All Power to Jazz North West!

Fred Burnett

A good many jazz fans who follow Jazz&Jazz probably also follow Jazz North West. But for those who don’t, here is the low down!

Jazz North West is the brainchild of Fred Burnett. In his introduction to the site Fred says: “Welcome to my world of Traditional Jazz. The pages which follow are a tribute to the musicians who have dedicated themselves to playing the music of New Orleans and Dixieland in the North West of the British Isles.”

Fred updates the site virtually daily with news, views, youtubes and events. At the time of posting this it contains an incredible 452 pages of News, views and music!

So Jazz North West with it’s wealth of information is another invaluable medium for keeping right up to date with all things jazz and consequently the aim is for Jazz North West to develop firm links with Jazz&Jazz along with our facebook Jazzers Group.

Fred’s background in jazz is very similar to mine (see Introducing JazzandJazz.com),  although he has a head start on me in promoting and sustaining jazz when, these days, it’s “no longer part of the popular culture”.

In Fred’s own words: “I don’t really have any jazz credentials, having been out of the scene during my working years. When I came back into it I still thought traditional jazz was something to do with Barber, Ball and Bilk, although I had heard of Colyer, Welsh and a few others at the time like Dick Charlesworth, Clyde Valley Stompers, Dutch Swing, Terry Lightfoot etc. As an ex Radio Ham and someone interested in electronics, I started Jazz North West back in 1994 coinciding with my renewed interest in jazz. I still smile at the bands at the time who had never heard of the internet. Luckily back then BT gave free web space and until this year that’s where it’s been. But they have since closed the free service and so I’m now I’m paying for the privilege.”

Fred and Barbara at Buckingham Palace for the Royal Garden Party

In an email exchange Fred discussed with me the cost to him of covering and helping promote jazz and that’s an issue I’m tussling with these days when money is tight. In a letter to me a while ago Barry Martyn urged me to keep “doing what you are doing” but as I “keep doing” the costs of covering the jazz circuits, travel, promos, photography and maintaining web reportage spiral.

So I share Fred’s financial concerns and yet we will both “keep doing what we are doing” until it simply becomes unsustainable!

On a more cheerful note, I really must share another thing which Fred and I and our wives have in common. Some years back my wife Ginny and I were invited to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace for my “dubious” efforts in journalism. And this year (2012) Fred and his wife Barbara were invited to the Royal Garden Party in recognition of his much more valiant role in supporting traditional jazz!

So, having so much in common, even our ages which I will not reveal, Fred and I intend to work in tandem as far as is jazzically possible.

Visit Jazz North West

Keep up to date with Fred’s weekly Jazz North West updates

Discover more about Fred

Contact Fred: [email protected]

Please follow and like us:

Speak Your Mind

YouTube
YouTube
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
Share