Youth Jazz @ Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues
Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues Chairperson, Geoff Jackson, has successfully gained access to a significant grant in April from the Grassroots Grants Programme, Community Foundation for Lancashire – for promoting events, learning workshops and promotions for young, aspiring jazz musicians, and the purchase of equipment to make us more effective. This includes IT equipment and a PA system.
This has given RVJ&B a big boost because one of our objectives is to actively support young jazz & blues musicians. Lancashire is already well blessed with young people playing our music, mainly through school Big/Swing Bands in the county. Clitheroe Royal Grammar School have played for us as part of our Youth Jazz programme, and several of its players have set up there own small bands; hence The John Wickham Trio and The Jazz Commandos, both of whom have performed for us, and supported various workshops. There are also bands operating at St. Augustines RC School, Billington, at St Christophers school in Accrington, and at Westholme School, Blackburn, at a Chorley School (no details), and the Lancashire County Bands have been performing for many years.
Not far away, in Wigan, there is the excellent Wigan Jazz Club which has two youth jazz bands, both of which perform regularly at club events, and at the annual Wigan Jazz Festival – look on their site at www.wiganjazzclub.org.uk
We shall be organising a number of Learning Workshops this year, employing local workshop tutors to work with young people age 12 to 25 and adults 50+ to improve levels of skills and confidence, and to develop improvisational techniques. The workshop series will develop an intergenerational experience for participants.
Anyone interested should contact by ringing 07870 908 159.