Oxford Jazz Festival JLU 17.iv.11

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

JJ goes to the dark blues ... a few days later and i coulda been there!

[Alyn_Shipton]

Well Calum, you can be there - on Radio Oxford 6pm Good Friday, 9pm Easter Sunday and 6pm Easter Monday, when I am presenting three hours of highlights from the concerts and live interviews. It will be (so my chums at BBC Oxford tell me) on the i-player.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

excellent! ta for tip Alyn ...

[Alyn_Shipton]

Just a reminder that the second show from this year's Oxford Jazz Festival is tonight on Radio Oxford at 9. I'll be talking to Soweto Kinch, members of the Oxford Jazz Composers Collective, Steve Waterman, Bobby Wellins and Norma Winstone , and there'll be excerpts from several gigs, recorded during the weekend. It'll be streamed live and on the i-player. Please support local radio for putting on live jazz and give it a listen!

[Ian Thumwood]

Alyn

I echo your comments about local radio. When I started listening to jazz at the age of 13/14, I regularly tuned in to Radio Solent's jazz programme which used to go out on Thursday evenings and , more particularly, the big band programme as this was the area of jazz where I cut my teeth. For years, I regularly corresponded with the presenter of the latter show, Gerry Didymus, and he introduced me to all sorts of bands. The whole process was brilliant for me and when he played "liza" by Chick Webb's band, it was one of the defining records that set me on the route to exploring the bands from Harlem. Essentially, I discovered that it was the "jazz" element within the music that I really appreciated. On two occasions, I was actually invited as a guest on the programme to talk about my favourite records as it must have been a novelty to have a listener who was still at school. The jazz programme on Radio Solent was also a regular feature although it seemed to play either Trad or really way-out stuff that was too challenging for me. Local radio played a big part in introducing me to various types of jazz.

The reason I make this point is, whilst I totally concur with you that local radio should be supported, I don't think the various local BBC stations have a consistent approach. The local BBC station has become something of a joke and is foreever being criticised in the Southern Evening Echo. The bad press started with the sacking of several, popular presenters and the drive to make the station more popular with a younger audience. Originally Radio Solent was very much connected with the local jazz scene and guests from the Southampton Jazz Society and the Concorde Club would be on the programme to promote forthcoming gigs. Sometimes there were even live gigs on the programme or recordings from the Concorde Club. Once they even had Buddy Rich as a guest. Several years ago, Radio Solent drastically re-branded themselves and I am not aware that they play any jazz at all now. I don't think they feature much live music at all, let alone jazz. The big band programme was axed back in the 1990's and the jazz lingered on as an evening feature late of Tuesday nights. This programme was so lame that I rarely listened to it and the whole programme eventually descended from a show with a regular "guest" presenter who poured over recent CD releases and made some pretty uninformed comments to a show where the likes of Jacqui Dankworth or Ian Shaw were invited in for a cosy chat. By the end, there was little jazz being played and it became filled with gossip more interesting in banality. As far as supporting local gigs, when there was a gig guide, this promoted concerts in Dorking, Oxford and other towns well outside the Hampshire / Dorset area. I think this is because the evening programmes were shared with several other stations in Southern England. Obviously, these gigs were too far away but, oddly, local concerts in Southampton, Poole or Basingstoke never got a mention ! I don't know if this was the fault of the local concert venues / promoters.

It appears that BBC Radio Oxford are on the ball and have decent coverage of jazz. This also seems to be the case in Scotland and other parts of the UK judging by other posters' remarks here. However, I am not sure that this is the case throughout the country and wonder if other areas like Hampshire / Dorset are similarly neglected. Looking on the Radio Solent website, I can find no reference to any jazz programmes. A drastic make-over a few years back saw the programming change to feature more contemporary "middle-of-the road" music rather akin to Radio 2 but almost certainly far worse. The popular local programmes tend also to be associated with gardening or yachting and there doesn't appear to be that many concessions to more "specialist" musics. As far as Solent are concerned, they have gone from supporting a vibrant local jazz scene in the 1980's to be more concerned with more popularist programmes like phone-ins hosted by camp presenters. Any "live" music will almost certainly be pop or folk music it at all. I would also have to add that the local presenters are definately even worse than Alan Partridge! Nowadays, the only time I listen to local radio is for the football commentary - even this is a bit suspect as most Saints fans are convinced that co-presenter Dave Merrington is a jonah!! The daytime programmes are unlistenable and i wouldn't even consider tuning in except for the sports bulletin to hear the latest news about the Saints. In conclusion, whilst I agree that local radio should be supported, I don't feel that a station like Radio Solent supports jazz at all or even has an interest in the music. Southampton and the environs have always had a strong, provincial jazz community and players like John Horler , Pete Wareham and Andy Sheppard have cut their teeth on the local scene. Given that local radio should reflect the community to some degree, you would have thought that jazz would have featured heavily in the programming. Whilst the may have been true in the 1980's, I don't feel that Radio Solent supports the local jazz scene whatsoever these days. As far as independent local stations are concerned, this is limited to a costant stream of pop music - I hear enough of this when I go to the gym!!

I would be fascinated to hear whether the various other local BBC radio stations offer a better / inferior service ?

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm very sorry to hear this, Ian. All part of the general decline, and to be deplored. Thank heavens then for the local radio stations like Oxford who are keeping the flag flying.

Back in the 80s the Southampton Jazz Co-op was very much in being, with pianist (and mathematics professor!) Ray D'inverno at its centre. It was through one of his many bands and get-togethers that Andy Sheppard, bassist Pete Maxfield, and, later, saxist Tony Woods, earned their spurs. I talked with Ray on one of his occasional visits to play the "freebie" in the National Theatre here in London last summer. As far as I could make out (though we diodn't speak directly on this) the Southampton Co-op is still in being. Ray's old friend Tony Roberts lives down the road in the county of Dorset, and they get together for a quartet blow in the area from time to time.

S-A

[Ian Thumwood]

SA

The most amazing thing about local radio was that up until the 1980's there was an independent radio station in Portsmouth called Radio Victory and my piano teacher used to have a regular, weekly programme on there with his trio! There is no way that an independent station would entertain playing anything other than pop music these days let alone gicing free reign to one jazz group! As I mentioned i my earlier post, Radio Solent had a major re-organisation several years back and the results were not without controversy with the local newspaper running a hostile campaign against what this station had evolved in to.

I'm not aware of the SMC still being in existance although the friends I rehearse with are former members and I will ask them on Wednesday when I see them next. D'inverno was a familiar local figure although I don't think I would be out of order suggesting that he is not very well liked. (I know I am not unique on this board in this respect as someone else share the same opinion. ) Suffice to say that he lacks social skills and has probably rubbed too many people up the wrong way. Granted, he is a good pianist but , as your list suggests, there are some very good musicians around here other than him. The "Free / improv" scene was particularly strong in Southampton too although I was amazed to find out that it also has a strong pool of players around Bournemouth. having looked through the programmes on Radio Solent, I could see no mention of any jazz although I was wrong insofar that there are live gigs by pop acts that are broadcast in the evening. Oxford seems pretty unique but with the universities I would suggest that jazz would easily find an audience which would have a different demographic.

[Byas'd Opinion]

I gather that BBC Radio in the East Midlands axed its jazz (and other specialist music) programmes at the end of last year. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?s...de=1043690&c=3

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

funnily enough i didn't notice Byas'd

[Serial_Apologist]

funnily enough i didn't notice Byas'd

[Flyposter]

Back in the 80s the Southampton Jazz Co-op was very much in being, with pianist (and mathematics professor!) Ray D'inverno at its centre. It was through one of his many bands and get-togethers that Andy Sheppard, bassist Pete Maxfield, and, later, saxist Tony Woods, earned their spurs. I talked with Ray on one of his occasional visits to play the "freebie" in the National Theatre here in London last summer. As far as I could make out (though we diodn't speak directly on this) the Southampton Co-op is still in being. Ray's old friend Tony Roberts lives down the road in the county of Dorset, and they get together for a quartet blow in the area from time to time.

S-A

Don't know if you are ever in Southampton, but if so, this may be of interest

http://www.southamptonjazzclub.org/andy-sheppard.html

The last I heard, Ray D'Inverno had retired and is now resident in Dorset.