Hits and Myths: Jazz UK overview- from ODJB to Ezra Collective?

Jazz UK Overview – from ODJB to Ezra Collective?

“The Jazz Centre UK is currently the only existing charity in the UK with the aim to establish national representation of the art form” [Wikipedia - extracted Dec 2023]

That’s the challenge. All we have to do is meet it.

One essential quality will be an understanding of UK jazz sufficient to present its qualities and achievements to an expectant public; preferably in an interesting and understandable form. In 2024, Hits & Myths will take up the challenge by presenting an introductory path to awareness of Jazz UK.

In January, we’ll start with an Overview. The award of the 2023 Mercury Prize was the first national all-music award to jazz since the Sixties, which makes it a useful marker on a complex route. But did jazz in UK really begin with the ODJB visit in 1919? Were the 2 million pianos in 1851’s 7 million UK households’ part of the story? And what are the notable steps along the route?

Using the Hits & Myths “anecdotes” approach, we’ll identify some well-known milestones, add some less-known ones and consider how jazz’s “folk history” developed.