Air Time Jazz CPD for Scotland

International music producers Serious will manage Air Time: Jazz CPD Scotland, the second edition of a Scottish Arts Council funded project facilitating the continuing professional development of emerging creative jazz musicians living and working in Scotland. 

Taking place between June and December 2010, Air Time: Jazz CPD Scotland will incorporate a five-day residential period at the Tolbooth in Stirling in September 2010 and a series of interviews and future planning sessions to assist participants develop their careers. 

Selected for their potential to make a positive contribution to, and take full advantage of the opportunity, five musicians have been selected to participate in this programme, drawn from the varied jazz and improvised music community in Scotland. They are:

• Joe Acheson (producer, bass)
• Phil Bancroft (saxophones)
• Aileen Campbell (voice)
• Ryan Quigley (trumpet)
• Chris Wallace (drums)

Air Time: Jazz CPD Scotland aims to give these musicians a unique opportunity to take ‘time out’ to develop their creative output and their business skills.  For emerging professional jazz musicians who have exceptional creative talent and the potential to make a distinctive contribution to the local, national and international jazz community it provides the opportunity to discuss, explore and consolidate many aspects of their futures.

The aims of Air Time: Jazz CPD Scotland are to provide:
• SPACE to explore and develop creative and business ideas with peers and industry specialists;
• TOOLS and INFORMATION to deal with creative and business opportunities;
• SAFE HAVEN to network, experiment and explore opportunities and ideas in a supportive and creative environment.

Ian Smith, Head of Music, Scottish Arts Council said:
“Following the success of last year’s pilot scheme, providing intensive professional development opportunities for some of Scotland’s finest jazz musicians, we are delighted to once again partner Serious in launching Air Time: Jazz CPD Scotland. The benefits to all five of last year’s artists are now being measured on an international stage and I have no doubt that the five creative jazz musicians selected for 2010 will fully demonstrate our commitment to creativity and enterprise which will allow them to fully realise and exploit their already considerable potential, thus further enhancing Scotland’s reputation as a creative environment for the arts.”
 
John Cumming, Director, Serious said:
“Serious is deeply committed to providing professional development opportunities for musicians of all ages and we have an ever-growing engagement with the vibrant Scottish jazz scene, so are excited to be working with five exceptional musicians and to be producing the second edition of Jazz CPD Scotland.  The pilot edition has already yielded fruit and we are looking forward to working with Joe, Phil, Aileen, Ryan and Chris and to seeing where their imaginations and ambitions take them in the years to come.”

Participants of the 2009 pilot edition added:

Stuart Brown: “I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to have been selected to take part in this initiative. It was one of the most intense, fulfilling, joyous and exhausting experiences of my life and I will definitely treasure it for a long time to come.”
Raymond MacDonald: ‘It was a stimulating, challenging and thought provoking week - that I found highly rewarding and enjoyable. An impressive roster of leading international experts came and gave well-prepared and fascinating sessions on a whole range of areas relating to the music profession.  I was challenged to think about key issues relating to being a professional musician in new and exciting ways and I learned a lot. It was undoubtedly a privilege to be part of this event.”
Paul Towndrow: “It could not have come to me at a better point in my career - it was a truly life-changing experience. Our intensive week was packed with industry insight, constructive group discussion and musical creativity.  All of the high profile guests had been carefully hand-picked, and shared information, knowledge and experience in a way that was inspiring, thought provoking and engaging. Serious provided cohesion, insight and continuity to a highly relevant and well thought-out programme."

Many of the industry’s leading figures contributed to the nomination and selection process, taking into account the following considerations for each participant: creativity, talent, future potential, style of music, range of influences, geography, cultural background and distinctive contribution to the community. The selection panel included representatives from Scottish Arts Council and Serious, as well as Raymond MacDonald (composer, saxophonist and educator), Dave Milligan (composer and pianist), Graham McKenzie (Programme Advisor, Glasgow Jazz Festival and Director of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival) and the Chair, Louise Mitchell (Director Glasgow UNESCO City of Music).

For more information on this initiative or the organisations involved see:
www.scottisharts.org.uk
www.serious.org.uk 

Notes to editors

1. Air Time: Jazz CPD Scotland invests in the exceptional talent that exists in Scotland, and also recognises that nurturing and significant intervention at various times will enable these musicians to reach their full potential. The scheme aims to stimulate creativity and raise aspirations by facilitating opportunities for artists to engage with their peers, industry experts and to be challenged by the practices of others.
2. The Scottish Arts Council is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) which was established by Royal Charter in 1994 and is also a Lottery distributor. Investing £61m each year, including £12.4 million of National Lottery funding, the organisation serves the people of Scotland by fostering arts of excellence through investment, development, research and advocacy www.scottisharts.org.uk
3. The Scottish Arts Council will soon be replaced by Creative Scotland, the new development body tasked with leading the development of the arts, creative and screen industries across Scotland. www.creativescotland.org.uk
4. Serious is one of the UK’s leading producers and curators of live jazz, international and new music. Serious produces events that range from major concerts, festivals and national and international tours through to learning and participation programmes, conferences and specially commissioned bespoke events. Serious is committed to artist and art form development and also runs a rights and management department. www.serious.org.uk 

Contact email(s)

media.office@scottisharts.org.uk
lucinda.hilbery@serious.org.uk

Issued by: Scottish Arts Council