Women In Jazz Interview
Mike Flynn
Monday, February 17, 2020
We speak to the dynamic duo who are addressing the gender imbalance in jazz in practical and positive ways
The last year has seen the emergence of Women In Jazz, a new forward-looking organisation founded by Louise Paley and Nina Fine to champion female jazz musicians as performers, festival producers and managers among other professional roles. With a special concert presenting Zara McFarlane at Ronnie Scott’s on Sunday 8 March, to coincide with International Women’s Day, Nina Fine spoke to Jazzwise about how they want to redress the gender imbalance with a proactive and positive agenda
How would you describe what Women In Jazz represents and what your objectives are?
"Women In Jazz champion and nurture female jazz artists across the UK through broadcast and live performance opportunities as part of our mission to solve the under–representation of women in jazz. We want to see more women building visible careers as artists as well as DJs, managers and other industry professions and for artists to have the business and commercial tools to navigate the industry and understand and demand their value."
When did you meet?
"That’s a funny story. Lou and I are actually second cousins. Though we didn’t grow up together, we were frequently told by relatives that we should connect as we both worked in music. Then, in June 2018, I received a message from Lou asking if I was free to meet for coffee to talk about an idea, and that’s when we started talking about Women In Jazz."
Was there a light bulb moment when you decided to give this project a name?
"That really goes to Lou. She worked in music PR, production and programming jazz festivals for a number of years. One experience in particular stuck with her during her time working with a national youth ensemble. Lou saw that a large proportion of female participants were fantastic instrumentalists. They had received places at some of the top music colleges, yet some had very little or no confidence in their playing to pursue music as a career.
It’s funny because often we were told by different people to change the name. Our view was that it said clearly who we are, who we want to support and whose stories we want to hear and give platform to. Women in Jazz includes anyone who wants to support our mission to increase the visibility of women in Jazz and inspire the next generation – you don’t have to be a woman to support women!"
What’s been the reaction to your work so far?
"We are really humbled by the response to our work. From our community – including artists, workshop participants, our radio show listeners and supporters to our partners – our events, radio shows, educational workshops and festival work have been met with excitement, open support, interest and shared stories. We’ve built an online community of over nearly 7,000 people over the last year and have been featured in some of our favourite publications and radio stations: Clash, Radio X, Stylist, Radio 1xtra, and more!
We love the different stories that come forward through the platforms – it is the variety and sharing of different experiences that enriches and informs the work we do."
You’re involved with some great musicians – such as Yazz Ahmed, Rebecca Nash, Laura Jurd and Zara McFarlane (pictured above) – who else is on the WIJ radar for us to look out for?
"We have the great fortune of working with fantastic musicians and are consistently inspired by their creativity. Some artists to definitely check out: Sans Soucis, Amahla, Jas Kayser, Jessica Lauren and Liane Carrol. We have Jas Kayser and Sans Soucis performing at our upcoming event on 9 March at Hospital Club – join us!"
The gender imbalance in jazz reflects a wider issue that runs across the whole music industry, and society in general, are things getting better now? How do you hope to change things for the better?
"Great question! It is also a challenging one to answer because there are so many layers to it and yet the outcomes are simple. We often say at Women In Jazz that we are more interested in the how, not as much the why there is gender imbalance in Jazz, music and across other industries. We know gender imbalance exists, so HOW can this change?
There have been positive shifts, and we certainly receive positive support for the work we do, but we are conscious these changes are more evident on a grass roots level, and less so on a higher-tier commercial level. When you look at the stats, it tells a clear story: only 5% of jazz instrumentalists are women in the UK, and in Vick Bain’s recent study (October 2019) it showed only 14.18% of female artists are signed to publishers, and 19.69% female artists are signed to record labels. When you see these figures, it suggests SOME things are better, but the overall system hasn’t changed much – YET!
We are very hopeful with the increase of collectives inclusively supporting anyone who identifies as a women and non–binary people across music, tech and other industries: WXMB 2, Future Girl Corp, She Said.So, to name just a few. Simply, through strong partnerships and collaborative work we want Women In Jazz to highlight great talent so that other venues, agencies and festivals book more female talent. We want our work to contribute to more publishing / recording deals for female artists, to increase visibility of female role models across the industry and to support better access for young girls to learn instruments without gendering instruments."
You’re involved in education work too, can you tell me about that?
"Yes! Our educational work spans workshops, live panels and talks, live artist interviews and masterclasses. Last year Women In Jazz delivered three workshop series covering radio, DJ-ing and Music Business for young people aged 18-26 of any gender. These workshops were delivered by fantastic DJs and Broadcasters Tina Edwards, Zakia, Tash LC, Ruby Savage and the Women In Jazz team and included people from London, Manchester, Brighton and Bristol, in partnership with Worldwide FM, Giant Steps and Sound Connections. Our workshops aim to up-skill young artists and beginners in areas outside performance/composition to help build a stronger brand and increase the visibility of female role models in the music industry. We also helped industry professionals develop skills in how to facilitate workshops."
You have your first show at Ronnie Scott’s on 8 March with Zara McFarlane to celebrate International Women’s Day – can you tell us about that show and any other plans you have for 2020?
"We can’t wait for this event. The night will be a special one starting with an all female big band performance produced by Ronnie’s (ages 12-18). Zara will headline with her band. This gig is very special for us because our launch for WIJ fell on the same day as this event last year.
2020 is an exciting year for us. We recently joined Abram Wilson Foundation’s two-year Artist Development programme, which has already helped us massively with our long–term objectives. We’re currently developing an exciting product that will launch towards the end of this year. In the meantime, we will continue to champion women through our radio show and live events."
Where can people find out more about how to follow what you’re doing and get involved with WIJ?
Website – womeninjazz.co.uk