Celebrating the Joy of Jazz
Hi Jazz & Jazz,
“As you probably heard, we recently announced updates to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). We made these changes to address a spike in abuse on YouTube by bad actors like spammers, impersonators, and re-uploaders. Our goal is to ensure a healthy ecosystem where original creators can grow and thrive.
“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”
1 Jazz is popular again!
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.
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.
Despite or rather as indicated by these stats, jazz is far from dying out, Jazz is on the up and up! Read on.
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.
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
As does Jazz&Jazz, Trevor Stent aims to promote our emerging young generation jazz bands and musicians, especially at Fest Jazz in Brittany. Sadly, when I visit Jazz Clubs in the UK I find that many ageing fans and even older musicians are totally unaware of these bands and musicians. Their lament is that Modern Jazz has stolen the scene. So when Trevor sent me this Vanity Fair article I simply had to share it on Jazz&Jazz.
So how about a couple of quotes:
“Modern jazz has grown increasingly into concert music, over the last 50 years especially, with musicians more or less looking like a string quartet—just sitting and playing, sometimes reading music from stands.”
“Modern jazz is often mainly about star soloists.”
Both are from the Vanity Fair article by Will Friedwald about the current revival of “New Orleans jazz, Dixieland and most recently, “trad” (short for “traditional”) jazz … ever since the swing era relegated to music’s margins”.
Until now!
In his article “How a Swath of 20-Somethings Have Tuned In to 1920s Pop” Will Friedwald reveals how “Gradually, over the past few years, more and more young jazz musicians – mainly in their 20s and even younger – have begun to play this music and, in the process, started again to refer to it by the name it was known by when it was new: “Hot Jazz” – with “hot” bands, like King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band or Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers.”
Extracts from Will Friedman’s Article
“Hot Jazz is so prevalent now that New York has almost become like New Orleans in the fin de siècle period: in covering the city’s jazz scene for The Wall Street Journal, I find that I can go hear a 20s-style band, almost inevitably made up of musicians born well after 1980, playing somewhere in the city virtually every night of the week.”
Peter and Will Anderson
“I enjoy playing all styles of jazz, because it is all rooted in the music of the 1920s – harmonically, rhythmically, and melodically… Twenties jazz has a clarity and beauty that anyone can identify with; it expresses the most bitter sadness and complete joy, simultaneously.” (Will Anderson, 26 year old reed player).”
“Within a few months of being formed in the Crescent City at the start of 2013, The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys Traditional “Jass” Band was already drawing crowds in New Orleans as well as in the New York area.”
“None of these bands has been on a top label, although some sell their own self-produced CDs. … To these groups, it’s much more important to be well represented on the social networks, to have a compelling Facebook presence, and to get noticed on YouTube.”
“Hot Jazz bands do everything they can to keep the audience engaged, making the music visually appealing.”
The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys
“Jon Ramm, the 27-year-old trombonist with the Swamp Donkeys says, “A lot of people write off this kind of jazz as antiquated, but the truth of the matter is it’s still pop music. Twenties music has those qualities … a connection with basic human emotion. All the music we play is basic, structure-wise, chord-change-wise. And it gives us an ability to reach all people.”
“As the names of these groups imply, this music is about the bands, many of whom have colourful and unforgettable appellations like the Hot Sardines (who featured on Later With Jools Holland earlier this year), the Swamp Donkeys, Baby Soda, the Grand Street Stompers, Emily Asher’s Garden Party, Dan Levinson’s Roof Garden Jass Band, Jesse Carolina and the Hot Mess …whereas modern jazz is often mainly about star soloists.”
“These musicians … are working conspicuously to prove that jazz can be a popular music all over again.”
Featuring Our New Generation Jazz Bands
In an earlier Jazz&Jazz post entitled “Let’s Avoid the Generation Gap!” I feature a list of UK and overseas “new generation” jazz bands. It needs updating with bands I have covered since – and as and when I can seize upon opportunities to feature more of our young stars.
Meanwhile, Jazz Fans, however old you are, don’t miss out on opportunities to get to see these young stars. I know for sure that a good many “ageing” musicians relish opportunities to play gigs with them.
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz
