140 young musicians from six Yorkshire schools recently took part in an all-day event organised by Jazz Yorkshire at Ripon Grammar School to develop their jazz skills.

Each school band gave a thirty minute performance adjudicated by John Ellis MBE (director of Doncaster Youth Jazz Association) and band leader Al Wood. The children also took part in workshops to improve their improvisatory skills with Bob Howard and Mark Chandler, members of the Al Wood Big Band.

The adjudicators paid tribute to the enthusiasm, musical skill and understanding of the jazz language shown by the musicians involved.

Thirsk School Jazz Band and Harrogate Youth Jazz Orchestra were awarded Bronze Certificates. St. Aidan's Jazz Ensemble (Harrogate), the youngest group, and Ryedale School Big Band were awarded Silver. Ripon Grammar School and Wakefield Grammar School Foundation's combined band earned Gold Awards.

Ryedale School were also granted the special award of the opportunity to be mentored by staff on the Jazz Faculty of Leeds College of Music. This will give them the opportunity to be coached in jazz improvisation and performance skills and record a CD.

There were also five further special awards for most promising improvisers and twenty-six more certificates. Those were awarded at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels to players of all jazz instruments represented and vocalists, and finally for the best sectional performances.

• Jazz Jamboree Awards List
• Jazz Jamboree Report
• About Jazz Jamboree

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In an article in Sheffield's Star newspaper the newly elected club chairman Dave Silver explains how Sheffield Jazz has secured charitable status. He says
"Charitable status now gives us the opportunity to raise additional funding and thereby organise more and better gigs; to work more with Sheffield Jazz Workshops to encourage and assist people to play jazz; and to broaden the audience for jazz by reaching new sections of the population."
Sheffield Jazz is supported by Jazz Yorkshire

Spring dates for: Simon Spillett Quartet 22 January, Alyn Cosker Trio with Seamus Blake 29 January, Empirical 19 February, Pete Churchill Trio 26 February, Anita Wardell Quartet 26 March.

www.sheffieldjazz.org.uk
Full article at www.thestar.co.uk/...Jazz-what-we-needed

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