Northern jazz promoters are invited to apply for bursaries up to £1000
Previous recipient, Parr Jazz, run New Northern supported event Mutant Jazz at Metrocola in September 2023 © Milli @florintein
Jazz North’s latest support scheme welcomes applications from grassroots and independent promoters working in jazz. Promoters can apply for bursaries to help support fees and costs for northern emerging artists and support acts. A total of £5000 in bursaries up to £1000 will be awarded to promoters across the North of England.
New Northern is Jazz North’s promoter bursary to support live emerging talent. It supports promoters to programme emerging northern artists by underwriting risk and helping pay essential costs.
Designed both to support emerging artists in the north and give an injection of cash to promoters who need it, this easy-access scheme offers a quick intervention to northern grassroots promoters facing difficult financial circumstances.
Chris Bye, Jazz North CEO, says:
“Promoters are the beating heart of local jazz scenes. With this next round of New Northern, Jazz North continues a long tradition of support for our regional promoters and programmers. Jazz North is proud to support those bringing through the next wave of talent and who remain essential to the northern jazz ecology.”
Last year, Jazz North awarded ten £500 bursaries to promoters across the North: No Such Thing Records (Manchester), ParrJazz (Liverpool), Melodic Distraction (Liverpool), Footprints Jazz Club (Sheffield), Live @ Union Lane (Brampton), Jazz Club at The Grayston Unity (Halifax), JazzLeeds, Discontinued (Leeds) and The Wombat Jazz Club (Liverpool).
With help from this small bursary, promoters delivered remarkable work across the north:
“The first Mutant Jazz event was supported by Jazz North and has established a vibrant new event brand supporting diverse jazz artists and building an inclusive, ticket-buying audience.
[…]All the events sold out and have become a sustainable and talked-about regular feature of the Liverpool and Northern jazz scene.”
Ni Maxine, on behalf of Wombat Jazz Club:
“As an early-career promoter with artist experience at the heart, producing grassroots events, receiving this support not only gave us the confidence that we were doing something right, but also opened us up to new audiences and a network of similar promoters, which has been really insightful.“
New Northern is open for applications until midday on Monday 2nd September.
Interested applicants can sign up to an ‘Applying to New Northern’ workshop on Tuesday 6th August, 4.30-5.30PM or receive the video recording.
Visit https://www.jazznorth.org/new-northern for more information and to apply.