All that jazz... Jazz Heritage Wales, that is!

As you might know, SMU is lucky enough to play host to the charity, archive and performance group Jazz Heritage Wales, which is based at our Townhill Campus in the library. Jazz Heritage Wales was founded in 1986 by pianist and historian Jen Wilson, who is has become a familiar face around Townhill Library since the operation moved here in 2009. The group’s distinguished patrons are legendary jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine and Paula Gardiner, who is head of Jazz Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Jazz Heritage Wales is dedicated to four areas of activity: performance, archive, research and education. The Women in Jazz Allstars swing band is linked to the group and regularly performs at events in Swansea and further afield. The charity’s latest project is ‘Remembering the Tower Ballroom, Townhill’, a community project funded by the Arts Council of Wales. Jen is working closely with the Phoenix Centre in Townhill, which now stands on the site of the ballroom, to gather stories, memories and photographs from local people who went dancing at the Tower. An open day, featuring a performance by the Women in Jazz Allstars, will be held on Friday 10th February. You can find out more from the SMU website.

Jazz Heritage Wales also runs swing band workshops for women every Sunday 2-pm in the Gower Room, Townhill Campus. If you play an instrument and have a basic knowledge of reading music, they’d love to see you there! The fee is £3 for students and £5 for everyone else.

You can find out more about Jazz Heritage Wales and keep up to date with their latest events on their Facebook page and website.

Photo: Rob Stradling