Jazz North is a consortium founded to support jazz across the North West, Yorkshire and the North East.

Funded by Arts Council England, it has development money to invest in tours, recordings and events such as the How To Get More Gigs seminar held at Lady Anne Middleton`s Hotel, Skeldergate, York, last Monday afternoon. Aimed at professional jazz musicians, this was one of a series of training sessions, featuring expert speakers in marketing and PR, booking gigs and how to apply for funding.

Monday’s panel included Tony Dudley-Evans (Cheltenham Jazz Festival), Sebastion Scotney (publisher/editor LondonJazzNews.com), Fran Hardcastle (artist management and bookings) and Steve Mead (artistic director, Manchester Jazz Festival). The audience included students and graduates from the Leeds College of Music jazz course, local musicians such as Ian Chalk, Al Morrison and James Lancaster and JazzNorth’s Nigel Slee, plus J-Night’s David Porter.

Perhaps the most useful advice came from London-based Fran, who books bands for the Pizza Express Dean Street Jazz Club, and is the agent for Natalie Williams, lead singer with funk/jazz group Incognito and currently resident vocalist at Ronnie Scott’s Club. In essence, just to present good music is not enough. What musicians must focus on is: what do you want to be, what is your unique selling point and where do you want to go with your talent. Next, make a CD or youtube clip, decide who is your core audience, and then exploit press and other media to gain advance publicity in the region where you plan to tour, in Britain or Europe. The JazzNorth website has more information on a wide range of jazz issues.

Regarding last week’s Jazz Notes observation on the male/female imbalance in the influential areas of modern life, last Monday’s meeting had one woman on the panel and just two in the audience.

Which leads to this week’s CD review, a small step towards restoring balance.

REVIEW

Rachael Cohen, Halftime (Whirlwind Records) ***

Rachael is the first woman leader signed by Whirlwind and this is an album of mainly her own compositions. The piano-less line-up of guitar (Phil Robson), bass (Calum Gourlay) and drums (James Bashford) provides a lithe and spacey partnership to Rachael’s clear, Lee Konitz-style alto saxophone, most effectively on the Latin-tinged Riggins, Higgins? and The Rise And Fall Of SC.

Groove Envy and Free Speech venture into free jazz territory and Just For You is a pleasantly meandering Ornette Coleman tune.

The Manor is a jazz waltz with sure-footed unison saxophone and guitar melody, while Ask Me Later and Full Time are appealing ballads. Halftime is an assured and impressive debut as a leader and composer and Rachael’s choice of musicians could not be better, Robson always impressive and Gourlay and Bashford completing a solid partnership.

The York gig list is somewhat truncated, since musicians can hope to earn an honest shilling playing for Christmas and New Year`s Eve parties, a star example being James Lancaster’s New York Brass Band’s festive booking at Saatchi and Saatchi’s London Office There is Sunday jazz at 1pm with John Marley and friends at Kennedy’s Café Bar, Little Stonegate, (01904 620222) and Karl Mullen (piano) and Jen Low (vocals) are usually at the Rook and Gaskill, Lawrence Street, at 7pm (01904 652050). Phone first before setting out.

The big J-Night gig will be on Monday, with Snake Davis and The Suspicions at York Theatre Royal Ballroom. Strap on your dancing shoes for this Northern Soul special, which is sure to be a sell-out (01904 623568).