The Jazz industry is no stranger to mental health concerns and in fact, the creative industry, as a collective, has been rife with a whole range of artists struggling with their mental health throughout its history along with the misunderstandings, lack of support and stigma attached to it. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week championed by the Mental Health Foundation. Each year they focus on a different theme, with this year’s theme ‘tackling loneliness’:

‘Together we can tackle loneliness

For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, we're raising awareness of the impact of loneliness on our mental wellbeing and the practical steps we can take to address it.  

Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic.

Our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health and we need to find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. We can all play a part in this.’

One of the missions of Women in Jazz Media organisation, is to create a healthy and supportive environment for women who work in Jazz. Mental health issues are therefore one of the key areas. Keeping in mind that the Mental Health Foundation has announced "loneliness” as the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2022, which will run from Monday 9 May to Sunday 15 May, we are starting to make our contribution in conjunction with this important event.

In April and May 2022, Fiona Ross met with team members Fiona Mactaggart and Diana Torti, to discuss how WiJM can best support mental health and wellbeing in the jazz industry world-wide.  This article is a brief summary of this conversation and is an introduction to the mental health and wellbeing-specific work of WiJM to come.

We believe it is important to strive for a creative sector which is healthy, a safer place and with no significant barriers. Two levels of work by WiJM are foreseen:

A practically oriented, quick response to help women in the jazz sector who feel isolated and unsupported.

We plan to write articles, and conduct interviews with musicians who have had experiences they are willing to share. There may be issues that regularly arise, that turn out to be in fact experienced by many musicians. This initiative will hopefully help them feel a little less isolated, and instead feel part of a community.

A long-term project aiming at building up and developing an alternative discourse regarding mental health issues in the creative arts sector, in particular in the jazz industry.  

Our discussion was quite wide-ranging and in-depth. We agreed that there is a level of vulnerability specific to working as a musician. This is to do with several issues including our more exposed ‘internal world’, emotions and identity during the creative process. In effect we feel ‘naked’ when we create and perhaps even more so when we perform in front of an audience.

Other issues relate to often unavoidable lifestyles, two examples being the frequent requirement to work late in the evening, and not being able to take a sick day off when we are ill should there be a gig booked.

We noted that our profession is generally inexperienced in raising money in the business world or in using business models, which may have a negative impact on how others perceive us and our job.

We thought about the widespread view of Artists as people who follow a ‘bohemian’ way of life and shared our common view that it would be helpful if this false perception can be transformed into a more positive image of Artists.  We are in fact highly trained, hard-working professionals, healthy, with the vast majority having no all drug or alcohol difficulties!

We believe it is necessary to propose both the image of musicians who have had "bad" experiences, but also that of musicians who have had many positive experiences.

So, over time we will present a series of diversified initiatives to raise public awareness on this delicate aspect of the profession of musicians, with a particular focus on women.

We also hope to be able to make an effective and coherent contribution which can support those women who find themselves experiencing mental health and related difficulties and offer them ideas and suggestions.

We hope all of this will constitute a constructive contribution to the jazz community. And we hope to help all of those affected feel less alone.

Diana Torti and Fiona Mactaggart

We are excited to be launching a series of new podcasts focusing on instrumentalists starting with ‘Sticks and Thrones’ with guest host Migdalia van der Hoven! Migdalia will be chatting a fantastic line up of drummers from across the world. Stay tuned for our first episode coming in May!

Migdalia van der Hoven is an International Award-winning Mexican drummer currently touring with SIX the Musical across the UK. She is also a Vater Drumsticks, Bosphorus Cymbals and RTOM Corporation artist. She is a Berklee College of Music graduate (where she studied and performed with Jackie Santos, Terri Lynn Carrington, Victor Mendoza and Mark Walker). She is known for her groove, sensitivity and versa1lity across multiple genres such as funk, jazz, fusion, la1n jazz, pop and world music.

Together with her latest project "The Migdalia van der Hoven Quartet", she launched her new EP "Girl Facing South" with a series of dates in and around London including the EFG London Jazz Fes1v- al 2021, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Toulouse Lautrec, Pizza Express Live and more. The EP comprises a mix of original and West Coast fusion tracks and has already received posi1ve reviews from Grammy Award winning ar1sts.

Migdalia has performed in the UK with Scott Stroman, Adam Glasser, Grifter Kid and The Midnight Raiders, Russell Brand, Paul Ettinger (Caffe Nero), The All Souls Orchestra, Women in Jazz and on the BBC/ITV. She was part of the Beantown Jazz Fes1val in the USA and is currently a member of the Na- 1onal Jazz Orchestra of Mexico where she performs and also supports young women through scholarships to continue their studies in jazz. She also offers masterclasses internationally.

Migdalia has more than 25 years of experience and she is currently associated with Women in Jazz Media, Caffe Nero and Talentbanq.

Her latest EP (“Girl Facing South”) was launched at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in August 2021 and is now available on all digital platforms. She became the first Mexican Female drummer to ever per- form at Ronnie Scott’s and the EFG London Jazz Fes1val. Migdalia has become “Woman of the year 2022” in Mexico in arts and culture for her contribu1on in music na1onally and internationally.

*Migdalia will perform at the Cornbury Fes1val 2022, Prom Praise at the Royal Albert Hall with the All Souls Orchestra and will be one of the UK judges for Hit like a Girl Contest 2022, which is the biggest female drum/beats contest worldwide.

Migdalia van Der Hoven website

In this special International Jazz Day episode we have tempted back special guest host, Hannah Horton who chats to Aydenne Simone – Big Mama!

 Aydenne has been dubbed ‘London’s Queen of Swing’ a badge she wears with pride and honour. The Big Mama Trio came about organically as ‘band trees’ do, but Mama wanted to have a band that ‘got her’, understood what proper jazz swing sounded like.  Mama wanted musicians that could swing like the clappers and she meant really swing! The most important thing for Aydenne was that her musicians played with authenticity, not just what was in front of them.  The history of jazz is about how it feels.  Feel something, don’t just play it.  One of Aydenne’s favourite composters is Duke Ellington who said “ If it sounds good and feels good, then it IS good”. 

 The Big Mama Trio musicians play as if they were born in the wrong era, they play jazz as if they were born to, so it comes from the heart!.  Having been a jazz singer for nearly 30 years, to say the Big Mama Trio;  Olly Chalk, Tom Dring, and Gwilym Jones is the best jazz trio she has ever had is quite a statement, as she has worked with some super musicians over the years, but a statement she is willing to stand by.  Having been given a Sarah Vaughan album (‘You’re Mine You’ produced by Quincy Jones)  at the tender age of just six, quality jazz is in Aydenne’s DNA.

​Aydenne or ‘Mama’ says “ Olly, Tom & Gwilym just make jazz so real for me. Jazz for me is personal.  The most important thing about the Big Mama Trio is that each of them has authenticity, passion, and play with love and care.  The Big Mama Trio manages to deliver jazz at a level it should be played at,  with sheer quality, no snobbery, just authenticity, feeling and a depth of soul".

A little background for you............Aydenne’s nickname actually came from a song she wrote ‘off the top of her head’ called ‘Mama told me’, which she performed at a wedding in Jersey C.I.) with her function band ‘Jazz Culture’.   Aydenne’s nickname  ‘Big Mama’ is not so strange, in African or Black culture ‘Mama’, ‘mummy’ or ‘Auntie’ is a mark of respect for women of a certain age.  Usually a matriarch or senior member of a community or family, it’s lovely!.    So, Aydenne being known as 'Big Mama' or just 'Mama is a nickname Aydenne  just loves! 

Aydenne website

 Hannah is a British Female Jazz Saxophonist who’s music is rooted in jazz, folk and funk. She has performed with many great jazz artists including Ian Shaw, Amy Winehouse, John Etheridge, Tina May, Georgia Mancio, Polly Gibbons, Natalie Williams, Esther Bennett and Irene Serra; and at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Dean St, The 606, The Pheasantry, Love Supreme Jazz Festival, Royal Festival Hall and The Barbican. She has also toured in Europe and USA with her own and other groups. Her latets album has been going down a storm across the world.

“Hannah makes the big beast of a baritone sax sound like an angel” – Ian Shaw

Hannah website

Maxine Gordon: Sophisticated Giants

 A celebration of the inspirational work of award-winning legend Maxine Gordon at Jazz Cafe Posk

This incredible event features some of the most exciting saxophonists in the UK today, Hannah Horton, Camilla George, Emma Rawicz and Tony Kofi performing the music of Dexter Gordon along with a rare opportunity to celebrate the music of Shirley Scott, Maxine Sullivan, Velma Middleton and Melba Liston with UK’s leading jazz artists pianist Wendy Kirkland, vocalist Vimala Rowe and trombonist Laura Impallomeni. This special night also opens with a tribute to Dexter Gordon from J Steps, the fantastic new initiative in jazz led by UK jazz saxophonist Hannah Horton as part of Guildhall Young Artists, with its main aim being to tackle the historic lack of representation of women in jazz. Women in Jazz Media is a not for profit global organisation, founded by Fiona Ross that was created to support and create an equal, diverse, safe and healthy Jazz Industry. It was announced on International Womens Day, March 2022 that Maxine Gordon is their patron.

‘Maxine Gordon is a force in her own right, advocating for the music and musicians in many capacities, as a partner, friend, manager, and scholar.’ All About Jazz

Maxine Gordon is an award winning Arts Advocate, Jazz Historian, Archivist, Scholar, Manager & Producer and Legend. Author of Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon, (which was awarded Book of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association) and forthcoming book, Jazz Quartette: Shirley Scott, Velma Middleton, Melba Liston, Maxine Sullivan. Maxine is the President of The Dexter Gordon Society, consultant at the Bronx Music Heritage Centre, Jazz Researcher at the Bronx African American History Project, archivist for The Dexter Gordon Collections, Library of Congress and so much more…

June 4th's event sees a rare UK visit from Maxine Gordon and the Q&A session is not to be missed! The first part of the event is dedicated to her award winning book ‘Sophisticated Giant’ and her life with Dexter Gordon, with a special set of his music performed by an incredible line up of saxophonists, Camilla George, Tony Kofi and rising stars Emma Rawicz and Hannah Horton. The second part of the evening with pianist Wendy Kirkland, vocalist Vimala Rowe and trombonist Laura Impallomeni, explores the rarely heard music of Shirley Scott, Velma Middleton, Melba Liston, Maxine Sullivan, the focus of Maxine’s next book, Jazz Quartette.

Doors open: 7.30

J Steps: 8.30

Emma Rawicz, Camilla George, Hannah Horton and Tony Kofi: 8.50

Interval: 9.45

Q&A with Maxine Gordon and Fiona Ross: 10.00

Laura Impallomeni, Wendy Kirkland and Vimala Rowe: 10.30

Tickets available here

Welcome to our monthly team news! We like to share some of the work the team have been doing both inside and outside of their Women in Jazz Media work and we have all been very busy as always.

 A little bit of general news about some of the projects we are currently working on. We are very excited about a very special event we are organising for June 4th in London, celebrating the work of our patron Maxine Gordon. All to be revealed soon! We are also working on a new podcast series focussing on female instrumentalists, starting with drummers and pianists which will be launched hopefully next month. Due to the incredible successful and support of our magazines, we have decided to publish these 3 times a year and our next one will be published in July. Continuing our work supporting the National Jazz Archives, we are busy going through their book collection and will be adding additional books from a diverse range of authors. We would also like to welcome new team member Isabel Marquez!

 We were absolutely thrilled to see Tatiana Gorilovsky has been nominated for photo of the year by the Jazz Journalists Association for her photo of Archie Shepp:

We are also absolutely thrilled for Ashaine White, being nominated for the Rising Star Award by the Ivors Academy!

Kim Cypher has been busy performing with US guitarist B.D. Lenz as part of his UK Easter Tour. Performances included Nantwich Jazz, Blues & Music Festival, Smokey Joe's Retro Diner in Cheltenham and the fabulous Bear Club in Luton. B.D. returns in the summer with his trio. The ticket link for his return to Smokey Joe's with Kim on Thursday 14th July has just gone live. You can book here

Kim and B.D. are currently working on a music video for Kim's charity single 'Bring Your Own Sunshine'. The video is being filmed in London and New York.

Jasna has many exciting concerts coming up with her band, Jasna Jovicevic Quinary: Jasna Jovicevic ( saxophone and bass clarinet player and composer )  is on tour during this spring season. In late April, she performs in Vienna with Annette Giesriegl in Celeste Club, tickets here and with Elisabeth Harnik near Graz, in Kunsthaltestell, info here. In May, she tours with her Quinary performing original music, and later, participates as a mentor in Next Generation workshops for young female jazz instrumentalists with Monika Herzig and Reut Regev, info here. They continue the German Tour with Monika Herzig`s Sheores for over two weeks Here are the concerts dates. 

Rouhangeze shares that she is ‘finally releasing a single "Planet 9" with Tomasz Bura (Piano and keyboards), Mark Mondesir (Drums), Laurence Cottle (Bass) and myself on Vocals. Will be available on all platforms on 6th May 2022’. She has also joined the The Third Orchestra led by Peter Wiegold. Their first show is on the 5th of May at Grand Junction | Community, Arts & Culture, tickets here. Rou also has a gig on the 31st of May, at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, tickets here

As well as helping with our WJM work, with our Instagram site and her ‘Something New’ interview series on our Jazz in Europe column, Esther Bennett has been working on a new project. In collaboration with Didier Messidoro and Terence Collie, a new recording of spoken word, re-arranged standards, music and poetry. Esther tells us:

‘A labour of love that I've been developing over the last two years. A homage to my home town of Birmingham and it's musical, industrial, multi-cultural and working class history. Poetry written by my mother. Some quirky takes on a couple of jazz standards. A poem I wrote for my dad in memory of the precious time I spent with him in his last few days of palliative care and, still to be developed & composed.......a homage to my beloved second home, Spain and to its Flamenco heritage. The first track ‘My Birmingham’ has been recorded and mixed by Terence Collie and I am in the process of collating photos and footage for a video that he will be making for this track.

I've included a few photographic examples in this post. It's interesting to see how industry, immigration  and the workforce develope the musical culture of a city

Esther also recently performed at Speakeasy Jazz Club, Portishead, with Hannah Horton with a wonderful article published about the event.

And last but not least, Diana Torti shares with us: A few weeks ago I had a wonderful interview with Sabino De Bari about the new project "Lo racconta il mare", in one of the most important Italian weekly magazine called LEFT. It was the first time in a very important national magazine (which is not a musical one but very keen to culture and music anyway)! You see the article here

Our new Women in Jazz Media Playlist is now out: Volume 12. We publish a new playlist each month and try to share a wide range of women from across the world - new releases, legacy artists, new and established artists and also some women we think you should know about but maybe don't! We keep it to 15 artists per playlist to give you time to discover, listen and share these incredible women. Do please get in touch if you have music you would like us to include - either your own or recommendations. We are especially keen to share music from female instrumentalists and composers.

As always we would encourage you to buy directly from the artist, and all the links are on our site here:

Maddalena Ghezzi Allexa Nava Kathy Kosins Syreeta Thompson Trumpet Lady Emma Rawicz

Abbie Finn Maria-Christina Harper Velma Middleton Miriam Elhajli Laura Impallomeni

Michele Rosewoman Sumi Tonooka Sarah Jane Morris China Moses Jas Kayser