogs and more. All this plus the chance to see a load of gigs!

There will be sessions of feature and live review writing by Kevin Le Gendre, an insight into the history and development of the UK jazz and music press by Jazzwise editor Jon Newey and a workshop on jazz websites, blogs and social media run by Mike Flynn.

The sessions will run during the EFG London Jazz Festival between 11-20th November. Those interested in participating should submit a 300 word review of a recent live gig together with a CV and full contact details by Monday 10th October to learning@serious.org.uk. Applicants must be over 18 and available in London between 11th and 20th November.

For more information, see the Jazzwise website.

NYJC seeks new part-time Executive Director

The National Youth Jazz Collective is seeking a new addition to their team in the form of a part-time Executive Director.

From the website...

You will be an experienced Senior Manager able to lead a delivery and management team with particular skills in:

• Charities and arts organisations
• music performance and education activities
• regional and national work
• partnership working
• fundraising and financial management

You will relish the challenge of managing a disparate and sometimes distant team of professionals, volunteers, ex-students and supporters. You will enjoy bringing new skillsets into the organisation and forming new partnerships with like-minded music and business companies & charities.

Issie Barratt says it's a great opportunity for a top arts professional to come join us in building a great new future for jazz!. We’ve a very lovely management and artistic team and enthusiastic President, Vice Presidents and Board of Trustees. We got NPO status in April 2015 and are now based at Kings Place, which is a great place to be.

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Monday 11th January 2016. Successful candidates will be invited to interview in London on 14th January and 19th January.

Full information can be found on the NYJC's website.  

Reminder: MJF Application Deadlines

The deadline for submissions for next year's Manchester Jazz Festival are fast approaching so MJF are sending a call-out to musicians keen to play.

There are two ways to get involved. Firstly, the general open call for submissions to be included in the festival programme. This online form is very easy and only takes a few minutes. You'll need band details and bios and to upload audio and/or video.

The second way is through their MJF Introduces scheme. This is aimed at young musicians between 16-25 just starting out in the world of professional gigging and gives the opportunity for young musicians to perform a gig at a major jazz festival. Again, this is applied for through an online application.

The deadline for both of these is 5pm on Friday 11th December 2015. Full information, eligibility and guidelines for submissions can be found on the Manchester Jazz Festival website.

Would you like to manage a jazz club?

The Globe, the UK's only co-operatively owned jazz venue, has issued a call out for prospective tenants and managers to help them grow and expand their reputation as a live music venue.

The deadline for applications is noon on November 9th. Interviews will be held on November 24th.

They say

We are looking for someone to run the Globe and work with the co-operative to build the reputation of the music venue.

We will welcome applications from both prospective tenants and managers. We are open to new ideas. Convince us that you are the right person to run the Globe and we will agree a mutually beneficial arrangement.

KEY FEATURES

• Considerable opportunity to grow the business

• Highly visible corner location

• Nearest pub to Metro Radio Arena

• Established reputation as a music venue

• Late licence (3am Friday and Saturday)

• Fully wheelchair accessible

APPLICATION PROCESS

For tenants: send a business plan including financial projections and details of your skills and experience.

For managers: send your CV and a proposal of how you would like to run the Globe