Jazz North East Ltd          

photo. Sue Storey

Is the country's very first grant supported jazz promoting organisation, set up by Northern Arts in 1966.

Over three decades of non-stop jazz activity, Jazz North East has ensured that the majority of jazz tours include Tyneside in their itineraries, mounted several hundred local jazz events and has produced in several instances of new music being written and performed locally.

Major American jazz visitors presented have included the Duke Elllington Orchestra, the Max Roach Quartet, the George Russell Orchestra, the Ornette Coleman Trio and the David Murray Octet.

Major British presentations include the Stan Tracey Orchestra, Derek Bailey, the Mike Osborne Septet, the Pizza
Express All Stars, the Don Weller Big Band and the Joe Harriott Memorial Quintet.

The scope has included British, American, African, South American, Scandinavian and Continental bands and musicians and styles have ranged from turn-of-the-century ragtime to free improvisation.

Commissions and new music have included Stan Tracey's 'Anniversary Suite' ( 1984 -JNEs 18th), Ian Carr's 'North East Songlinesl( 1991 -JNEs 25th), 'Heart And Soul' co-written by Tim Whitehead and Peter Jacobsen (1998 - marking JNEs non-stop 30 year record) and the first British performance of Duke Ellington's 1927 'Creole Rhapsody' (1978).

Hon. Secretary:                  Chris Yates.
                                             33, Newton Road, High Heaton,
                                             Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7HN.(0191) 281 3677