[Dixielandjazz] Jazz Festivals

[Norrie Thomson]

Mike Durham makes a good point regarding the numbers of people required to
organise the Whtiley Bay Jazz Festival.  I work part-time for the Edinburgh
International Jazz & Blues Festival.  The jazz part runs for 10 days and the
Blues event runs, in parallel, for the last three days.  The jazz programme
includes OKOM through to contemporary jazz.  The organisation of this
festival goes on throughout the year and employs Mike Hart, musical
director, a part-time administrator and myself on a part-time basis as I
already stated.  In partnership with the jazz festival there is also a
marketing company, employing about 5 people. The funding of the festival is
by sponsorship, arts council grants and local authority support plus, of
course, ticket sales. This year the festival celebrated its 25th
anniversary.  No one involved with the festival will get rich on it but it
generally manages to wash its face.

There are a number of musicians, form the UK and many other parts of the
world, on the DJML who have played the festival, some on several occasions.

Incidentally, as a supporter of the Whitley Bay Jazz Festival I would just
like to say how well it is rum how friendly those involved are towards the
'punters' and that, in my opinion, it is my favourite festival of the year
simply because of the quality of the bands playing the festival.

Norrie


Norrie Thomson
Edinburgh
Scotland