“Jazz speaks to everybody on the planet.” (Eric Clapton during a concert with Wynton Marsalis)

Recently I ran three posts on my Facebook Jazzers Group which elicited a host of responses. The title of one of these posts was the theme of all three – i.e. “Campaigning for the Future of Jazz”, which in effect is what Jazz&Jazz is all about.

One bone of contention frequently aired on Jazzers is the lack of New Orleans Revivalist Jazz (which came to be known as Traditional Jazz) played on the radio and the suggestion was made that fellow Jazzers join in a campaign to lobby broadcasters and radio stations across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom and Europe to play more, much more, of “our kind of music”.

This brought a healthy response from members of Jazzers prepared to support the campaign and along with Jeff Matthews I agreed to draft a letter which our fellow Jazzers could use to send to local radio stations in their areas.

So below is the draft letter and I would urge jazz lovers everywhere to use it to send to their local broadcasters and even telecasters. You can reinforce our campaign by telling us in the “Speak Your Mind” slot below just which stations you have lobbied.

I will share this post on my Facebook Jazzers Group so that members of the Group will also be able to join in and reinforce our campaign.

Peter M Butler
Editor and Owner of Jazz&Jazz

PS Anyone on Facebook who is not a member of Jazzers and would like to join the group can do so by sending a Friend Request to me at Peter Mark Butler. I will then send you an invite to join the Group.

THE DRAFT LETTER

Dear Local Radio Station,

I sometime wonder if it has passed the attention of radio station controllers that increasing numbers of potential listeners are over 60. Many of us didn’t follow the Beatles or the Stones, because we had already become hooked on jazz. In those days the in thing was traditional jazz. We packed the jazz clubs, followed the bands and danced to their music. Many of us even found our future ‘mates’ at jazz gigs.

Those were the days when Louis Armstrong was still a major artiste and ‘Wonderful World’ and ‘Hello Dolly’ were regularly played on radio programmes. We were mesmerised by Acker Bilk’s ‘Stranger on The Shore’ and Kenny Ball’s ‘Midnight in Moscow’ and we tapped our feet to many other hits. They made us feel happy and lifted our spirits like other music didn’t. To this day it’s said in the jazz world “If you can’t whistle the tune on the way home, it just ain’t jazz!” We had a vibrant jazz music scene in those days, before over produced ‘pop’ was forced on us.

Sadly, some people think this music is too out of date to play today. It is not. It is still as much alive in our hearts and souls as it was in our youth. Kenny Ball and Terry Lightfoot may no longer be with us, but Keith Ball and Melinda Lightfoot are following in their footsteps. Acker still tours and Chris Barber’s band features some wonderful young jazz musicians. Not only that but a new era of young bands is emerging on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK we have The Rich Bennett Band, The Adrian Cox Quartet, TJ Johnson, The Brownfield Byrne Quintet, The Fallen Heroes, Dom Pipkin and The Ikos (Dom is Paloma Faith’s pianist and musical director), and in the USA, amongst others, a wonderful new band called Tuba Skinny.

Jazz isn’t dead. It’s vibrant, alive and thrilling. Not only are there significant numbers of us silver haired music lovers who want to hear and enjoy much more traditional jazz played on our local radio stations, there is also an emerging new generation of jazz fans.

As Eric Clapton recently confessed when starring with Wynton Marsalis, “There’s something about jazz and there always will be in my heart that puts it somewhere up there with the gods … it’s refined … sophisticated … and has a lot of humour and depth. It speaks to everybody on the planet.”

So on behalf of jazz fans young and old, might I appeal to you [Radio Whichever Station Controller] to dedicate a fair chunk of time to jazz and satisfy our needs?

Sincerely,

Signature & Name

A silver haired music lover OR  A New Generation Jazz Fan!

Note: This could be sent by email but if sent by post it might be a good idea to enclose an SAE.

Alan Hippsley

Now that the dust has settled on BBC4’s “Trad Jazz Britannia” presentation, so far as Jazz&Jazz is concerned, I would like to leave the final word to The Reunion Jazz Band’s ace trumpeter, Alan Hippsley.

Alan and I have touched base every so often over the months and I have a huge regard for his views on jazz, which he also shares in his contributions in Just Jazz magazine.

I emailed him that the general conclusion according to feedback I was getting on the programme was that, all in all, the BBC did a good job and asked him for his thoughts.

Alan replied:

“I agree, the programme was good, very good in fact, as were the contributions of the interviewees. Nostalgia reigned and a riveting hour flew by!

“The important point was included – that traditional jazz has continued to maintain a sizeable audience ever since its British heyday. Dissent amongst the ranks at its descent from ‘top spot’ at the hands of Rock and Roll and, to a minor extent, modern jazz, gave the impression to a friend of mine that traditional jazz aficionados tried to deny Joe Public (the piper) his right to call the tune and transfer his affections. A harsh conclusion to draw.

“In one of the BBC’s evening of jazz loaded offerings [the Beeb surpassed itself!] George Melly remarked that traditional jazz “will wait for a gap in the traffic”. I don’t agree. It will have to stop the traffic to regain anything of its past popularity – and I think all the signs are there that it will do so. A younger generation on both sides of the pond is currently being attracted to the delights of listening to and playing the music. For example, I am particularly impressed by what a band called Tuba Skinny is playing in New Orleans right now – and by its following. I suppose it was beyond Jazz Britannia’s brief to look to the future but I think it offers ample scope for a successful follow up programme!

“One final remark – I think it rather odd that the BBC decided not to screen it’s two programmes in chronological order [ie their programme on Rock and Roll was aired on the preceding Friday]. It would be interesting to know why.”

Alan followed up his remarks by sending me the message he had emailed to the Beeb’s Points of View programme:

Dear Points of View

“Congratulations on an excellent programme. Well researched and excellently compiled – but, but, but surely, because Traditional Jazz preceded Rock and Roll, the programme on each should have been screened in chronological order. Doubtless the BBC had a reason for not doing so and your explanation is requested.

“Incidentally, there is scope for you to make a further programme about the growing popularity of New Orleans Style Jazz as fine young jazz musicians on both sides of the pond are discovering its delights, so too their audiences. I would be pleased to provide you with links and more information if you wish to email me.”
Alan Hippsley

Alan followed this up by telling me that “if further information is requested by Auntie, my intention is to make reference to Just Jazz and your web site, as well as provide links to some young bands. I suspect, however, that the producer will have become aware of the two publications in carrying out his research for the programme.”

Youth in Jazz

Alan concluded his observations by referring me to his “YOUTH in JAZZ” article in the February, 2013, issue of Just Jazz (pp 29/30) which is well worth while reading, along with Jim McIntosh’s article “No YOUNG People: the truth… as I see it” in the June issue (which I refer to in my “Getting the Younger Generation Involved” post).

“Gentleman” Jim McIntosh

One of my key crusades on Jazz&Jazz is for an “infiltration” of the increasing number of younger jazz fans into UK jazz clubs to inject new enthusiasm. Alan went so far as to suggest to me that jazz clubs could put on additional sessions “exclusively for young people”. In fact I am currently working on the initiation of plans with a jazz club promoter to organise a very special club night with one of the UK’s top young bands – but with shared promotion by the club to its regular members and by the band to their younger fan base. In addition to that, possibilities for a Jazz Festival featuring just young bands – has been broached on Jazz&Jazz.

Alan concluded his comments to me, “All that those who care about the future of New Orleans style music need to do is ensure that as many young people as possible hear New Orleans style jazz. The rest will follow. The proof? It is already following – particularly in the streets, bars and clubs of New Orleans.”

With special thanks to Alan Hippsley

Peter M Butler
Editor and Owner of Jazz&Jazz

Photos © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz

Russ and Rich Bennett

I’m posting this as a follow up to John Petters’ item on my Facebook Jazzers Group regarding his “spat with Ken Palmer” about jazz drumming over the decades. John’s item was first featured in his article “Please Read Carefully” in the June issue of Just Jazz Magazine.

I commented “I wish we could concentrate on the future of jazz rather than on spats about the past.”

In his ensuing comments John wrote:

1) “With music like jazz, Peter, if you are serious about it, is that you need the past on which to build your roots.”
2) “I’ve not heard any recording from New Orleans in recent years to stop me dead in my tracks.”

Brilliant young pianist, Ian Wynne

“Playing to Young People”

Its not that I disagree with John. It’s just that I want to place the emphasis not on a study of the past but on the here and now and the years ahead and on increasingly winning over a younger generation of jazz fans. Let me quote what a young jazz star recently wrote to me:

“There is a massive scene for young people listening to jazz, it’s only the jazz clubs that they don’t go to. I can’t listen much more to how we can make jazz popular when my band and many I play with are playing to young people all the time. 90% of the gigs we do are to people between 18 and 30. There is no problem with the British jazz scene.”

Dorine de Witt

To this I add that whilst a good many younger musicians have a broad based knowledge of the past masters and the roots of jazz, young people today are not at all interested in “the good old days”.

“No YOUNG People”

Next, I’ll refer to Jim McIntosh’s excellent article in the same June issue of Just Jazz entitled “No YOUNG People”. Referring to attendances at Jazz Clubs Jim laments that fans “have all got older together, by about 50-60 years in a lot of cases, and the question of our mortality and securing a future for our music and clubs inevitably crops up.”

He goes on to say: “There is not shortage of young bands and musician, that’s for sure. Most of these youngsters are very good, and I personally have learnt a lot from some of them. But – here we go again – just how do we get young people into the clubs and keep them there? …  It’s a sad fact of life, but most youngsters who try out a jazz club don’t return.”

Amy Roberts (Jazz&Jazz Portrait)

Then Jim focuses on TJ Johnson’s Bourbon Kick playing at The Crypt, Trafalgar Square as an example of a successful jazz scene – also just featured in Jazz&Jazz. If you can get your hands on a copy of the June issue of Just Jazz, Jim’s article is  also well worth reading.

As is Dave Hewett’s article on The Adrian Cox Quartet.

“All Is Well” in New Orleans

Also in the same issue, Editor Pete Lay writes about his recent trip to New Orleans and declares “all is well”. “There are new venues, exciting young bands, and a flourishing youthful audience.”

Jazz&Jazz recently featured “Skinny Tuba”, just one of those young. We plan to feature others as time and space permits.

Adrian Cox

Julyan Aldridge (“Baby Jools”)

Erika Lewis (Tuba Skinny)

Shaye Cohn (Tuba Skinny)

My Conclusions

My conclusions? The history and roots of jazz are of very limited interest to the younger generation today so let’s not bore them with such issues. Rather let’s explore the success of our young and emerging bands and even work with them to get young people into our clubs and even attending jazz festivals.

Then jazz may yet begin to thrive throughout the country rather than in just a few city centres.

Peter M Butler
Editor and Owner of Jazz&Jazz 

Note: Jazz&Jazz has run a series of debates on this and associated issues. Simply go to “Interviews” and scroll down.

Photos © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz with the exception of the Tuba Skinny musicians.