Yamaha Education News

Young Scottish Jazz Musician 2010 finalists to get Yamaha Peter Ind masterclass

Pictured here: The world-renowned jazz double bassist Peter Ind, seen here at the finals of the Yamaha Jazz Experience competition, for which he is a patron. Photo: Bill C Martin

Yamaha's UK education section is to provide an additional prize for the finalists of the Scottish Jazz Federation's Young Scottish Jazz Musician (YSJM) 2010: a workshop led by Yamaha Jazz Experience patron and legendary double bassist Peter Ind. The announcement was made during a live broadcast of the Glasgow finals for BBC Radio Scotland's 'Jazz House' programme on 20 June 2010 by presenter, Stephen Duffy, who compered the evening with contributions from Richard Michael (Jazz Experience educator and a regular feature on 'Jazz House').

Yamaha has a strong and steadily growing profile within jazz and jazz education, particularly through its links with international jazz artists, its Yamaha Parliamentary Jazz Scholarships and the Yamaha Jazz Experience programme, which promotes jazz and improvising to the 11-18s. So Yamaha's music education manager, Bill C Martin, was delighted to join the judging panel at the YSJM finals, along with Ian Darrington MBE (Wigan International Jazz Festival), Charles Alexander (Jazzwise magazine), Neil Cowley (top jazz pianist and Yamaha Jazz Experience artist), Mario Caribé (from the event's house trio) and Laura MacDonald (sax), at the Old Fruitmarket, City Halls, Glasgow.

The packed house was treated to a wonderful evening's jazz, from five young musicians who each demonstrated their ability to enthral and entertain. They were: Corrie Dick (age 19, drums), Ben Bryden (age 23, sax), Mairi Chaimbeul (age 17, clarsach), Peter Johnstone (age 20, piano) and John Fleming (age 20, sax).

This showcase of young Scottish jazz talent was further heightened by the excellent house trio of Alyn Cosker (drums), Mario Caribé (double bass) and Brian Kellock (piano), who accompanied each of the five finalists in the 12-minute set required by the competition, while the judges gave marks for qualities including musicality, improvisation, technique, sound and stage presence. The standard was very high but the judges' heated discussions at the end of the performances eventually produced a winner: John Fleming, who receive his trophy from Andrew Dixon, CEO Designate of Creative Scotland; a cheque for £1000, to go towards career development; a performance at an international jazz festival in 2011; a performance on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Jazz House' programme; professional photographs by Marc Marnie; a professional biography and article in Jazzwise by Rob Adams and he'll join the other four finalists in the Yamaha Peter Ind workshop later this year.

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(Posted: June 2010)