Following a successful first year, Summer Jazz Camp Scotland, directed by Andrew Bain and Ryan Quigley, is returning to the South Lanarkshire hills this August. Feature and interview with saxophone tutor Helena Kay.
Scottish National Jazz Orchestra saxophonist Helena Kay is one of a team of five top tutors who will be on hand to help aspiring jazz musicians develop their skills at the residential Summer Jazz Camp Scotland from 8th to 12th August.
Now in its second year and located at Wiston Lodge, a Victorian hunting lodge in the hills near the Clydesdale town of Biggar, the summer camp is aimed at 12 to 22 year-olds and designed to cover all aspects of jazz music, from the fundamentals of jazz theory to advanced techniques in big band and ensemble playing.
Kay, a City Music Foundation musician and Guildhall graduate and winner of the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award, is joined on the staff by trumpeter Ryan Quigley, drummer Andrew Bain, pianist Tom Gibbs and double bassist Brodie Laird-Jarvie.
“There really is a wealth of professional experience in this team of tutors,” says Kay, who in addition to playing in the SNJO, leads an outstanding quartet and works with pianist Zoe Rahman, violinist Seonaid Aitken and trumpeters Yazz Ahmed and Sean Gibbs.
A much in-demand lead trumpeter, Ryan Quigley’s touring and recording credits include work with Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Michael Buble, Ron Carter, and Burt Bacharach as well as many of Europe’s leading orchestras. Bain, who is now Deputy Head of Jazz at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, has worked with trumpeters Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Wheeler and Randy Brecker and orchestras including the NDR Big Band.
Gibbs teaches on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland jazz course and has recorded with New Yorkers, drummer Ari Hoenig and guitarist Gilad Hekselman, and Brodie Laird-Jarvie is a graduate from Amsterdam Conservatoire. He has also worked with saxophonists Tommy Smith and Brian Molley and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.
All five tutors believe that jazz is a powerful tool for personal and artistic growth and they will be striving to give their students the passion and self-belief that will allow them to improvise, collaborate, and perform with ease.
“Above all, we want students to enjoy playing jazz and to feel a sense of achievement in their own playing and in playing with other musicians,” says Kay.
The summer camp venue, Wiston Lodge is only an hour’s drive from both Edinburgh and Glasgow but it is miles away from the distractions of city life.
“We know from last year that it’s an inspiring environment,” says Kay. “The accommodation is ideal and the food is all about balance and nutrition. Everything is set up so that students get the most out of the experience.”
The five-day course costs £650 and includes all meals and accommodation onsite. A deposit of £150 is required and the full balance is due by 30th June. Bookings made after 30th June must be accompanied by the full fee for the course. Deposits are non-refundable.
