We are thrilled to have been nominated for the Jazz Media 2021 award for the Parliamentary Jazz Awards!

Press Release

Nominations announced for the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2021

The nominations have today been announced for the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.The Awards, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) with the support of PizzaExpress Live. The recipients of the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Awards will be announced online on Monday 26th July 2021. The Parliamentary Awards celebrate and recognise the vibrancy, diversity, talent and breadth of the jazz scene throughout the United Kingdom.

The award categories reflect the ever-increasing scope of talent from within the UK’s jazz scene: Jazz Vocalist of the Year; Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year; Jazz Album of the Year; Jazz Ensemble of the Year; Jazz Newcomer of the Year; Jazz Venue of the Year; Jazz Media Award; Jazz Education Award; and the Services to Jazz Award.

Following the online public vote for the Awards, the shortlist was then voted upon by a selection panel, that represent a broad cross-section of backgrounds united in their passion and knowledge of jazz. The winners, chosen by judging members of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG), will be announced on Monday 26th July 2021.

John Spellar MP, Co-Chair of APPJAG, said: "These awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the talents and energies of the great musicians, educators, promoters, record labels, jazz organisations, blogs, jazz magazines and journalists who kept jazz flourishing, in spite of the challenges they faced in 2020. In a year of hardship, unparalleled in the last 76 years, these shortlists demonstrate the wealth of talent and commitment that exists in the British jazz scene. Now in its 16th year, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards honour the best of British jazz. MPs and Peers in the All Party Group are grateful to PizzaExpress Live for supporting the event.”

Further information and list of all nominees here: London Jazz News

The All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) undertakes many activities to support the growth and development of the jazz industry in the UK. The group has over 100 members from all political parties and their aim is ‘to encourage wider and deeper enjoyment of jazz, to increase Parliamentarians’ understanding of the jazz industry and issues surrounding it, to promote jazz as a musical form and to raise its profile inside and outside Parliament’.

In May, the group launched an important review of jazz in England, led by Chris Hodgkins and an expert advisory panel, chaired by the inspirational Dr Kathy Dyson. We caught up with both Chris and Dr Kathy to explore the importance of this review. We asked Chris why this survey is important to him, not just as APPJAG’s Secretary but also as a musician

‘APPJAG has been lobbying for a better deal for musicians and promoters who have fallen through the cracks in the Covid crisis and a fairer deal for musicians from the streaming platforms. A key role of APPJAG is to increase the knowledge and understanding for Parliamentarians and to do this we need facts and figures that is one reason for the review. Secondly, the last review of jazz was undertaken by the Arts Council in 1996. with Covid, Brexit, 10 years of constant belt tightening we need to understand how the infrastructure for jazz is faring, how musicians are coping, how promoters are dealing with the current situation. From this analysis, we can look at where are now and plan where we want to get to. To get there we need a succinct action plan that the jazz constituency can debate and own. The information and analysis will be of benefit to everybody, Parliamentarians, Government departments, funding bodies, trade organisations, the jazz constituency, and the public at large. For myself as a musician, I like to know how things tick in terms of audiences, demographics, economics, supply and demand. Where musicians are heading in terms of what Paul Berliner calls the "musician's odyssey" - an odyssey that encompasses economic pressures, professional opportunities, artistic pathways, practice, recording and refining their abilities’

The review is undertaken by Chris and a panel, chaired by Dr Kathy Dyson who among many incredible achievements was the first female Executive Committee Chair for the Musicians Union. We asked Chris how Kathy’s work and experience supports the review and the work that APPJAG is trying to achieve.

"Kathy - I should say Dr Kathy Dyson - is a professional musician, a proven jazz educator, a broadcaster and was the chair of the Musician's Union for a number of years, and is the ideal person to chair the Review of Jazz in England"

Dr Kathy Dyson explains that "The pandemic is far from over; indeed, the Delta variant is growing in many parts of the country. Many venues are still closed, and some are operating social distancing policies and hence fewer audience members. Jazz musicians are making their first tentative steps to playing live gigs again many of which are outside for obvious reasons. So we are far from 'returning to normal’ if indeed that is possible, and the survey is intended to find out in detail and depth just where musicians and all those in the jazz community find themselves at this juncture and how we might be able to help".

It is always a challenge to encourage people to complete surveys and so we asked Chris what he would say to anyone who has had enough of surveys and perhaps does not understand their value:

‘First off, people can start and return to the form, they do not have to do it all in one go. It is another questionnaire to fill in and is probably a pain to do but the benefits to the jazz community are immeasurable. The information will help everybody from the jazz constituency to funding bodies and sponsors who can make better informed decisions. APPJAG can go into bat for jazz as they are armed with the facts and are well briefed.’

We are very happy to support and share this review and if you would also like to support, here is the link for further information and the surveys themselves:

Review of Jazz in England

Excited to launch our new podcast series ‘On The Bookcase’, featuring female authors from across the world, with host Fiona Ross and original music from Hannah Horton. Available here: On The Bookcase

In this first episode we are honoured to welcome Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle. Her work is hugely significant and inspirational to many. Primarily in the areas of African American music (Classical and Popular), jazz, and gender and popular music, she served as the Scholar in Residence for the Women in Jazz Initiative at the American Jazz Museum and has worked closely with a number of educational programs including Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Jazz@Lincoln Center, NPR, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Lecture series and the BBC. Her work has appeared in American Studies, Musical Quarterly, Black Music Research Journal, The Journal of the Society of American Music, American Music Research Journal, The U.S Catholic Historian, The African American Lectionary Project and numerous anthologies.

Dr Kernolde is also the author of biography Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams which sits proudly on ouy Women in Jazz Media bookcase. She served as Associate Editor of the three-volume Encyclopedia of African American Music and as a scholarly consultant for the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s inaugural exhibits entitled “Musical Crossroads” and appears in a number of award-winning documentaries including Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band and Girls in the Band and recently Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool. In 2014, she received the Effective Educator Award from the Miami University Alumni Association and in 2018 was awarded the Benjamin Harrison Medallion. The Harrison Award is the highest award given to a Miami University faculty member in recognition of their research, teaching and service. She is currently the President of the Society for American Music.