Events

The team organised three major events

Jazz and race, past and present – international conference

10-12 November 2010

The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

Convened by Catherine Tackley (OU), Jason Toynbee (OU), Tony Whyton (Salford University) and Nicholas Gebhardt (Lancaster University) the Jazz and Race conference brought together scholars from the UK, the US and Europe to consider the relationship between jazz and race. Keynote speaker was Professor Guthrie Ramsey, Pennsylvania State University and author of Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop (2003). The papers given by members of the team focused in particular on black British jazz.

Learning to play, learning to live: black British jazz and education – panel and discussion

18 November 2010

The Open University in London, Camden Town, London

This public event examined the contribution of black British jazz to music education. The panel consisted of a group of leading musicians and educators , including Rowland Sutherland, Gary Crosby, Orphy Robinson and Jean Toussaint.  The focus of the evening was the jazz education work being of black British musicians. The discussion explored in particular how pedagogic practice in BBJ could be shared and extended, what the policy implications of jazz education might be and what could be done to develop the black British contribution not only to jazz but British cultural diversity more generally.

Working lives in black British jazz – report launch

25 July 2014

The Open University in London, Camden Town, London

This public event launched the publication of a project survey and report entitled Working Lives in Black British Jazz written by Mark Banks, Jill Ebrey and Jason Toynbee and published by CRESC at the Open University.  On the panel  Mark Banks (Leicester University), Gary Crosby (Tomorrow’s Warriors), Mykaell Riley (University of Westminster) and Jason Toynbee (Open University) discussed the report and the issues it raises:  firstly, jazz as a cultural or creative industry; secondly, precarious work and employment in jazz music; and finally the particular experiences of black British musicians working in UK jazz. You can find the report here.