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British jazz

British jazz is a form of music derived from American jazz. It reached Britain through recordings and performers who visited the country while it was a relatively new genre, soon after the end of World War I. Jazz began to be played by British musicians from the 1930s and on a widespread basis in the 1940s, often within dance bands. From the late 1940s, British "modern jazz", highly influenced by American bebop, began to emerge and was led by figures such as Sir John Dankworth, Tony Crombie and Ronnie Scott, while Ken Colyer, George Webb and Humphrey Lyttelton played Dixieland-style Trad jazz. From the 1960s British jazz began to develop more individual characteristics and absorb a variety of influences, including British blues, as well as European and World music influences. A number of British jazz musicians have gained international reputations, although the music has remained a minority interest there.

British jazz organisations[edit]

The National Jazz Archive is the UK's primary archive of printed materials related to the history of jazz and related music in Britain and beyond. Founded in 1988, and based at Loughton Library, Loughton, Essex, it holds more than 4000 books and approximately 700 journals and periodicals, as well as photographs, drawings, paintings, concert and festival posters and programmes. Also included are letters, memorabilia and personal papers donated by musicians, writers, journalists and collectors. Among The NJA's special collections are the papers of Mike Westbrook, John Chilton, Jim Godbolt and Charles Fox.


The Jazz Centre UK is currently the only existing charity in the UK with the aim to establish national representation of the art form.[23][24] Prior to The Jazz Centre UK only one unsuccessful attempt to establish such a centre had been launched in 1982 when plans were laid by the (then) ‘Jazz Centre Society’ to establish a National Jazz Centre in London's Floral Street, Covent Garden. However, the project collapsed four years later in 1986 due to problems with financial management. The Jazz Centre (UK) was officially launched thirty years later and registered as a charity on 2 June 2016 with the aim to preserve promote and celebrate the art of jazz music in all its forms.

Ron Brown with (2005), Nat Gonella: A Life in Jazz. London: Northway. ISBN 0-9537040-7-6.

Digby Fairweather

(2008), Music Outside: Contemporary Jazz in Britain. 2nd ed. London: Northway. ISBN 978-0-9550908-6-8

Ian Carr

(2004), Who's Who of British Jazz. 2nd ed. London: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-7234-6

John Chilton

(ed.) (1976), Jazz Now: The Jazz Centre Society Guide. London: Quartet. ISBN 0-7043-3097-0

Roger Cotterrell

,'Postscript: Thirty Years On', in Ian Carr, Music Outside: Contemporary Jazz in Britain, 2nd edn. London: Northway, 2008, 163–80.

Roger Cotterrell

Digby Fairweather (2002), Notes from a Jazz Life. London: . ISBN 0-9537040-1-7

Northway

(2010), Dusk Fire: Jazz in English Hands. Earley: Springdale Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9564353-0-9

Michael Garrick

(2014), An Unholy Row: Jazz in Britain and its Audience, 1945–1960. London: Equinox Publishing. ISBN 978-17817915-3-0

Dave Gelly

(2005), A History of Jazz in Britain, 1919 – 50. Revised edn. London: Northway. ISBN 0-9537040-5-X

Jim Godbolt

Jim Godbolt (1989), A History of Jazz in Britain, 1950 – 70. London: Quartet.  0-7043-2526-8

ISBN

(2000), Gold, Doubloons and Pieces of Eight London: Northway. ISBN 0-9537040-0-9

Harry Gold

and Roger Cotterrell (2002), Bass Lines: A Life in Jazz. London: Northway. ISBN 0-9537040-2-5

Coleridge Goode

Duncan Heining, (2012), . London: Equinox Publishing. ISBN 978-18455340-5-9

Trad Dads, Dirty Boppers and Free Fusioneers: British Jazz, 1960-1975

Jack, Richard Morton (2024). Labyrinth: British Jazz on Record 1960-75, Lansdowne Books.  978-13999-7369-4

ISBN

(2011), Flying High: A Jazz Life and Beyond. London: Northway. ISBN 978-09550908-9-9

Peter King

George McKay (2005), . Durham NC: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3573-5

Circular Breathing: The Cultural Politics of Jazz in Britain

Catherine Parsonage (2005), The Evolution of Jazz in Britain, 1880 - 1935. , Hampshire: Ashgate. ISBN 0-7546-5076-6

Aldershot

Alan Robertson (2011), : Fire in His Soul. 2nd edn. London: Northway. ISBN 978-0-9557888-5-7

Joe Harriott

with Mike Hennessey (2013), Some of My Best Friends are Blues. 2nd edn. London: Northway. ISBN 978-09557888-8-8

Ronnie Scott

,The Long Shadow of The Little Giant - The Life, Work and Legacy of Tubby Hayes. Equinox Publishing. ISBN 978-1781791738

Simon Spillett

Jason Toynbee , eds. 2014. Black British Jazz: Routes, Ownership and Performance, Farnham: Ashgate. ISBN 9781472417565

et al.

(known as Jazz Journal International, 1977–2009) was founded in 1947 and edited for many years by Sinclair Traill. It formerly tagged itself "the greatest jazz magazine in the world", but was thought to have ceased publication in January 2009.[25] The holding company though absorbed Jazz Review around April 2009, and the magazine was revived at the end of that month, edited by Mark Gilbert.

Jazz Journal

(1955–71), edited by Albert McCarthy, had a particularly high reputation during its run and numbered many of the leading British jazz critics of the time among its contributors.

Jazz Monthly

(1998–2009) was published by the music promoter Direct Music. A monthly, for most of its history, it was edited by Richard Cook, until his death in 2007. It was formally absorbed by Jazz Journal in April 2009.

Jazz Review

has for many years been the main periodical specialising in news and features about jazz in Britain. Its former editors are Jed Williams and John Fordham.

Jazz UK

is a monthly founded in 1997 that mainly covers modern and contemporary jazz.

Jazzwise

, founded as a jazz magazine, had a notable proselytiser for the music in Max Jones on its staff, but it had abandoned its coverage of jazz by the late 1970s.

Melody Maker

was founded in 1982 originally as a jazz magazine with contributions from Max Harrison and Richard Cook among others, but subsequently broadened its focus.

The Wire

Jazz publications in the UK have had a chequered history.

is a not-for profit record label and a book publishing company, founded in 2019. It publishes books on British jazz and British jazz musicians and releases albums of rare or lost recordings and out-of-print albums.

Jazz in Britain

founded in 2000, is a British publishing company specialising mainly in books about the history of jazz in Britain.

Northway Books

For a list see .

Category:British jazz musicians

Babel Label

Candid Records (UK)

Dutton Vocalion

Edition Records

E.G. Records

Esquire Records

Hep Records

Leo Records

Ogun Records

Spotlite Records

Whirlwind Recordings

Archived 1 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine

Jazz Brittania at BBC Four

. Documentary. The 21-piece jazz orchestra its first national tour. The musicians are shown conducting a jazz workshop in Sheffield, as well as performing. Directed by Christopher Swann produced by Granada Television. Channel Four, January 1987.

Celebration: Loose Tubes

Sounds Different: Music Out of Time. Ian Carr & his band Nucleus are seen during a two-day workshop with young musicians. Participants include , Django Bates, and Chris White. BBC Two, 28 November 1980.

Guy Barker

Black British Jazz at the Open University

Simon Spillett

British Jazz Saxophonists 1950–1970: An overview

Harry Francis

History of British jazz

Harry Francis

Jazz Development in Britain 1924–1974

Jazz in the UK

Melody Maker Jazz Polls (British Section) 1962–1974

lecture by Norton York at Gresham College, 24 April 2007

"Valuing British Music - Jazz Futures"

Ian Carr website, a portal for modern British jazz