A major three-year research project aiming to map and revitalise the UK’s extensive grassroots big band scene has been launched, backed by a £1.089 million standard grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Led by the University of Liverpool’s Professor Catherine Tackley, a musicologist and big band leader, the initiative focuses on the specific cultural ecosystem of non-professional, community-based jazz big bands across England.
The academic team, which also includes project co-lead Professor Justin Williams from the University of Bristol and research associate Dr Katherine Williams, will examine how these large ensembles function as vital localised communities while exploring their overall value to the wider English jazz landscape.
Running through until the summer of 2029, the study addresses a distinct dichotomy within the amateur big band sector. While these groups provide high levels of social engagement and participation for thousands of players and audiences, they often find themselves musically restricted. Professor Tackley notes that due to the limitations of standard commercially available repertoire and a general lack of regular access to professional expertise, English community big bands frequently replicate conventional, historical performance practices rather than engaging with modern developments in the genre. The project aims to develop practical resources and fresh knowledge bases to help these bands diversify and realise their broader creative potential.
Because no definitive national register of community big bands currently exists, the research team is partnering with the leisure-time music organisation Making Music to formally map the field. Alongside deep-dive studies into specific regional bands, the project’s outputs are designed to bridge the gap between academic research and public engagement. Key deliverables over the next three years include the development of a comprehensive repertoire bank drawing on historical English big band charts and new commissions, a one-day showcase festival, a radio documentary, and a formal report for Making Music. The broader study of the big band form will also be advanced through a dedicated symposium hosted at Bristol and a journal special issue.
MORE FROM MARLBANK
You must be logged in to post a comment.