Leeds College Hosts UK Jazz Conference

Discussions about jazz’s place in the record industry and journalism’s place in the jazz industry will abound at this year’s Leeds International Jazz Conference, to be held at the Leeds College of Music in England from April 2-4. Like the North American-based IAJE conference, Leeds is an annual event for jazz industry folk featuring lectures, discussions and artist performances.

The theme for this year’s Leeds conference is “Jazz on Record” and will feature lectures by producer Michael Cuscuna, Jazz Journalists Association president Howard Mandel and saxophonist Bob Mintzer (pictured). The conference will also include performances and/or workshops by some of the U.K.’s leading contemporary jazz composers, with particular emphasis on those presenting original new work. The live music program will feature performers like the Electric Dr M, Didrik Ingvaldsen, Omar Puente, Dennis Rollins, Martin Speake, Peter Wareham and Kate Williams.

Mintzer, who is the conference’s Artist in Residence, will also direct the U.K. Conservatoire Big Band, a group formed for this occasion that brings together some of the top young talent from music colleges across England to perform in a gala concert on the Saturday evening. There will also be performances by several of the U.K.’s leading youth big bands, including Sefton Youth Jazz Orchestra and Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra.

And running throughout the Saturday and Sunday will be sessions on:

Teaching Jazz in the Classroom & Jazz in the Curriculum

Vocal Jazz

Instrumental Jazz

Artists appearing include Mintzer, Frank Griffith, Al Wood, Anita Wardell, Sheila Tracy, Ian Darrington, Glenn Waite and Chris Perry.

For more information on the conference, visit http://www.lcm.ac.uk.

Originally Published February 18, 2004