''Jazz Journal'' is a British

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

magazine established in 1946 by

Sinclair Traill Eric Sinclair Traill (1905 – 11 January 1981) was a British publisher, chief editor, and music critic of jazz. His career began in 1946, when he launched ''Pick Up'' as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain. In May 1948, Traill, using hi ...

(1904–1981). It was first published in London under the title ''Pick Up'', which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.Roberta Freund Schwartz
How Britain Got the Blues: The Transmission and Reception of American Blues
',

Ashgate Publishing Ashgate Publishing was an academic book and journal publisher based in Farnham ( Surrey, United Kingdom). It was established in 1967 and specialised in the social sciences, arts, humanities and professional practice. It had an American office i ...

, (1988), p.25, In May 1948, Traill, using his own money, relaunched it as ''Jazz Journal''. Traill, for the rest of his life, served as its

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. ''Jazz Journal'' is Britain's longest published jazz magazine.

Ownership overview

In April 1977, Billboard Limited – then the publisher of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' and '' The Artist'' – acquired publishing rights to ''Jazz Journal'' (via lease agreement) from the magazine's owner, Novello & Company, Ltd. Cardfront Publishers Limited, a division of Billboard Limited, became the publisher;

Mike Hennessey Mike Hennessey (25 February 1928 – 16 August 2017) was an English music journalist and jazz pianist. Born in London as the third of four children, Hennessey, who came from a musical family, began learning piano at the age of six. After his mili ...

became director; Traill continued as editor-in-chief; and the publication was renamed ''Jazz Journal International'' (''JJI''). ''JJI'' was presumed to have ceased publication in January 2009, after the death on 23 January 2009 of the publisher's wife and associate editor, Janet Cook. Eddie Cook, who had been publisher and editor-in-chief of ''JJI'' since 1978, wrote to ''JJI'' readers that, following the death of his wife, publication of the magazine would cease, and that the magazine was seeking a new owner. In April 2009, ''JJI's''

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

, which at the time was Jazz Journal Publishing, absorbed a rival magazine, ''

Jazz Review ''Jazz Review'' was a Scottish jazz magazine, founded in 1998. The founders were jazz writer (and former editor of ''The Wire'') Richard Cook and Roger Spence of the talent management agency Direct Music Limited of Edinburgh, Scotland. ''Jaz ...

''. ''Jazz Review'', originally a monthly, had been published every two months and was owned by Direct Music Limited of

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, who wished to end their publishing interests. ''Jazz Journal'' was absorbed into ''JJI'' and first published as such in May 2009 under Mark Gilbert (born 1955) – the last editor of ''Jazz Review'', stepping in as editor of the new ''Jazz Journal''. Gilbert had served as deputy editor of ''JJI'' from 1981 to 1999. The December 2018 issue was the last print edition of ''Jazz Journal'' before the magazine moved entirely online from 19 January 2019, at https://jazzjournal.co.uk. A publisher statement explaining the move said:

Timeline

''Jazz Journal'' archives

* In October 2009, Sarah Moy, daughter of Eddie Cook, donated materials from the ''JJI'' offices in

Loughton Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...

to the

National Jazz Archive The National Jazz Archive is a collection of materials pertaining to jazz and blues that is kept at the Loughton Library in Essex, England. The archive was founded by British trumpeter Digby Fairweather in 1998 and contains visual and print mater ...

, also situated in Loughton.''Jazz Journal International,'' National Jazz Archives Newsletter, October 2009
Issue 19, pg. 2, col. 1,

(October 2009)

Notable contributors

* Simon Adams * Derek Ansell * Ronald Atkins * Bruce Crowther * Roger Farbey * Dave Gelly * Fred Grand * Andy Hamilton * Gordon Jack * Brian Morton * Hugh Rainey * Mike Tucker * Steve Voce * John White

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.jazzjournal.co.uk Music magazines published in the United Kingdom Jazz magazines Magazines established in 1946 Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines published in London 1946 establishments in the United Kingdom