Jazzwise
Encyclopedia
Jazzwise Publications Limited is a UK
-based specialist jazz
music publisher and education company. It was founded in 1984 as a mail-order company promoting jazz and improvisation through catalogues and short courses and workshops for musicians. Today Jazzwise has three main areas of interest: Jazzwise Education, which runs an annual Summer School for jazz musicians; Jazzwise Direct, which publishes and sells sheet music, books, software and other music-related items; and Jazzwise, the biggest-selling jazz magazine in Britain.
, and the teaching faculty includes around twenty prominent US and UK jazz educators. Over 1,500 students have attended the Jazzwise Summer Schools since 1984. These include amateur and professional musicians from the UK and around the world, who play typical jazz instruments such as trumpet, saxophone, trombone, piano, guitar, double bass and drums. The aim of the course is to assist participants to develop their skills as jazz players and, in particular, in jazz improvisation
. Students receive instrumental tuition and instruction in harmony and ear training
and play for several hours each day in jazz bands ('combos') under tutor guidance.
After a break during 2009 and 2010, the Jazzwise Summer School is planned to recommence in 2011.
and Michael Bublé
. London Orchestrations are distributed throughout Europe and Australia but are not available in the US because of copyright restrictions.
Jazzwise Direct commenced online trading in 2003 through the Jazzwise Online Store. The site promotes products recommended by the staff of Jazzwise (many of who are musicians themselves) and also features free 'how-to' articles incorporating these recommendations. Customers receive updates via mailed print catalogues and emailed newsletters.
, bebop, spiritual jazz and jazz-rock to world music, soul jazz, jazz funk, M-BASE, acid jazz and prog jazz. It features news coverage, a national gig guide, gossip column, a jazz-on-film page, opinion column, in-depth features and a review section covering new CD releases, reissues, DVD
s, books and live
reviews. Breaking news stories feature on the Jazzwise magazine website. Jazzwise also mentors new jazz writers through its ongoing intern scheme and the Write Stuff workshops held each November during the London Jazz Festival
.
In 2006 Jazzwise editor Jon Newey won journalist of the year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards
. In 2007 Jazzwise won two awards, best jazz publication at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and best jazz publication at the Ronnie Scott's awards. In 2009, Jazzwise writer Kevin Le Gendre won journalist of the year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, while in 2010 Jazzwise won best jazz publication at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards for the second time and gig guide editor Mike Flynn won journalist of the year, while CD reissues reviewer Alyn Shipton won broadcaster of the year.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based specialist jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music publisher and education company. It was founded in 1984 as a mail-order company promoting jazz and improvisation through catalogues and short courses and workshops for musicians. Today Jazzwise has three main areas of interest: Jazzwise Education, which runs an annual Summer School for jazz musicians; Jazzwise Direct, which publishes and sells sheet music, books, software and other music-related items; and Jazzwise, the biggest-selling jazz magazine in Britain.
Jazzwise Education
Jazzwise Education has run the Jazzwise Summer School nearly every year since 1984. The course was originally located at Goldsmiths' College, but moved to Richmond in 1995. The Director of the Jazzwise Summer School is the noted US jazz educator Jamey AebersoldJamey Aebersold
Jamey Aebersold is an American jazz saxophonist and music educator. His "Play-A-Long" series of instructional book and CD collections, using the chord-scale system, the first of which was released in 1967, are an internationally renowned resource for jazz education...
, and the teaching faculty includes around twenty prominent US and UK jazz educators. Over 1,500 students have attended the Jazzwise Summer Schools since 1984. These include amateur and professional musicians from the UK and around the world, who play typical jazz instruments such as trumpet, saxophone, trombone, piano, guitar, double bass and drums. The aim of the course is to assist participants to develop their skills as jazz players and, in particular, in jazz improvisation
Jazz improvisation
Jazz improvisation is an important aspect of jazz. Basically, improvisation is composing on the spot and coming up with melodies off the top of one's head. Traditionally, jazz improvisation was distinguished from other forms of music improvisation by its chordal complexity, often exhibiting ii V...
. Students receive instrumental tuition and instruction in harmony and ear training
Ear training
Ear training or aural skills is a skill by which musicians learn to identify, solely by hearing, pitches, intervals, melody, chords, rhythms, and other basic elements of music. The application of this skill is analogous to taking dictation in written/spoken language. Ear training may be...
and play for several hours each day in jazz bands ('combos') under tutor guidance.
After a break during 2009 and 2010, the Jazzwise Summer School is planned to recommence in 2011.
Jazzwise Direct
Jazzwise Direct publishes and distributes instructional jazz books, play alongs, song collections (including fakebooks and Real Books), music software and DVD media. Its customer base includes musicians from beginner to experienced professional, schools and colleges and band directors. It also owns and publishes London Orchestrations, a large collection of sheet music for bands, and which includes over 1,300 titles for 17-piece big band and 9-piece pop/rock groups. The series features arrangements and medleys from swing charts of the 1940s through to rock hits of the 1990s, with a particular focus on the big band vocal charts of Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
. London Orchestrations are distributed throughout Europe and Australia but are not available in the US because of copyright restrictions.
Jazzwise Direct commenced online trading in 2003 through the Jazzwise Online Store. The site promotes products recommended by the staff of Jazzwise (many of who are musicians themselves) and also features free 'how-to' articles incorporating these recommendations. Customers receive updates via mailed print catalogues and emailed newsletters.
Jazzwise Magazine
Jazzwise, launched in 1997, is the UK’s biggest selling jazz monthly magazine. Jazzwise has a broad coverage, from the cutting edge of jazz, improvMusical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
, bebop, spiritual jazz and jazz-rock to world music, soul jazz, jazz funk, M-BASE, acid jazz and prog jazz. It features news coverage, a national gig guide, gossip column, a jazz-on-film page, opinion column, in-depth features and a review section covering new CD releases, reissues, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, books and live
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
reviews. Breaking news stories feature on the Jazzwise magazine website. Jazzwise also mentors new jazz writers through its ongoing intern scheme and the Write Stuff workshops held each November during the London Jazz Festival
London Jazz Festival
The London Jazz Festival is a London-wide music festival held every November. It takes place in a variety of London venues, including larger concert halls—such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall—and smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and Vortex...
.
In 2006 Jazzwise editor Jon Newey won journalist of the year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards
Parliamentary Jazz Awards
The Parliamentary Jazz Awards in the United Kingdom are organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group at the Houses of Parliament in London. The group consists of over a hundred members drawn from across the UK political parties...
. In 2007 Jazzwise won two awards, best jazz publication at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and best jazz publication at the Ronnie Scott's awards. In 2009, Jazzwise writer Kevin Le Gendre won journalist of the year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, while in 2010 Jazzwise won best jazz publication at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards for the second time and gig guide editor Mike Flynn won journalist of the year, while CD reissues reviewer Alyn Shipton won broadcaster of the year.