An accountants view of life inside a jazz organisation
An accountants view of life inside a jazz organisation
As my time at Jazz North draws to a close I am writing to reflect on my musical voyage through the vast world of Northern jazz music. Coming into such a small organisation gave me opportunities to contribute to activities outside of my traditional skillset of finance and arts business administration. One of those ways has been long-listing for the Northern Line programme, a.k.a listening to music as a job this is not what I was thinking I would be doing when I was studying to be an accountant!
It has been an absolute pleasure to listen to and hear so many different artists working in the realms of jazz music, a realm that reaches as far and wide sonically as it does geographically.
Nor did I think I would be putting together a DJ set for our showcase at Hull Jazz Festival in 2022. I am also a folk musician who adores radio so I enjoyed putting together a selection of my favourite freaky sounds from across the globe that were sometimes, but not very strictly jazz. The actual tracklisting is hidden somewhere deep inside my instagram grid….
As an avid music fan it's meant I've had a deeper insight into the amazing music that the north has to offer and a fresh look at the festivals I have attended shows that the northern jazz scene is truly alive and kicking. Here is one example below (of many) to illustrate.
I was booked to play at Beat-Herder festival this year with one of my bands, but unfortunately the show on Friday evening got rained off so off we went into the festival to check out the music. Beatherder is a fantastic independent festival attracting a whole host of people enjoying a wide range of subcultures, genres, DJs and bands. It truly is a work of art and I love going, I genuinely find something new every time. Soon enough I hear the sounds of some very very groovy congas being played in the distance, coming from the Smoky Tentacles stage.
Drawing nearer to the tent it was clear that the band were playing an excellent and very tight set of percussion led rave jazz, a perfect antidote to the disappointment of not being able to play earlier. Looking at the billboard the band currently on was plantfood from Leeds and they were just incredible so off we went inside to have a dance. I genuinely got lost in their music, a blend of spiritual jazz and contemporary dance music. Later on they helpfully reminded the audience that their friends (and Northern Line round 8 artists) TC and the Groove family were playing at the Perfumed Garden stage after their set.
We got there in plenty of time, despite the encroaching quagmire of the great British festival and danced the rest of the night away to this excellent 10 piece band. This fusion ensemble journeyed between jazz, afrobeat, jungle and highlife with a healthy dose of turntablism in the mix. Again from Leeds they are a melting pot of many different cultures, with outstanding musicians and grooves to match.
Circling back to the moment I first heard them when reviewing their Northern Line application, I remembered that it was a very real challenge to remain seated in my office whilst listening to them. So if you do see them and plantfood on a billing somewhere do go see them, you won't be disappointed
I am gutted to be missing the long-listing process this time round but I am really looking forward to who is selected for the roster this time. I have my fingers crossed that someone from my home city of Hull will get it this year for the first time! I wish the best of luck to everyone who applies.
Sally Currie
https://www.plantfoodband.com
https://diplomatsofsound.org/artist/tc-the-groove-family
https://beatherder.co.uk
