The Oxford University Jazz Society, also known as JazzSoc, is the focus of
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 ...
music at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
, England; the place to be for players and listeners, dancers and drinkers. Formerly known as the Oxford University Jazz Club, the society now provides the main arena for student players to interact musically, whilst also encouraging a non-student contingent.
History
The music critic
Peter Gammond
Peter Gammond (30 September 1925 – 6 May 2019) was a British music critic, writer, journalist, musician, poet, and artist.
Peter Gammond was born in Winnington, Northwich, Cheshire. The son of John Thomas Gammond (1892–1970), a clerk, an ...
(born 1925) was involved with the band that formed the original Oxford University Jazz Club. The conductor, composer, and pianist Samuel Hogarth has studied the early history of the Club.
In 1951, the Club held meetings in St Michael's Hall every Saturday at 8 pm. This consisted of two sessions of live Jazz presented by the Club's musicians, a record interlude, and often a recital by a guest soloist. In 1953, the club started to hold its meetings on alternate Fridays in the Green Room of the Kemp Restaurant where the Club's resident band would perform. The writer and documentary maker Tony Cash played clarinet and saxophone in the Club's band and became its President during the 1950s.
In the 1960s, there were two different
jazz club
A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is license ...
s at the University: the larger ''Oxford University Jazz Club'', which met at the Carfax Assembly Rooms and had dancing, and the OU Modern Jazz Club which met in seated venues at the Wheatsheaf Inn on the
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
, founded by the saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Bill Ashton (born 1936).
The columnist and bass player
Miles Kington
Miles Beresford Kington (13 May 1941 – 30 January 2008) was a British journalist, musician (a double bass player for Instant Sunshine and other groups) and broadcaster. He is also credited with the invention of Franglais, a fictional language, ...
, then a
trombonist
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
, was a musical organiser of the Modern Jazz Club in Trinity Term 1962. He refused membership of the Club to Nigel Tully, founder of the ''Dark Blues'' band, because of his love of
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
's music. Performers in the Michaelmas Term 1962 included Dickie Hawdon(trumpet), Alan and Jimmy Skidmore, and the Fat John Band.
In 1963, the OU Jazz Club started the Big Night, initiated by Marcus Wigan on the OU Jazz Club Committee, and hired the entire
Johnny Dankworth
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Variant ...
Big Band for what was a significant financial risk. The controlled capacity of the Carfax Assembly Rooms was strictly observed, and counters were allocated to check people in and out of the dance and performance hall itself during the evening to maintain these numbers. To the regret of the organisers, with a good profit in a queue extending well back through Carfax, the University
Proctor
Proctor (a variant of ''procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another.
The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts:
* In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawye ...
s arrived and stopped any more tickets being sold. Shortly after Marcus Wigan presented a large cheque for the Big Night,
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...
gave a talk to the very different Modern Jazz Club (where Wigan was also on the Committee): the Pat Crumly Quartet, the
Ronnie Ross
Albert Ronald Ross (2 October 1933 – 12 December 1991) was a British jazz baritone saxophonist.
Life
Born in Calcutta, India, to Scottish parents, Ross moved to England in 1946 and was educated at the Perse School in Cambridge. He beg ...
plus Trio and
Art Themen
Arthur Edward George Themen (born 26 November 1939) is a British jazz saxophonist and formerly orthopaedic surgeon. Critic John Fordham has described him as "an appealing presence on the British jazz circuit for over 40 years.... Originally a D ...
plus the Pat Crumly Quartet all presented.
In the 1970s, the OU Jazz Club organised weekly gigs in the first floor of the former Roebuck public house in
Market Street Market Street may refer to:
*Market Street, Cambridge, England
*Market Street, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
* Market Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
*Market Street, Manchester, England
*Market Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
...
, central
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, presenting well-known British jazz musicians such as
Lol Coxhill
George Lowen Coxhill (19 September 1932 – 10 July 2012) known professionally as Lol Coxhill, was an English free improvising saxophonist. He played soprano and sopranino saxophone.
Biography
Coxhill was born to George Compton Coxhill ...
,
Harry Beckett
Harold Winston "Harry" Beckett (30 May 1935 – 22 July 2010) was a British trumpeter and flugelhorn player of Barbadian origin.
Biography
Born in Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados, Harry Beckett learned to play music in a Salvation Army ...
,
Alan Skidmore
Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore.
Career
He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...
,
Don Rendell
Donald Percy Rendell (4 March 1926 – 20 October 2015) was an English jazz musician and arranger. Mainly active as a tenor saxophonist, he also played soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet.
Career
Rendell was born in Plymouth, England, an ...
,
Art Themen
Arthur Edward George Themen (born 26 November 1939) is a British jazz saxophonist and formerly orthopaedic surgeon. Critic John Fordham has described him as "an appealing presence on the British jazz circuit for over 40 years.... Originally a D ...
,
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards.
Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...
and Barbara Thompson as well as Oxford-based jazz bands including Pat Crumly's 'Edge' and the
Oxcentrics
The Oxcentrics is a Dixieland jazz band founded in 1975 at Oxford University. The band's name was derived from ''The Oxontrics'', an original 1920s jazz band. Several (although by no means all) members were from University College, Oxford, Univer ...
.
After a period of inactivity in the 1980s, in 1994, the OU Modern Jazz Club was reformed as the Jazz Society and is now colloquially known as "JazzSoc". Between 1994 and 1997, it hosted a weekly jam session at Po Na Na on St Giles'; from 1997 to 2004 the session was once again at the Wheatsheaf pub on the
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
, where the jam session regularly attracted an audience of up to 100 students.
In 2004, JazzSoc returned to its original home at the Roebuck, known until 2006 as the 'Market Tavern' (after then it was transformed into a '
Wagamama
Wagamama (stylised as ''wagamama'') is a British restaurant chain, serving Asian food based on Japanese cuisine.
History
The first Wagamama was opened in 1992 in Bloomsbury, London, founded by Alan Yau, who subsequently created the Chinese rest ...
' restaurant). From 2006 until 2008, JazzSoc took place at the 'Blue Bar' in the cellar of the Cock and Camel pub on George Street. This has also since transformed into a restaurant and is now owned by
Jamie Oliver
James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants.
Oliver reache ...
. In 2008, the society briefly held its jams at the Purple Turtle bar, before having no fixed venue for a short period during which the jams were held in various college bars on various days, depending on availability. At the end of 2008 the jam eventually settled at the 'Thirst Lodge', before another change in 2009 to Bar Copa in George Street. During this period the weekly event consisted of a set performed by a house band of student musicians before opening the stage for a jam. However, once a term JazzSoc presented a 'spectacular' featuring an internationally renowned jazz act, playing either with their own band or with a local rhythm section. Past spectaculars featured
Nigel Hitchcock
Nigel Hitchcock (born 4 January 1971) is an English jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Hitchcock began to play alto sax at the age of eight. In 1982 he and his elder brother Clive joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. After one year Nigel took the ...
,
Soweto Kinch
Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper.
Biography
Born in 1978 in London, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, Soweto Kinch began playin ...
,
Julian Arguelles
Julian may refer to:
People
* Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363
* Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots
* Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints
* Julian (give ...
, and
Jim Mullen
Jim Mullen (born 26 November 1945) is a Scottish, Glasgow-born jazz guitarist with a distinctive style, like Wes Montgomery before him, picking with the thumb rather than a plectrum.
Biography
Jim Mullen was guitarist with Pete Brown & Piblok ...
.
As of October 2013, the jam ran every Tuesday night at The Mad Hatter. At this time JazzSoc began to host professional acts weekly during term. In addition, student bands hosting the jam began to more often be less-established student ensembles rather than a house band.
Events
JazzSoc runs a weekly jam at The Mad Hatter on
Iffley Road
Iffley Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England. It leads from the Plain, near Magdalen Bridge, southeast towards the village of Iffley. While it becomes Henley Avenue at Iffley Turn, and then Rose Hill, the whole stretch from the ring ...
, Oxford. The jam typically opens with a house band set featuring either an up-and-coming jazz ensemble, student or otherwise, or a more widely renowned professional artist. The floor is then opened to everyone and anyone with a desire to jam.
Notable performances have included Escape Hatch (Ivo Neame, Andrea Di Biase, Dave Hamblett), Adam Waldmann (of
MOBO
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Af ...
winning
Kairos 4Tet
Kairos 4Tet is a British jazz quartet founded in 2010. The band is led by Adam Waldmann on saxophone, Ivo Neame on keyboards and synthesizers, Jon Scott on drums, and Jasper Høiby on bass guitar. (Neame and Høiby are also associated with the ...
Tina May
Daphne Christina May (30 March 1961 – 26 March 2022), known professionally as Tina May, was an English jazz vocalist.
Early life and career
The younger of two daughters born to Harry May and Daphne E. Walton,BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2014 winner Alex Bone, Nigel Price,
Binker Golding
Binker Golding is a British jazz musician, who has released solo albums on Gearbox Records and is one half of the MOBO Awards, MOBO award-winning jazz duo Binker and Moses.
Golding was born 1985 and comes from Enfield, London and went to Middlese ...
on his debut album release tour, Rob Luft, Waaju, Nihilism, Brother's Testament, and more.
JazzSoc primarily sends information about its events to its members via its Facebook page "JazzSoc – Oxford University" and its mailing list, hosted by the Oxford University IT services.
As of 2020, JazzSoc replenished its membership card supplies due to large demand, and launched a record label to give student bands the opportunity to produce and release their music on digital platforms.
See also
*
Oxford University Jazz Orchestra
The Oxford University Jazz Orchestra (OUJO) is a big band, jazz orchestra based in the University of Oxford, England. It was founded in 1991.
History
The Oxford University Jazz Orchestra was founded by students in the early 1990s, initially as ...
*
Oxford University Big Band
The Oxford University Jazz Orchestra (OUJO) is a jazz orchestra based in the University of Oxford, England. It was founded in 1991.
History
The Oxford University Jazz Orchestra was founded by students in the early 1990s, initially as a word-of ...
Jazz Journal International
''Jazz Journal'' is a British jazz magazine established in 1946 by Sinclair Traill (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 Sc ...