I'm writing with news about an assisted place which you might be
interested in, or that a budding big band musician you know might
benefit from.
Earlier this year we lost our friend, Stephen Scott Luke, who attended
the Steve Waterman Jazz Weekend regularly. Stephen loved jazz. He loved
his trumpet, and he loved playing in his local jazz band. He'd be the
first to admit that the weekend took him out of his comfort zone — but
he tackled every new chart with gusto, and supported everyone else in
the band with his humour and friendship. He is sadly missed.
So we decided to honour his memory by offering an assisted place on the
Steve Waterman Jazz Weekend next April. The Stephen Scott Luke award
placement will be selected by Steve Waterman. He is looking for someone
who'd like to give their skills a workout, immerse themselves in jazz
and with jazz lovers for the whole weekend, and experience the joy of
playing fantastic charts under the guidance of two of the greatest jazz
tutors around. The may not be able to afford the fees, or have
considered attending a weekend of this kind in the past.... Does this
sound like you, or someone you know?
If so please have a look at the Jazz Weekend web page here, and then send the details of your nominee, or ask them to apply themselves, in the first instance to me: lorrainelewis1@me.com.
I will collate and pass all information to Steve Waterman, who will
select the person he feels will most benefit from the weekend, and who
will meet the criteria not only musically, but in their approach to
life. His selection will be made by February 14th 2013.
Because this is not a competition, and we want to honour the privacy of
the person awarded the place, their identity will be known only to
Steve Waterman and his fellow tutors, and the administrators of the jazz
weekend. We are also still taking donations from anyone who feels they
would like to contribute to the place, which at present is supported for
50% of the full weekend cost. We have already received a significant
donation from some of Steve's friends on the Jazz Weekend, who staged a
gig to raise money for this award.
Also, if you haven't already booked, there are still a few spaces left
on the next course, which runs from April 12th to 14th next year. The
booking form is available here or
please feel free to drop us a line if you'd like to know more about the
course, or the assisted place. If you know anyone who might benefit
from this place please feel free to pass this on.
Many thanks, and have a lovely Christmas!
Kind regards
Lorraine Lewis
for the Steve Waterman Contemporary Big Band Jazz Weekend 2013