Jazz Musicians Come Together For Give A Gig

Brass Funkeys, Jocee, Ollie Howell and the National Youth Orchestra have all announced they will be supporting this year's Give a Gig Week with exclusive shows across London. In addition, Yolanda Brown, Chair of Youth Music, will be supporting Give a Gig Week via a show in Sydney. Give a Gig Week is Youth Music's flagship fundraising initiative, Youth Music supports 350 music-making projects across the country for children and young people experiencing challenging circumstances.

Award-winning percussionist, composer and Youth Music Ambassador, Ollie Howell, said: "I know from personal experience how music can change lives and I want to help Youth Music in whatever way I can to bring music to more young people in a way that will transform their lives. I've seen the charity's work at first hand myself when I visited a project supported by Youth Music. It was clear not only how much the young participants were enjoying their music but also how much of a difference it is making to their lives. I'm delighted to be playing at 606 Club as part of Give a Gig Week to support this great work."

Shows confirmed as follows:

Brass Funkey's at Ronnie Scotts - 18 March, tickets available here

Jocee at Ronnie Scott's - 25 March, tickets available here

Ollie Howell at 606 Club - 19 March, tickets available here

National Youth Jazz Orchestra at 229 The Venue - 21 March, tickets available here

Ronnie Scott's Charitable Foundation has also announced a charity partnership with Youth Music that will see them collaborate on two music projects, one in South East London and one in Leicester. 'Change the Soundtrack' is a project in Deptford, South East London provided by Second Wave Youth Arts and focussed on providing singing and songwriting workshops for young women in challenging circumstances. Cosmopolitan Arts, based in a deprived area of Leicester, has engaged more than fifty 10-16 year olds in a programme aimed at inspiring more young people to play musical instruments.

In addition to the jazz shows, Newton Faulkner, Craig David, Pixie Lott, The Wombats, Newton Faulkner, Frisco, Dream Wife, Tiggs Da Author, Femme and ShaoDow have all pledged their support for Give a Gig Week 2018. Give a Gig Week takes place from 16 - 25 March; last year's initiative saw over 330 acts taking part in 119 gigs in venues across the country. The charity is calling for more musicians to join the week-long celebration of live music and fundraising.

Give a Gig Week will be a nationwide music-making extravaganza, with the charity aiming to have at least 100 fundraising gigs taking place. Gigs can take place anywhere: be it a living room, the local pub, arena or a more unusual space. Getting involved is easy - anyone who is planning to put on a gig should register it at www.giveagig.org.uk where they will find a range of resources to help them make their gig an unmissable event, including guides on planning, publicising and fundraising.

Give a Gig Week takes place nationwide from 16 - 25 March, 2018. To register your gig visit www.giveagig.org.uk

The Brass Funkeys are an 8-piece London-based Brass Band who draw on the traditions of New Orleans. Formed in 2011, they have played at major festivals including Glastonbury, Boomtown and Bestival as well as London venues including The O2 Brooklyn Bowl, Richmix, and Ronnie Scott's. Last year the band supported Dr John, the Hot 8 Brass Band and The Dirty Dozen on their UK tours and have also performed across Europe.

Whether performing a powerful amplified stage show or as a totally mobile marching band, the Brass Funkeys bring together some of the most talented musicians in London in an eclectic live show bursting at the seams with ideas and infectious energy.

Having placed her musical faith in vintage Motown and Jazz from a young age, Jocee seamlessly carries this cool into her contemporary new sound. As an independent, young artist, her successful debut album 'Just love,' carried us through Jocee's first-hand experiences from heart-ache to happiness. The record journeys from classic-blues ballads like 'Special Love,' penned simply with ebony and ivory; to 'Frogs,' joyous lyrics to a big-band back-drop.

In 2018, Jocee turns her tale-telling honesty to the world around her. A collection of raw, spontaneously-written narrations fore-front a soulful 8-piece band, laced with sax and bass. With this Soul bursting album Jocee supported the 'Craig Charles Funk and Soul show' and 'Loose Ends' at The Jazz Cafe. unique tone, makes her a decorated vocalist, working with the likes of Paloma Faith; Labrinth; Lionel Richie; and Josh Groban.

Ollie is a multi-award-winning drummer, composer and bandleader. Since graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2011 he has rapidly established himself as an impressive musician, not only performing with various UK and international players but also working regularly with his impressive quintet for which he composes as well as leads. Since 2009 he has been mentored by one of the international music scene's most prestigious figures, Quincy Jones.

Ollie is a recipient of the prestigious Peter Whittingham Development Award. The music that Ollie wrote for debut album 'Sutures and Stitches' has a fascinating and unique history: in 2009 Ollie was diagnosed with a brain malformation called Arnold Chiari Type 2, which meant he had to have numerous neurosurgical operations spanning a number of years. All of the music on that album, was composed during this time, some of which was written from his hospital bed.

In 2014 he became the first jazz recipient of a Sky Academy Arts Scholarship (one of only 5 in the whole of the UK awarded that year) and in 2017 released his second, highly accalimed, album 'Self-Identity' with Jazz FM describing it as "One of the most hotly anticipated Jazz albums of the year". Sky Arts filmed a whole program around the making of that album, presented by Melvyn Bragg.

NYJO is a glittering showcase for the UK's finest young professional jazz musicians, combining a hard-swinging rhythm section and a raft of hugely talented soloists, to bring you the very best in British big-band jazz. Under the Artistic Direction of Mark Armstrong, the 23-piece orchestra perform around 40 concerts a year nationally and internationally, and aim to inspire the next generation of young jazz musicians with education work wherever they tour. Over its 52-year history, NYJO has helped launch the careers of many of the country's most renowned jazz musicians including Guy Barker, Amy Winehouse, Mark Nightingale and Laura Jurd.

Ronnie Scott's Charitable Foundation (registered charity no: 1163990) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the support of jazz education in the United Kingdom, and beyond. Launched in December 2015, it aims to ensure that music education is accessible to every child and young person, especially those who are under-privileged, by raising and distributing funds and gifting musical instruments to organisations that create or develop youth jazz programmes

Youth Music is a national charity investing in music-making projects for children and young people facing challenging circumstances. Regular music-making opportunities led by skilled music leaders help young people to explore their creativity, achieve their ambitions, and develop resilience in the face of challenges including disability, poverty, mental health issues, refugee status or being brought up in care.

Projects take place where they're needed most, often in areas of great deprivation.

As well as helping young people develop musically, Youth Music projects also help young people to improve their personal and social skills, boosting educational and career prospects.

Youth Music believes everyone should have the chance to make music, and invests directly in over 350 projects across the country every year, giving around 75,000 children and young people the opportunity to make music regularly in their local community.

The projects support the development of practical, creative music-making skills of every possible style and technique, with activities including singing, songwriting, instrument learning, music production and performance.

Many participants go on to mentor other children, or to train as music leaders themselves.

Laura Mvula, Rizzle Kicks, King Krule and Lets Eat Grandma all attended Youth Music projects prior to their rise to fame.

Currently, Youth Music can only support around a third of the applications for funding it receives, and that's just scratching the surface of the nationwide need. Fundraising is essential for the charity to make a genuine difference and transform many more young lives. Youth Music's flagship fundraising initiative Give a Gig invites artists, managers and promoters to support the charity's work by donating some or all of the proceeds of live music events.

Find out more about the work of Youth Music by visiting www.youthmusic.org.uk. Read young people's stories of how music-making has changed their lives at www.youthmusic.org.uk/our-impact

Information about Give a Gig can be found at www.giveagig.org.uk