Marlborough’s Jazz Festival youth band has launched a recruiting campaign for new members to join the success it achieved at last month’s event, when it played four times over the festival weekend, including the headline act of star performer Clare Teal.
The Jazzports are local musicians aged under 18, all playing their chosen instruments to a very high standard, who were set up two years ago under the expert direction of local musicians Mick Allport and Tim Walters.
They have been getting together four times a year for rehearsals, gigs and recording sessions during school holidays and half terms.
Now Mick and Tim have launched the Marlborough Youth Jazz Orchestra (MYJO) to widen access into the band and to ensure a succession of talent as older players move on or go to university. MYJO recruits play alongside and learn from the senior members so they can move up to The Jazzports when they are ready.
“It’s an academy, if you like, to bring through great young local talent – when I think back to two years ago it’s astounding how well they’re now playing,” Mick Allport told Marlborough News Online.
The band is looking for new members, aged 10 to16, who play musical instruments at Grade Two or above, all instruments – 
sax, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, drums, bass, guitar – being welcome.
The next course will run from Wednesday, August 29 to Friday, August 31, and will culminate in a gig at Marlborough Town Football Club in which all players, Jazzports and MYJO, will be able to perform.
On the Friday, Brian Miller, former house pianist at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London, will be joining to give extra tuition. The senior band will go on to record six tracks at the Mooncalf recording studio near Marlborough on September 1.
The cost of the course is £150 but help will be given in cases of financial hardship.
For all enquiries please contact: Clare Allman on 07971 464229 and clare.allman@greenhq.co.uk
Chamber of Commerce fears that CCTV project will be delayed by Big Brother debate
