National Youth Jazz Collective
The National Youth Jazz Collective (NYJC) is a new initiative, currently parented by Birmingham Conservatoire, that is designed to support the creative and educational needs of young Jazz musicians through regional outreach projects and an annual national summer school.
Introducing Issie Barratt - Artistic Director, National Youth Jazz Collective
"It was magical to see all the professional Jazz musicians standing shoulder to shoulder with the young people.”
Issie Barratt, NYJC’s Artistic Director, is an internationally acclaimed Jazz composer, conductor, arranger and baritone saxophone player – and former Head of Jazz at Trinity College of Music, London.
“My uncle (Karl Jenkins) was a Jazz musician, so I always knew about the existence of Jazz through him. Like Karl, I started out as an oboist (I now play baritone sax) and have always been interested in composition. At school I used to play in the school and county youth orchestras, but there were never any Jazz opportunities in any of those environments.
The same was true of Goldsmiths’ College, where I went to study composition. It felt as though Jazz was this unobtainable mystery that seemed to be happening ‘over there’! Then, just as I was graduating, Loose Tubes, a 21-piece UK co-operative band that became the focal point of a renaissance in British Jazz, hit the scene. Suddenly I had that missing link. I got lessons with their baritone player, Julian Arguelles, had a few Jazz piano lessons and started to go to play in bands like NYJO and the Deptford Dance Orchestra.
For five years I took every gig that came my way. So, effectively, I did my learning on the bandstand! Thanks to the rise of regional youth big bands, the inclusion of Jazz syllabuses in the ABRSM and now Trinity Guildhall graded exams, and degree-level Jazz programmes, Jazz has finally gained the respect it deserves! Unfortunately, access to hearing Jazz music live is still a real issue for young people.
Most Jazz is still played in licensed venues, so it’s difficult for young people to get in to see it. The National Youth Jazz Collective is about exposing all young people to Jazz, through live and free performances at venues that aren’t restricted by licensing laws, and by providing young musicians with the support they need to develop their skills through workshops, master classes, tutorials and jam sessions.
We launched the National Youth Jazz Collective with the summer school of 2007 at the Leeds College of Music, it was magical to see all the professional Jazz musicians standing shoulder to shoulder with the young people.”
Case Study: Laura Jurd, 17 (NYJC)
Laura Jurd, 17, from Winchester, took part in the National Youth Jazz Collective’s first summer school last year.
NYJC’s Artistic Director, Issie Barratt recalls the final gig was fantastic, “It was magical to see all the professional Jazz musicians standing shoulder to shoulder with the young people. There was a genuine and profound sense of camaraderie, a shared love of the music and an amazing force of genuine creativity and spontaneity from the whole collective, and boy was it groovy! It just proved that collectively we do things we could never do on our own. We all feel that magic when we’re playing together and are bound to wonder. It is as much an inspiration to me as it is to all of them and it’s a great thing to share.”
Laura told us, “I’ve been playing the trumpet since I was ten. With the trumpet it takes quite a while before you make a good noise but I’ve always loved music so I had that willingness to learn. Now I have the technical skills I really love the instrument for the instrument.
“My teacher noticed that I had a feel for Jazz almost straight away and got me playing Jazz style pieces. It was just instinctive: I really liked the music, even though I didn’t know much about it. Aged 12 I started buying albums and getting to know particular players.
“I thought the summer school was absolutely brilliant. Locally, you are limited to the people who live nearby. You can’t get a band together that easily. Maybe it would be different in a place like London, but I don’t come across that may people who are into Jazz. And I hadn’t had the chance to play it with young people before.
“Just being surrounded by people the same age as you and of the same ability, and being able to play music of such a high standard was amazing. Also the tutors – it was really great working with them, hearing them play and hearing what they had to say about things. It confirmed to me that that’s the kind of thing I want to be doing all the time.
“Since the summer school I’ve done so many cool things with people from there – had a recording session, played in the National Gallery. It’s definitely improved my playing. You get up in the morning and you play Jazz and talk about it and learn about it until last thing in the evening.
“I do hope to carry on playing. It is unusual to see a female Jazz trumpeter but that could be quite helpful because people remember you. If anything, that could be a good thing.”
Visit the official website for
www.nyjc.co.uk
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