Helen Keating came to the Queen’s Theatre with her band for a jazz extravaganza. It certainly was. Two sets of an hour each filled with some amazing solo performances was why the foyer was full. Jazz is sometimes known as ‘The music for musicians, by musicians’ and ‘The music of the twentieth century’. The second title works both for and against it. It can say that it’s outdated but at the same time the fact that it’s been around for close to 90 years makes a mockery of that idea. The young faces in the audience also prove it’s not just for older people, either, but waiting for it’s next variation. In the 1910s it came from ragtime, the 1920s from Charlston, the 1930s The Cotton Club,  the 1940s from the big band sound, the 1950s from skiffle, the 1960s from the start of electronic sounds, the 1970s from the more abstract electric piano sounds, the 1980s to create Jazz Funk and the 1990s to create Acid Jazz in the case of bands such as Jamiroquai. Little has happened since the millennium arrived, unfortunately.

           Has jazz died? No, definitely not. The next stage may not have arrived because radio stations have preferred to go for commercial pop sounds and pushed jazz to one side. One thing you have to say about jazz is that it has to be played by musicians and can’t envelope itself in pre-set artificial sounds. That’s why it’s waiting for a revival. People always return to what they know and music is definitely a place this happens. When I spoke to Helen at the interval she was quite worried about the lack of air time her kind of music deserves and desperately wants more on national radio stations, not being  too happy when I suggested starting with a small, local station. She, herself had been brought up on jazz and told me that, although she has a voice suitable for most types of music, wanted to stay with what she loved most.

              There is a danger that if they fail to play jazz on the radio now, there may not be the musicians of tomorrow hearing it and wanting to take part as they get older. I disagree. When I was at school I knew many schools had jazz clubs and know that if the pupils get the opportunity to see shows like this on a regular basis it could well exceed the popularity it has had in the past.

                                                                                                    Tim. Coyle