by Richard Young, The Beat Magazine Publisher & Content Manager
Q. What is the mission/purpose of the London Jazz Association?
To advance the appreciation of jazz music through education programs and performances in the area. We showcase jazz in our community by celebrating established and emerging talent, thereby inspiring future generations to enjoy the music we love.
Q. When was the Association founded and by whom?
The Association was formed in 2024 after the first London Jazz Festival. We received an investment from a local benefactor to run the festival, but quickly realized the opportunity to bring jazz lovers together extended well beyond the Jazz Appreciation Month of April. From that, the Association was born. Seth McNall and Jason Jamieson, along with Brian Ball, founded the Association, but Brian has since moved on to other endeavours.
(Pictured: Jason Jamieson and Seth McNall, London Jazz Association.)
Q. How is the Association organized?
The London Jazz Association is a registered charity that operates under the purview of a board of directors and other volunteers. The board is currently made up of six members, and there are several other volunteers that work on the projects overseen by those board members.
Q. Are London jazz musicians “members” of the Association?
At this time, the association doesn’t have members, per se, but the board is made up of both local musicians and advocates. There are teams of people who work with our performance, education and advocacy projects to help promote and improve the state of jazz music in the Forest City. We also help local musicians by recommending them for performances around town.
Q. I notice a lot of social media postings for musical events in the city say, “in partnership with the London Jazz Association.” Could you explain what that means?
The Association has been very lucky to have local establishments and vendors call upon us to share our contacts and expertise in order to hire local musicians for their events. Several restaurants and venues reach out to us and ask us to help organize and book their jazz nights, concert series, and other events. This has helped us establish a variety of different jazz series across London that allow for quarterly, monthly, and even weekly jazz events for the local music fans to enjoy.
(The Peppermoon Restaurant is one of the London Jazz Association’s partners.)
We have fantastic relationships with our retail and performance partners, and since our beginnings, we have held performances at over a dozen locations, including soft-seat theatres, restaurants, bars, and other venues, including Wolf Performance Hall, Toboggan Brewing, Peppermoon Restaurant, West Social, Highland Golf and Country Club, and many more.
Q. Does the Association sponsor any special annual events or series of shows?
The London Jazz Association is currently running a three-concert fundraising series. Our first event was held on the afternoon of Sunday, September 28th, and featured London’s own Denise Pelley with Toronto trumpet legend Kevin Turcotte and an all-star band. The show was a great success, and we’re hoping for the same at our next show on Thursday, November 27th, at 7pm at the Highland Country Club. That performance is a kick-off to the holidays with singer Paul Zubot and some incredible local musicians backing him up. Then, on March 26th, we’re running our third fundraising concert, and this time we’re featuring something never before seen in the region. Local musicians will be performing Miles Davis’s “Birth of the Cool” album in its entirety that night, as well as premiering several never-before-heard pieces by local composers. These concerts are meant to be showpieces for local and regional talent and promise to be something never experienced before in our beautiful city. Tickets for all of those concerts can be found at www.jazzassociationlondon.ca
Q. Could you identify some of the well-known London jazz musicians who have played concerts/engagements/events sponsored by the Association?
We’ve featured Denise Pelley, Rick Kish, Nevin Campbell, The Jitterbugs, The Baddest Big Band, Laurraine Sigouin, Steve Holowitz, Sonja Gustavson, The Jazz Collective, and the Seth McNall Sextet, to name a few.
Q. What type of relationships does the Association have with other London organizations like the London Music Office, London Musicians’ Association, Forest City London Music Awards, and others?
Over the last eighteen months, we have worked closely with many of the London organizations. We have a close relationship with the London Musicians’ Association and are pleased to be able to provide union scale wages to all of our musicians at their events. We enjoyed a close relationship with the London Music Office last year and worked together to bring an amazing jazz group from Poland to perform at the 2025 festival finale on April 30th. We’ve also worked with Dundas Place and Cherryhill Mall, and other city venues, to bring jazz to the people of the city for no cost.
Q. Jazz appears to be experiencing a renaissance in the London area, if the postings on social media are any measuring stick. Is Jazz finding newfound popularity? If so, with whom and why?
Jazz never died, it just evolved. When rock became the most popular genre, Count Basie did a Beatles tribute album, and Miles Davis did jazz covers of Cyndi Lauper and Michael Jackson tunes. Jazz continues to permeate modern popular music, influencing performers like Meghan Trainor and Bruno Mars. Jazz has always been there, growing, changing, and becoming more diverse and interesting.
As for jazz’s newfound popularity in the region, I think that’s happening everywhere. The advent of AI-generated, formulaic pop tunes is making consumers crave a high-quality, genuine, live experience. People like hearing music performed in person because it satisfies their desire for authenticity while satisfying their need to be entertained. And if you want to be entertained, why not hear someone at the top of their craft, performing the music they love for people who want to listen.
(Pictured: Toboggan Brewing is another one of the London Jazz Association’s partners. Here’s a poster for one of their recent shows featuring Rick Kish & Friends.)
Q. Is there anything else Londoners should know about the London Jazz Association and its activities?
Besides the five different concert series we’re currently running, we also run a Jazz Education Program on Wednesday nights for students in grades 7-9 and 10-12. These ensembles are run by local jazz performers and educators, and they already have a spot to perform at the London Jazz Festival in April 2026. For more information, visit https://www.jazzassociationlondon.ca/lja-lab-bands
We also run a London Jazz Archive whose goal is to help preserve the vibrant jazz history of the region, right from Guy Lombardo through keynote performances from the last few years. You can see some of the videos at https://www.youtube.com/@Londonjazzarchives
The London Jazz Association podcast is just getting started, but there are two episodes up that showcase some of the local performers and their connection to the history of London jazz. You can find that on any podcast aggregator.
Lastly, anyone who wants to donate to the charity can learn everything they need to know about that at our main website.
Follow The London Jazz Association on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567324096163
Follow The London Jazz Association on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londonjazzassociation.ca/
by Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager, The Beat Magazine
richardyoung@thebeatmagazine2025.ca
The Beat Magazine 2025 