“Jazz&Jazz” has been an invaluable platform for news about young bands and musicians. It’s a great way for organisers like me to know what is going on! The enthusiasm of Peter Butler is inspirational and infectious and has certainly done much to boost the reputation of Fest Jazz  beyond the boundaries of Brittany. Long may the site continue and flourish!”
Trevor Stent, “Good Time Jazz”

Royalty

1 Jazz is popular again!

2 Jazz has Royal Approval

 3 Jazz&Jazz helps keep jazz live and alive

4 Promoting 21st Century jazz bands 

5 Welcoming 21st Century jazz fans

6 Featuring the bands and fans who have kept the flame burning 

7 Needed: A Jazz&Jazz Fundraiser to support these aims

I launched Jazz&Jazz back in April, 2011
I wanted to give something back to jazz after my wife won the star prize in the very last Ken Colyer Trust Prize Draw in September, 2009, at The Hemsby Autumn Jazz Parade – tickets for two for the April, 2010, Southern Sounds tour of New Orleans for The French Quarter Festival.

As a result I metamorphosed from a casual jazz fan into a “jazzaholic” – and why not when Jazz has Royal Approval!

The Early Days
Initially I took to photographing and painting Acrylic portraits of musicians and featuring them – with photographs and portraits – on Jazz&Jazz. Next I began featuring jazz musicians, bands, clubs, festivals and publicising events.

More recently I developed a fascination for filming bands and musicians and launched Jazz&Jazz YouTubes.

Jazz&Jazz YouTubes
My YouTubes themselves tell a story. I post links to them on Jazz&Jazz under Jazz Art & Film and within just a few months views have exceeded 112,000 – increasing by the day. The stats to date are very revealing.

Four Countries Top the Viewings (as at 23 November, 2015)
UK:  25,079 views (22% of total views)
USA: 18,685 views (17% of total views)
Spain: 31,271 views (11% of total views)
France: 15,543 views (6.1% of total views)
21 other countries complete the list to date.

New Generation Jazz
These days jazz is emerging from a time warp. After decades of downward spiral, as evidenced by the above YouTube stats, youngsters are returning to the fold – a new generation of jazz bands and jazz fans. Jazz&Jazz features many of these bands. On 9th November 2015 I posted “Jazz can be a popular music all over again” based on the findings of Will Friedman writing in Vanity Fair: “How a Swath of 20-Somethings Have Tuned In to 1920s Pop” 

My aim continues to be to promote this emerging new era of jazz on Jazz&Jazz, but NOT to sideline the past – nor the bands and fans who have kept the flame burning throughout the lean years. They still have a huge roll to play. In response to “Jazz can be a popular music all over again” Clarinetist Ian Boyter commented:

“Last Saturday night I played 40s swing music in a jazz trio at a 21st birthday party in Glasgow and was pleasantly surprised to be well received by all the youngsters. (I had thought that they would grumble about the style of music). We played all evening, no disco. By the end of the night they were all up on the floor dancing and having a great time, and they gave us a rousing cheer and applause. I’m 72 and the others in the band are of a similar age.”

The crux of the matter!
When I launched Jazz&Jazz back in 2011 it was simply to give something back after our trip to New Orleans. I never imagined that, along with the Social Media links I have now developed (the Facebook Jazzers Group, Twitter, Linkedin and especially my Jazz&Jazz YouTubes) – it would all take off and increase in popularity exponentially.

Jazz&Jazz’s Closed Facebook Jazzers Group

So much so that as a one man band (no pun intended) I’m finding it increasingly difficult to keep up, time-wise and financially, featuring musicians and bands, covering events, publicising club programmes, posting announcements about festivals plus exchanging and moderating views.

To put bluntly, I need help with the increasing workload and in covering the costs.

                                          An “In-house” Fundraiser

I had given thought to launching an online fundraiser such as Indiegogo or Kickstarter .

But the consensus of advice I’m getting from jazz friends and supporters is to launch my own in-house Jazz&Jazz Fundraiser – asking for donations up front, possibly with, as one leading jazzman put it, “gold, silver and bronze donor awards and even a Fundraising Thermometer.”

He added “transparency would be the key so people know where the money goes”. I fully agree with that.

Funding The Future of Jazz
I have featured a number of the UK’s New Generation of Jazz Bands and musicians on Jazz&Jazz and Jazz&Jazz YouTubes. Now I have another ambition very close to my heart – and that is, far fetched though it may sound, for Jazz&Jazz to play some kind of roll in giving momentum to featuring UK tours for bands such as Tuba Skinny and the St Andreu Youth Band alongside our own great young jazz bands.  Plus even the brilliant young bands emerging across Europe and even those Will Friedman features in his Vanity Fair article.

Tuba Skinny at Fest Jazz, Brittany in 2014. Why not yet in the UK?

Your Views – and Your Money!
So I would welcome your views on the thoughts raised in this post and especially on the launch of a Jazz&Jazz Fundraiser – and your contributions!

Pete Lay posted on Jazz&Jazz: “I’d like to thank Peter Butler for taking time to help promote Traditional jazz. It can be a thankless task at times and sometimes end up out of pocket.”

“Ain’t that the truth!!!”

Meanwhile I want to thank a number of people who have already contributed towards the costs of Jazz&Jazz quite voluntarily via the Donate Button in the “HELP KEEP JAZZ LIVE AND ALIVE” at the top of the column to the right of this post. In fact, as well as posting your views in “Speak Your Mind” below, you too can contribute to this appeal via the Donate Button.

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

“Very pleased to be associated with Jazz & Jazz. It promises to be be an influential contribution not just to the UK but to any one anywhere capable of accessing it.”
Martin Bennett, The Old Green River Band