Joshua Reynolds when he returned from his painterâs apprenticeship in Rome picked up a copy of Samuel Johnsonâs biography of Richard Savage and read it âwhile he was standing with his arm leaning against a chimney-piece. It seized his attention so strongly, that, not being able to lay down the book until he had finished,…
On the 10th of September I attended a performance of City Lights at the Cadogan Hall sponsored by Citi and organised by Edicis. The event was to celebrate 125 years of British film. City Lights is Charlie Chaplin’s silent masterpiece that was produced after the introduction of the Jazz Singer in the Autumn of 1927…
The Knowledge. Jazz by John Fordham was published by Quadrille on the 2nd July and is priced at ÂŁ10. 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…
In the glorious surroundings of Southwark Cathedral the politicians  nonsense of broken Britain was kicked firmly in the seat of the pants and into the Thames. The National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain ably led by Mark Armstrong and Ben Parry produced an evening of memorable music of Duke…
In the Guardian on the 28th May 2015 âArts Council boss promises more of a two way streetâ. The new CEO of the Arts Council Darren Henley was at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards at the House of Commons on the 10th March 2015 when I made an acceptance speech. I drew attention to the appallingly…
An excellent article in June’s edition of Jazzwise by Andy Robson. NYJO are celebrating fifty years. They used to say life begins at forty but in this case, Â life roars ahead at fifty. Congratulations to Bill Ashton, Nigel Tully, Jack Fallow, Mark Armstrong and the rest of the NYJO team.
The Arts Council published a policy for the support of jazz in 1996 and then 4 years later it was dropped in favour â as I recall â of âthe bigger pictureâ. Needless to say no real resources had been allocated to the policy. In Paragraph 62 the Arts Council say clearly that they will…
In 1993 the Arts Council announced they were conducting a review of jazz. Jazz In , the precursor to Jazz UK published an editorial on the review. Reading the editorial will engender a profound sense of deja vu. Please see Arts Council Review of Jazz 1993
I have just completed a paper on âPublic investment of jazz â a coherent policy for jazz, changing demographics, live music and coping with the increasing supply of jazz musiciansâ. This paper examines: A level playing field for jazz The paucity of public funding for jazz The lack of a coherent policy for jazz in…
Firstly the Arts Councilâs magazine Create â vanity publishing in an age of austerity. I looked into the Arts Council’s publication of their magazine “Create”. “The publication cost ÂŁ16,999 to commission the essays. Nineteen contributors in all, of which only three contibutors gave their services for free. ÂŁ1062 an essay â nice work if you…