Bob Blizzard

15th July: Labour politician Bob Blizzard (above) recently resigned the chairmanship of the board of the support organization Jazz Services. He became JSL chair  in early 2011, and is seen universally as having been highly effective in the role. Deputy Chair Christine Allen has taken over as Acting Chair. A formal advertising/selection process for a new chair will be instigated in the next couple of weeks.

The other members of the board (BIOGRAPHIES HERE) are Peter Baillie, Brian Blain, Sue Edwards, James Joseph, Juliet Kelly, Dominic McGonigal, Cathie Rae, Catherine Tackley, Barbara White, Ivor Widdison and Geoff Wright. 

UPDATE 27th JULY. The formal selection process has now started – see the comment from Jazz Services below. 

Among recent significant activity for Jazz Services was an extremely successful Made in the UK showcase at the Rochester International Jazz Festival – WE PREVIEWED IT, AND INTERVIEWED FESTIVAL DIRECTOR JOHN NUGENT

This year’s was the sixth showcase, produced by John Elson of ESIP, but it was the first time Jazz Services has been involved in the selection process. A total audience of nearly 8,000 saw the UK acts in Rochester alone. The presence there also gave a springboard for UK acts to head on to several Canadian festivals and to perform in other North American cities.