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On Wednesday 13th March 2024 I presented a paper to the All Party Parlimentary Opera Group on  at Portcullis House, House of Commons. Thie paper was not about the Arts Councils decision to move ENO to the North of England but about the most effective response to the Arts Councils latest document Lets’ Create: Opera…

Pete Allen Newsletter March 2024 Welcome to the March Newsletter. Sunday 3rd March,  The Pete Allen Jazz Band – The Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa, Old Oxford Road, Donnington, Newbury, RG14 3AG 2.30pm to 5pm. Admission £15 Monday 4th March, Pete Allen Jazz Band, The Conservative Club,   Radway Place, Sidmouth,  EX10 8TL 3pm to 5.30pm.  Admission £15 Saturday…

Sunday 25 February 7.30pm Jazz on the Plaza Café Yukari, Kew, TW9 4HJ – Chris Hodgkins – Trumpet, + Terence Collie – Piano and Esther Ng – Double Bass The Thursday 29th February has been cancelled and we are now on the 5th April at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, 3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London, SW1A…

Ravinder Athwal – Director of Policy – Labour Party asked for submissions to the Labour Parties policy formulation by the 8th February 2024 My submission contains an introduction and summary and deals with: The lack of art form policies, planning and impact analysis Arts Council England growth of National Portfolio Organisations and lottery funding Music…

The Pete Allen Jazz Band at the Regal Theatre, Minehead Sunday 11th February at 7pm – Regal Theatre, 10-16 The Avenue, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5AZ.  Box Office Tel:01643 706430 with special guests Trevor Whiting and Dave Moorwood. Box Office – book tickets online Pete Allen – Pete, who is an Honorary Citizen of New Orleans USA returns…

Pete Allen Newsletter February 2024 Welcome to the Pete Allen Newsletter.  Pete Allen’s gigs Special guests Thomas ‘Spats’ Langham and Trevor Whiting are appearing with the Pete Allen Band in Newbury and in Sidmouth. Sunday 4th February – The Bacon Arms, Oxford Street, Newbury, RG14 1JB. 2.30 pm to 5 pm.  Admission is £17.50 at the…

A commendable initiative from Guildford Jazz Calling All Jazz Clubs – an invitation from Guildford to a Virtual Roundtable on how to attract a younger audience and secure Arts Council funding Guildford Jazz has just successfully completed a series of Arts Council England funded gigs and improvisation workshops aimed at attracting a younger audience to…

Pete Allen Newsletter January 2024 Welcome to the New Year and January’s  newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like to receive the newsletter please ask them to drop me a line at allenpete886@gmail.com I will add them to the list. Wednesday 3rd January – The Conservative Club, Radway Place, Sidmouth, EX10 8TL 3 pm to 5.30 pm.  Admission  is £15 at the door,…

Chris Hodgkins Newsletter – Current + New Projects 2024 SUMMONED BY BELLS – A new project for 2024 This project is based around Sir John Betjeman’s poem “Summoned By Bells” and involves a tour of churches with bell towers. The core of the programme revolves around a number of newly composed themes played by church…

Pete Allen Newsletter December 2023  Welcome to November’s newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like to receive the newsletter please ask them to drop me line at allenpete886@gmail.com I will add them to the list. We are still working hard  on the marketing of the gig at the Pizza Express on the 4th December 2023  – details below…

Pete Allen Newsletter November 2023  Welcome to November’s newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like to receive the newsletter please ask them to drop me line at allenpete886@gmail.com I will add them to the list. I am also working on the marketing of the gig at the Pizza Express on the 4th December 2023  – details below…

Pete Allen Jazz Band gigs for October 2023 Pete’s 45th Anniversary Sunday 1st October 2023 at the Bacon Arms Hotel, Oxford Street, Newbury, RG14 1JB. Tickets £20 available from Jane on 0118 981 2598 or email Jane at: nana.macgregor@btinternet.com Large car park at the rear of the hotel. Licensed bar all day plus a range of…

Pete Allen Newsletter September 2023 Welcome to the Pete Allen Newsletter for September here are the gigs: 3rd   The Bacon Arms, Oxford Street, Newbury, RG14 1JB. 2.30 pm to 5 pm.  Admission is £15 at the door, preferably by cash or cheque payable to P ALLEN. 6th   The Conservative Club, Radway Place, Sidmouth, EX10 8TL       3 pm to 5.30 pm.  Admission is £15 at the door, preferably…

Hope to see you over the course of the month! August 🎶 Sunday 6th August – 2.30pm to 5pm (afternoon) The Bacon Arms, Newbury 10 Oxford Street, Newbury RG10 1JD Guesting with The Pete Allen Band Expect a fun afternoon of swinging jazz.  Pete Allen clarinet/sax, Roger Marks trombone, Chris Hodgkins trumpet James Clemas piano, Dave Hanratty bass Jim Newton drums 2.30 pm Finishes 5pm £15 on…

Chris is playing two gigs in Wales on the 10th of August and the 12th of August 2023 Thursday 10th August at Snails, 6-8 Beulah Rd, Cardiff CF14 6LX 7 pm – 9 pm. Tickets £10 booking recommended. Phone: 029 2280 0385. http://www.snailsdeli.com/ Chris Hodgkins, Keith Little (piano) Donnie Joe Sweeney (double bass) Saturday 12th August at Brecon Jazz Festival.  All…

Pete Allen – Newsletter August 2023 A couple of dates in August. The Newbury gig features the wonderful Shireen Francis, please see details below. A new album will be out shortly and there are details of my 45th anniversary as a band leader.August 2nd The Conservative Club, Sidmouth, 3pm to 5.30pm.  Admission £15 at the door, preferably by cash or cheque…

Pete Allen News Letter – July 2023 Welcome to my news letter for July 2023. We have some great gigs coming up. On Sunday 2nd July we move to our new venue in Newbury the Bacon Arms, Oxford Street, Newbury, RG14 1JB. 2.30pm to 5pm.  With special guest DAVE MOORWOOD (banjo/guitar).  Admission £15 at the door, preferably by…

Pete Allen Newsletter May 2023 Welcome to the Pete Allen Newsletter. This is the first in a regular monthly newsletter. If you do not want to receive this letter you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email – I hope you won’t. The band has recently had a new addition – Chris Hodgkins on trumpet – otherwise…

  Applications now open for Help Musicians’ prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award  Today, 5 September 2022, Help Musicians open applications for its prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award, offering financial support towards a musical activity and business advice to a jazz musician or band at a tipping point in their career. Now in its 32nd year, it is awarded…

During a professional career in show business that has spanned over 45 years, there is so much Pete has achieved that it is impossible to list everything. However, here are a few highlights:- Pete joined the Rod Mason Jazz Band in 1976 and formed his own fully professional band on the 1st October 1978. Throughout the…

A key strand in the “Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton Tour” that took place from the 18th of November to the 5th of December 2021 is “Create Your Tune”. The National Youth Jazz Collective (NYJC) in partnership with the “Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton“ band are launching the scheme. This scheme is for people of any age…

Keith Little is pleased to announce a very special evening of jazz to celebrate the lives of two of the greatest characters on the jazz scene in Cardiff – Pete Locke and Alun Jones, who passed away during the lockdowns. There will be music from The Riverside Jazzband and the Keith Little Hot Six on…

Press Release Trumpeter Chris Hodgkins releases three albums The “Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton” album was recorded after last November’s 17 date UK tour, the Chris Hodgkins International Quartet album “Festooned with Trumpets”, was recorded after their tour in 2019 and the Vic Parker, Chris Hodgkins, Jed Williams album was recorded live at the Quebec Hotel, Cardiff…

Trumpeter Chris Hodgkins is launching three albums at the Pizza Express, Dean Street, London, W1D 3RW  on Thursday 12th May at 8 pm – doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at: https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/chris-hodgkins The “Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton” album was recorded after last November’s 17 date UK tour, the Chris Hodgkins International Quartet album “Festooned with Trumpets”,…

Press Release Voting is now open for the 2022 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Entries are open to anyone with the final deadline set for midnight on Sunday 27th March 2022. The Parliamentary Awards celebrate and recognise the vibrancy, diversity, talent and breadth of the jazz scene throughout the United Kingdom. “These awards are a great opportunity…

Brian ‘Joe’ Spibey Residents of Widcombe have told the Chronicle with great sadness that Widcombe resident Brian “Joe” Spibey, known as Jazz Joe passed away shortly before Christmas aged 79. His death comes only eighteen months after the passing of his collaborator, singer James Lambeth who died in May 2020. “Joe was a Widcombe fixture,”…

The ‘Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton’ Tour November/December 2021 An ensemble of jazz musicians from the UK and USA embark on tour in November 2021, in celebration of the legendary trumpeter, band leader and BBC broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton, on what would have been his 100th birthday anniversary year. Rising to prominence in the early 1950’s, Lyttelton’s…

Press Release Extension of deadline to midnight on Wednesday  1st September 2021 for completion of questionnaires for the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group  Review Of Jazz In England Following an enforced delay due to the global pandemic and a year of unprecedented change, challenges, and specific hardships for working musicians, promoters,venues, jazz organisations, studios,…

The recipients of the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Awards were announced on Monday 26th July at 19:00 The Parliamentary Jazz Awards are organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) with the support of PizzaExpress Live. The Awards celebrate and recognise the vibrancy, diversity, talent and breadth of the jazz scene throughout the United…

Press Release Nominations announced for the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2021 The nominations have today been announced for the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.The Awards, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) with the support of PizzaExpress Live. The recipients of the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Awards will be announced online on Monday 26th…

There was an article in the Guardian on the 12th June 2021,  “Oliver Dowden – The paymaster who is calling the tune in the culture wars”. The article highlighted what a wonderful smokescreen culture wars are for the inadequacy of the Secretary of State for Culture and the DCMS. They serve to reinforce the findings…

Press Release The All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group Announces A Review Of Jazz In England Following an enforced delay due to the global pandemic and a year of unprecedented change, challenges, and specific hardships for working musicians, the All Party Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) has commissioned a Review of Jazz in England.  The Review…

Yorkshire Bitter The other day I noticed an article in the Guardian, “Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra brought back to life after 66 years”.  The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra has been revived seventy-four years after it was first formed.  The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra has been revived to support musicians in northern England hit by the pandemic. A few idle thoughts…

Press Release Voting is now open for the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, which this year will take place online. Entries are open to anyone with the final deadline set for midnight on Tuesday 14th May 2021. The Parliamentary Awards celebrate and recognise the vibrancy, diversity, talent and breadth of the jazz scene throughout the United…

Connects Music – Covid-19 Impact Study on UK Musicians’ and Music Creators’ Livelihoods This report reveals the impact over the last nine months of Covid-19 on UK musicians and music creators who are at the heart of the UK’s £5.8 billion music industry ( UK Music defines music creators as musicians, composers, songwriters, lyricists, singers, producers…

All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Night-Time Economy Report On Impact Of Covid-19 On UK Nightlife Read the report Here 40 MPs tell Chancellor and PM, act now or see ‘extinction’ of UK Nightlife The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Night Time Economy, a cross-party group of more than 40 MPs, has today published the…

Chris Hodgkins International Quartet Tour May 2019 The Chris Hodgkins International Quartet toured 12 venues between the 14th and 26th May 2019. 11 of the dates were funded by Arts Council England and one date in Hay on Wye was funded by Night Out supported by Arts Council Wales. The towns played were: London, Scarborough,…

The Brexit Select Committee has been a vital space for holding the government to account over the last few years ably led by Hilary Benn Now Jacob Rees Mogg wants to get rid of it. Here is Hilary Benn in action: Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) tweeted at 10:46 pm on Wed, Jan 13, 2021: Indeed. It…

APPJAG is submitting evidence to the inquiry to ensure that UK music festivals and jazz festivals in particular are given the support and resources to enable them to survive and thrive up to and when normality is resumed. Summary Reference 1 – UK Music festivals generate and contribute £6 billion to the economy. Of crucial…

APPJAG is submitting evidence to the inquiry to ensure that musicians and composers achieve equitable payment for their music and to ensure a level playing field through regulation will enable ethical business models to become the norm. Summary The dominant organisations are the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. They are effectively a…

Whilst this paper deals with jazz musicians and volunteer promoters it would be equally applicable to many genres from folk to brass bands and from indie music to rap. This paper reinforces the findings of the Impact of Covid-19 on DCMS Sectors: First Report by the select committee for Digital Culture Media and Sport. MPs…

The Arts Council has launched a new ten year strategy which they say is not dreamed up by a bunch of bureaucrats sitting in a room on their own – well tough, as this is what it reads like, out of touch and given the current resources probably unachievable. Musicians, dancer, painters, poets, writer, singers…

The leader article, “Ministers have come to the rescue. Artists must seize this chance” in the Guardian on the 2nd June (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/06/the-guardian-view-on-15bn-for-the-arts-the-shows-will-go-on) sounds reasonable till you analyse the Arts Council’s 10 year strategy “Lets Create”. “Let’s Create” reads as if written by people remote from the practical issues  which the arts face every day and…

Congratulation to Oliver Dowden Secretary of State Culture, Media and Sport on listening and delivering a £1.5 billion rescue package for the arts. However there are caveats; where and how will the money be spent, who will deliver the money to beleaguered organisations, especially volunteer promoters and musicians? Will under-represented musics find a place in…

I recently appeared in a podcast with Nicoleta Porojanu a  psychologist and therapist from London. It was an interesting interview where the topic of stress was discussed. Stress  is explored and what is causing stress in our modern world and the terrible impact it has on our mental activity, emotional life and physical body. Music…

Recipients Announced For 2020 Parliamentary Jazz Awards The recipients of the 2020 Parliamentary Jazz Awards were announced on Tuesday 30th June at 20:00 The Parliamentary Jazz Awards are organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) with the support of PizzaExpress Live. The Awards celebrate and recognise the vibrancy, diversity, talent and breadth…

There was an article in the Guardian on the 18th June 2020, “Act to save industry, leading lights of stage urge government” https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jun/17/cultural-catastrophe-uk-theatre-faces-ruin-amid-coronavirus-crisis . Dowden was quoted as saying  “he does not want to let anyone down”. Well his insouciance to date has let a whole raft of jazz musicians and volunteer jazz promoters down and…

So ran the headline in the Observer on Sunday 24th May 2020. It was an article by Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport. (  https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/may/24/the-world-looks-to-british-theatre-so-lets-get-it-back-on-track ) The article presented the new task force and working groups which was the same old storey with the usual suspects in place. Of course…

Press Release The All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group urge Arts Council England to reinstate National Lottery Projects Grants When Arts Council England announced its £160 million emergency rescue package to deal with the coronavirus crisis in March 2020, arts organisations and individuals alike were rightly delighted by such a swift and positive response. However,…

All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2020 Nominations Announced The nominations have today been announced for the 2020 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.The Awards, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) with the support of PizzaExpress Live. The recipients of the 2020 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, will be announced Tuesday 30th June 2020. The Parliamentary Awards celebrate…

Charlotte Higgins in her article, “After the war the arts came back stronger” had a self-prophesying ring about it (Please see article here). Ms Higgins erroneously says that the war was the last time cultural organisations ground to a halt. The Arts Council developed from the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA)…

The Arts Council has announced a rescue package but has suspended national lottery grants that would help jazz musicians and jazz promoters organise tours and plan ahead – to organise a tour or project you have to plan over a year ahead. The suspension of the national lottery grants will now add to the misery. The…

The leader article ( Amid the pandemic music send a message about things eternal, Monday 23rd March 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/22/the-guardian-view-on-music-and-pandemics-the-global-prisoners-chorus) on culture and music completely missed the point which is the  meltdown of music; especially among underrepresented music such as jazz, blues and folk. The available research shows that jazz musicians had 45% of their incomes coming from…

I was bemused to read in the article “Time for Change” that Arts Council England gives 16% of its music funding to jazz. My last calculation in “Public Investment in Jazz 2012-2022” (see  https://www.chrishodgkins.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Public-investment-in-jazz-2012-to-2022.pdf) showed that of the total funding of music for Regularly Funded Organisations was £359 million of which jazz accounted for £6.9million or 1.9%. For…

The Autumn Culture  Preview in  the New Review  in the Observer on the 1st September 2019 was disappointingly narrow in its outlook. The highlights were heavily skewed towards London and limited in the coverage of different genres of music. There were 11 mentions generally, on film, television and books with 12 mentions of art, theatre,…

2019 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards Nominations Announced The nominations have today been announced for the 2019 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.The Awards, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) with the support of PizzaExpress Live. The nominees include a broad array of jazz talent from the UK jazz scene. The award categories reflect…

There was an article by Sarah Marsh in the Guardian on Monday 29th July 2019 reporting that rising numbers of younger fans have sparked a UK jazz renaissance and streaming sites report growth in young listeners and festivals are signing up more jazz acts. However there are two caveats. Streaming as a marketing tool allows…

Press Release Voting is now open for the 2019 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, which will take place at PizzaExpress Live, Holborn, London on Tuesday 3rd December 2019. Entries are open to anyone with the final deadline for entries set for midnight on Friday 31st May 2019. To vote please go to: https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/parliamentary-jazz-awards Please note the criteria…

Debbie Dickinson 17th May 1957 – 1st March 2019 It is with overwhelming sadness that I received the news that Debbie had passed away. Debbie was an incredibly talented educator, International live sound engineer, music event manager, tour manager, music producer and creative collaborator. Debbie was an Associate Professor at City, University of London and…

Martin Hummel the Managing Director of Ubuntu Music has just released their Year End Review for 2018 and looking ahead to 2019. I wish other organisations in jazz would do the same and issue annual reports with an indication of the impact of their work. Some do but they never seem to see the light…

2018 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards Nominations Announced The nominations have today been announced for the 2018 ParliamentaryJazz Awards, Britain’s premier awards for the jazz loving public and fans of the music from both Houses of Parliament. The nominees include a broad array of jazz talent from the UK jazz scene. Supported by PizzaExpress Live…

Arts Council England funding of National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) for jazz 2014/2022 Set below in Table 1 is the funding of the National Portfolio Organisations for 2014 to 2022.  Please note only those organisations are included whose activity is a give or a take a percent, 100% jazz activity. They are the core jazz National…

There was an article in the G2 section of the Guardian on the 25th April 2018 saying music streaming saved the music industry. Streaming may have saved some parts of the music industry but it carries problems for under-represented music such as jazz. The nub of the problem with streaming for the jazz musician is…

Rhythm and Reaction – The Age of Jazz in Britain – Two Temple Place – 27th January to 22nd April 2018 Rhythm and Reaction an exhibition of the age of jazz in Britain at Two Temple Place, London, WC2R 3BD is curated by Professor Catherine Tackley nee Parsonage, Head of Music at the University of…

Industrial Strategy – Creative Industries Sector Deal Set out below is my response to the recently published (March 2018) Creative Industries Sector Deal that forms part of the Government’s industrial strategy. The document can be downloaded at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/695097/creative-industries-sector-deal-print.pdf 1 Analysis of the Creative Industries Deal The first step in any strategy formulation is to ask and…

Arts Council England has been conducting a “conversation” which is arts speak for consultation. The word that should have been used is debate. The consultation has been running for 12 weeks and concludes on the 12th April 2018. The Arts Council asked a number of questions under the following subject headings: Looking to the future…

In the Guardian on the 21st March 2018 there was an article, “Opera is many things to me. Elitist is not one of them”. Opera is not elitest as music it is the inequality of funding that sets it apart and one could argue that it is conspicuous consuption writ large with two opera houses…

The nominations for the 2018 Jazz FM Awards have been announced. Bassist extraordinaire Thundercat, formidable vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, genre-bending bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding, and pioneering trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah are all up for awards alongside the cream of the thriving UK scene including Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Jacob Collier and Yazz Ahmed,…

 Arts Council England funding of National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) for jazz 2014/2018 National Portfolio Organisations for jazz NPO funding 14/15 £ NPO funding 15/16 £ % increase or (decrease) on 14/15 NPO funding 16/17 £ % increase or (decrease) on 15/16 NPO funding 17/18 £ % increase or (decrease) On 16/17 Total % increase or…

Jazz Education Awards Trinity Laban Conservatoire hosted this year’s Will Michael Jazz Education Awards on 22 November 2017. Retiring Awards Panel chair, Ivor Widdison paid tribute to outstanding commitments to jazz education demonstrated by the following music education hubs and music services all of whom were awarded Diplomas Bromley Cumbria Devon Doncaster Gloucestershire Oxfordshire Sheffield…

London: University of Westminster’s music business think tank and information hub, MusicTank, is delighted to announce that it is to receive the assets of JazzUK as part of that charity’s formal closure. With the funding landscape severely challenging JazzUK’s viability, MusicTank has been appointed the sole beneficiary of this organisation’s 30-year legacy of supporting UK…

     JazzUK hands over the baton to MusicTank JazzUK, formerly Jazz Services was, for 34 years, the voice of advocacy for Jazz in the UK.   As an Arts Council of England National Portfolio  Organisation, the charity targeted grant funding for touring, promoters and recording schemes since 2004 creating over 5,000 gigs, providing employment…

There was a leader article, “Opera is often derided as elitist”, in the Guardian on the 28th September 2017. Regrettably the article ignores the fact that opera in the UK receives a disproportionate amount of public subsidy compared to other art forms and like the banks are too big to fail. In a time of…

On  the 16th July 2017 the Observer reported that the Arts Council had rejected an application from the Music Venue Trust for support for venues. I am not surprised the Arts Council rejected the Music Venue Trust’s application, as the majority of the Arts Councils funding decisions are based on the bounded rationality of the…

The Arts Council has recently published funding for the four year national portfolio organisations. The Arts Council’s method of funding the arts in England is fatally flawed. The problem is that the funding decisions are not informed by a coherent art form policy that would hold the Arts Council to account.‎ Further more the Arts…

Jazz Heritage Wales is based at Swansea Metropolitan University’s Library at Townhill Campus. Founded in 1986 by pianist and historian Jen Wilson, they became a registered charity in 1998.Jazz Heritage Wales celebrated their 20th Anniversary with a Gala Evening attended by Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth in 2006. Jazz Heritage Wales is run…

In December 2016 Chris was appointed by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group to act as their Secretariat. The Secretariat team is Chris and Sarah Pellew and details can be found at: All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group

I have just received details of the Will Michael Jazz Education Awards for 2016. The Will Michael Jazz Education Awards Panel is  chaired by Ivor Widdison. His colleagues on the Panel are Dr Catherine Tackley, Bill Martin, Andrea Vicari and Richard Michael.  The Awards were presented by Leslie East, Chair of the Jazz Committee of the Musicians’ Company,…

On the 2nd April I wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. My letter is printed below. “Dear Mr Whittingdale Re: The Culture White Paper I read the Culture White Paper and I have a number of comments that I trust you will find helpful. Perhaps it might help to explain…

John Evans 1934 – 2015 John Evans 1934 – 2015 John was born July 21st 1934 in Cardiff. He started playing clarinet at 15.  With his first band rehearsals took place in his front room at home, when their neighbour Mr Rogers couldn’t take any more he would tap on the living room window and…

Joshua Reynolds when he returned from his painter’s apprenticeship in Rome picked up a copy of Samuel Johnson’s biography of Richard Savage and read it “while 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 £10. 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 “Arts Council boss promises more of a two way street”. 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,  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 – as I recall – of “the bigger picture”. 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 “Public investment of jazz – a coherent policy for jazz, changing demographics, live music and coping with the increasing supply of jazz musicians”. 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 Council’s magazine Create – vanity publishing in an age of austerity. I looked into the Arts Council’s publication of their magazine “Create”. “The publication cost £16,999 to commission the essays. Nineteen contributors in all, of which only three contibutors gave their services for free. £1062 an essay – nice work if you…

Until May 13th at midnight I was the Director of Jazz Services for 29 years until I retired at midnight on May 13th 2014. Jazz Services is the national organisation funded by Arts Council England since 1970 to provide services in information, touring, education, communications and publishing to the UK jazz community. Please see www.jazzservices.org.uk  for…