What is the future – and the value – of the voluntary jazz club? Merged with: How should local jazz clubs judge their success?

SESSION: What is the future – and the value – of the voluntary jazz club? Merged with: How should local jazz clubs judge their success?

Convener(s): Mike Gordon & Brian Allen

Participants: Pete Lyons, John Blandford, Brian Allen, Roan Kearsey-Lonosen, Margaret +, sue Lightaun

Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:

What's criteria for success? Self evaluation consist wholly of whether financial plan is working out OK. (Chichester).

Developing young muisicians important.

Jazz club more than just music – builds up social base from which people can be drawn into wider variety of styles.

Benefits include encouraging young people from the locality.

Massive amount of voluntary time not recognized nationally (ACE, Arts Ministers …). In a smallish local club can be in excess of a 100 hours a week – equates to 100s of thousands of £s a year nationally. Jazz Services could calculate total hours across the country and publicise.

National network of voluntarily promoted venues is massive and lifeblood of the business nationally and essential route for many young developing musicians.

Without financial support from ACE it may not be possible for clubs to take more risks in programming more adventurous things.

Financial support for opera is massively disproportionate – promoters need to be actively lobbying to redress the injustice.

Request jazz Services organize a national voluntary promoters’ conference.

Should the BBC focus more on Jazz?

SESSION: Should the BBC focus more on Jazz?

Convener(s): PETER IND

Participants: Chris Chijiutami, George Foster, Dorian Ford, Peter ?, Will Rodway, Bev Orton

Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:

• France has 6 Jazz radio Jazz stations – where are ours?

• BBC has cut specialist programmes mainly because of lack of finances. (We won’t mention the huge salaries paid to some celebrities!)

• Jazz is not ‘establishment’

• There is a general decline in our culture and Jazz is a part of this.

• Should we join with other specialist forms of Jazz to present a larger group to the BBC? E.g. Folk But this would dilute the uniqueness of Jazz

• The BBC sponsors the London Jazz Festival.

• Jazz FM is online and has improved, but this excludes older jazz aficionados who are not computer literate. The UK culture today is moving towards all online listening/watching – Youtube, Spotify etc.

• There needs to be balance in music programming but Jazz doesn’t bring in the numbers.

• Is the BBC guilty of institutional ignorance towards Jazz?

• The venues for Jazz are not ‘corporate friendly’ - not grand or luxurious enough for entertaining clients, and so good jazz is not being spread.

• Peter felt that Jazz rubs some people up the wrong way!

• The aim for the Jazz fraternity is to look outward and not be elitist.

• We need to expand the interest in Jazz before the BBC will show it.

• Jazz appreciation can be expanded by snatches of music in adverts, plays etc.

• BBC Radio 4 is now requesting feedback about programming. We should take part in this online and request more Jazz. (Ken Clarke’s programme last week was excellent – Bev)

• We want the BBC to WANT to broadcast JAZZ

• The world around us is changing – the Jazz fraternity is perceived by the BBC as ‘moaning’!

• Smaller Jazz clubs are just as important to spreading the wonderful music as large events – sometimes the audience collectively is larger.

• Jazz programmes could try to get sponsorship and this should be mentioned in the televised/radio shows.