British Jazz History
"There’s currently a buzz about British jazz. It’s on a roll. New bands and fresh faces that demand attention seem to be popping up every month" Professor Stuart Nicholson
The contemporary UK jazz scene in all its forms has not emerged out of a vacuum. The story of British jazz began nearly a hundred years ago and has developed through the decades in creative and unexpected ways sometimes mirroring and often influencing jazz movements in USA and the rest of the world. Their are scores of UK jazz artists who are known to international jazz fans everywhere: George Shearing, Cleo Laine, Marian McPartland, Dave Holland, Jamie Cullum, John McLaughlin, Courtney Pine, John Dankworth, Acker Bilk, Annie Ross and Evan Parker are just a few examples.
This new section of the Jazz Services website will attempt to present British Jazz History in a rich and exciting way using the following resources:
- 'A Short History of British Jazz' by Stuart Nicholson
- 'A Short History of Jazz in the UK' by John Fordham
- New short profiles on UK jazz greats from Nat Gonella to Courtney Pine and beyond
- Interviews and articles drawn from the Jazz UK archive
- Features drawn from the Jazz at Ronnie Scott's archive courtesy of Editor Jim Godbolt
- YouTube clips of classic performances
- Podcast interviews and clips of profiled artists
- Links to further resources including current Directory entries of active musicians with forthcoming gigs, CDs, pictures and more
Not Sure where to start? Choose your guide through the history of British jazz - Stuart Nicholson or John Fordham?
See how many British jazz legends you can recognise in this exclusive photograph taken by David Redfern:
