It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of NYJO’s founder, Bill Ashton OBE.
Bill’s contributions to UK music can hardly be overstated. He founded what would become NYJO in 1965: an organisation that has nurtured over 1,500 alumni reaching all corners of the British musical landscape, produced almost 50 albums, and this year turns 60 – including a nationwide Learning programme which has reached many thousands more young people.
Bill was awarded a richly deserved MBE in 1978 for services to jazz, which was upgraded to an OBE in 2010. In that year, he stepped back from the day-to-day running of the organisation to become Life President, with trumpeter Mark Armstrong taking up the mantle of Artistic Director after coming up through the ranks as a player, then writer/arranger, and occasional deputy music director.
To commemorate his passing, we asked Mark to reflect on Bills’ life and legacy.
“I am honoured to have been asked to contribute something to commemorate Bill and all he has done for music through NYJO. I reached out to Bill’s wife Kay to see if there was anything she wanted me to say, but her advice was to simply write something that reflects my thoughts and feelings. There have been a number of tributes already in the press so I hope I can add something else to the wide variety of testaments out there that adds further coIour to those already vivid and heartfelt portraits.
I first met Bill when I was asked to deputise on a NYJO gig as an extremely green and callow young trumpet player around 34 years ago. Looking back, my memory of the concert was of an amazing Big Band playing music that was way out of my league, but it was such an exciting experience to be part of. Despite my clams and fumblings, I felt I was in an environment where I was being encouraged to be the best player I could, while also being given the opportunity to meet and socialise with some of the most gifted and talented young musicians around. This was down to Bill’s inimitable leadership style. Anyone who was part of the band will remember the galvanising energy of his count-ins (“ONE! TWO! ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR!!!”) and I came away buzzing but aware that I had so much to learn compared to the other players.
Bill’s ability to channel all that swagger, sass and enthusiasm but with a light, witty touch was not clear to me at the time, but as I became more involved in NYJO I learned how masterful his people skills were, how much stamina and belief was required to keep the band on the road, and how deep his love for the music and the musicians who passed through the band that he created was. Yes, he could be acerbic (“well, you’re the best trumpet player on that chair today…”) but it was good-natured banter and always clear he wanted nothing more than to support you and to see you flourish. He was quick to acknowledge excellence and, despite his protestations that he was ‘not really a musician’, always got to the heart of anything that went wrong musically and made sure it was corrected at the next rehearsal.
For all touring musicians, the ‘art of the hang’ is a vital skill to acquire, and he gave us all plenty of opportunities for this on the road – also proving to be a tenacious and enjoyably combative conversationalist on many long journeys. As well as touring shows, I suspect that the gigs Bill enjoyed the most (apart from Ronnie Scott’s) were the more relaxed Sunday lunchtime sessions at venues like the Ruislip Golf Club, where we would pick the programme just before the performance, often sight-reading or trying out new material. There are some great videos on YouTube that show how entertaining and quick-witted he was on the mic, and the repartee with the band is as inventive as the solos! Bill created an atmosphere where we could have fun and excel at the same time. The annual highlight was the Ronnie Scott’s residency where his urbane manner with the audience and deft, appropriate programming choices always created great shows. He made us feel like we were part of jazz history.
Generations of ambitious young musicians saw Bill’s NYJO as a band which gave them space to find out if you were truly good enough for a sustainable career as a performing musician in jazz and commercial music. As the organisation developed, first as the London Schools Jazz Orchestra, then London Youth, and finally earning the National moniker, it became the place where you could test vital skills while playing original music to audiences in large venues. Bill’s indomitable belief in NYJO saw it survive and prosper despite moves between rehearsal venues: to and from the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone, and back again via the London Dance Studios (now demolished and replaced by King’s Place, where NYJO has also latterly performed a number of times).
Bill always had new ideas for programmes, pieces and songs (with titles often dedicated to funders and sponsors that he had secured for financial support) and as well as the playing opportunities, he gave ample space for young composers and arrangers to develop their skills. He was very proud of his extensive collection of original songs, containing inimitable couplets like ‘On the town and feeling sexy, give the neighbours apoplexy’, or ‘Much Too Much’, which started life as a lullaby to his daughter Helen. Crafting a Big Band arrangement of these, as well as working out the harmony he wanted, was often the first experience of a commission for a young writer. As with singers and instrumentalists, so many of the UK’s foremost writers owe Bill and NYJO the experience and space to develop their skills and launch their careers.
After Bill retired, I was extremely privileged to serve as Artistic Director for ten years. This was a difficult time for Bill, and I look back with some mixed feelings about that transition. I tried my best to preserve the spirit and legacy of what Bill created as well as nudging the music and ethos gently forward. I hope he was proud to see the band playing at Ronnie’s and the Proms and recording a number of studio albums during that time – but these were big shoes to fill! I’m so grateful for the support of Bill’s son Miles throughout this time, who as NYJO’s sound engineer was all too aware of the organisation’s growing pains and was always a calm, supportive and helpful presence in recordings and performances. NYJO continues to evolve and prosper, and I look forward to seeing how it responds to a very different world to the one in which it started. From what I can tell, the future looks very promising.
I learned so much from Bill. I would not have the career I have now without his guidance, example and the opportunities he provided for me and so many of my friends and colleagues. He was a force of nature and leaves an indelible mark on the landscape of our music.”
– Mark Armstrong
We hope that the finest tribute of all to Bill is NYJO’s continued flourishing and growth amidst changing landscapes. Its focus has expanded: NYJO’s founding year of 1965 was still in a post-World War Two, early-Arts Council era, in which state school instrumental provision bloomed and accessible youth ensembles became possible for the first time. It was the same year as Jennie Lee’s seminal White Paper, with its vision of a “great increase in local and regional activity, while maintaining the development of the national institutions” – and resulting trebling of the Arts Council’s budget.
Now, state school instrumental provision is plummeting and statutory music education is increasingly the preserve of a privileged few, so for NYJO to still speak to Bill’s vision of a high-quality music organisation where access doesn’t depend on background (in Callum Au’s words: “Bill didn’t care one bit where you came from so long as you were capable and talented”), we need to reach wider, deeper and earlier rather than rely on schools to do the fundamentals.
Hence, NYJO now combines its 6-decade-old professional training ground for tomorrow’s top musicians with an extensive and inclusive learning and outreach programme, ensuring the scene continues to become evermore diverse, accessible, and true to the spirit of jazz.
In the words of NYJO’s Chief Executive, Yvette Griffith:
“It is with deep respect that I acknowledge the recent passing of Bill Ashton, founder of NYJO. Bill played an instrumental role in shaping the careers of countless musicians who have gone on to make significant contributions to the jazz scene. Bill’s commitment to jazz and to nurturing young talent is undeniable and has left an indelible mark on the industry. His legacy will be remembered for the countless artists whose lives and careers were profoundly shaped by his vision and dedication. Rest in peace Mr Ashton.”
