The Heritage Lottery Fund awards Jazz Alive a grant of £25,000 to enable local young people to create and perform modern jazz music and to explore the history of Jazz music in the UK as well as the contribution of key British Jazz artists to popular and urban music and culture.
Beginning in September 2008 for 12 weeks, this unique project aims to bridge the gap between contemporary jazz music and other music genres by using a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach to modern jazz music education and performance.
The selected 25 young people will work creatively with input from award winning cutting edge musicians Soweto Kinch and Orphy Robinson, augmented by several high profile guest artists and other industry professionals in order to give insight into their history and career paths.
A key objective is to show the history of the music, but more importantly, to bring this up to date by showing the innovative modern examples of jazz music (hip-hop jazz, jazz-funk, pop-jazz) and the currency jazz music still has, in pushing the barriers of creativity and innovation on a world stage.
The project aims to select the young people between the ages of 14 and 25 from South East London in particular.
The schedule includes visits to concerts during the London Jazz Festival 2008 and to the BBC’s Studio in Maida Vale, leading to the creation of their own repertoire that will be performed live and also professionally recorded.
Clive Powell Artistic Director of Jazz Alive said: “This award is a dream come true in that it allows an important art form for us all, to become new, modern and attractive in the eyes of the today’s generation”
For further information on registering students for the project:
Carron Comerford – Jazz Alive administrator
Email: info@jazzalive.co.uk
Phone: 07983 216 945
Project Director Clive Powell is available for interview, as are staff members, the artists and students who will be taking part in the project.
Notes to Editors
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage.
From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy. Since 1994 it has supported more than 26,000 projects, allocating over £4 billion across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk