Study and enjoy jazz with top jazz musicians

Inclusive, friendly jazz courses & workshops for intermediate and advanced players and singers.

Spring Jazz Course 14th - 17th April 2025

Venue: Northgate Arts Centre, Sidegate Lane West, Ipswich, IP4 3DF

Compilation video from our 2024 Spring Jazz Course

“The effort you have lavished on the course is enormously appreciated...I have learnt a huge amount".

"As, always, the tutors were superb”

“Lovely supportive atmosphere...another fantastic, really enjoyable course”

"The level of tutoring is outstanding"

“The whole week was excellent. Each session was equally enjoyable and I learned something from each one”

"I had a fantastic time and really can't express how much it meant to me".

Do you play an instrument or sing and want to get to grips with jazz? Or are you an intermediate or advanced player who wants to up your game?

Our popular and highly acclaimed four-day course for intermediate and advanced players and singers takes place in purpose-built music premises taught by our top quality, hand-picked team of tutors. We consistently receive satisfaction ratings of more than 95%. Minimum age 16. No maximum age.

Tutors: George Double (Drums and Musical Director), Ned Bennett (Saxophone & Associate Musical Director), Alan Barnes (Saxophone & Clarinet), Enrico Tomasso (Trumpet), Chris Ingham (Keyboard & Piano), Joanna Eden (Vocals), Chris Allard (Guitar), Simon Thorpe (Bass). Read more about our tutors.

We provide an enjoyable and high quality experience by keeping the tutor/participant ratio at about 1:7 and by fostering a creative, respectful and friendly atmosphere to bring out the best in your playing or singing. Our courses have always had strong, positive feedback.

Sign up using the application form on this website. Give us a call on 07941 360890 if you would like to discuss anything.

The course includes:

Lots of playing and singing jazz in small and large groups
Four days tuition with different tutors
Tutors in Focus sessions exploring different musical topics
Carousel sessions where you work in different groups on new music
Pop-up bands and choral groups
Jazz harmony, rhythm and theory
Improvisation
Public performances
Tutors' concert
Optional evening activities including great jam sessions in a local pub

The course runs 9.45 – 5.00 each day plus the optional evening jam sessions. The course is non-residential (but we can offer some tips on finding accommodation).

Fee: Just £365 for four very full days of work with top jazz musicians. We can accept payments by instalments – please ask. Enquiries: 07941 360890 or neiljazzsax@outlook.com.

The course uses core music which includes guidance on harmony and improvisation plus you are also issued with additional pieces selected by each tutor which are chosen to meet the needs of the band you are in. Sheet music and a listening playlist are issued in advance, so you have time to become familiar with the course material.

We also offer two optional online study sessions of one and half hours each to examine the core music led by tutor Ned Bennett and which are held on two evenings shortly before the course at an additional cost of £35. These kickstart your improvisation over the core music. We'll issue more details about the online sessions nearer the time to everyone who signs up for the course.

We provide free tea and coffee and an optional lunch delivery service by The Woolpack pub (or there is a small Co-op supermarket within two minutes walk and you are also welcome to bring your own). Ample, free car parking is on site at the venue and it has full disability access.

Day Courses

Start To Play Jazz

Castle Hill Community Centre, Highfield Road, Ipswich

Saturday 19th July 2025, 9.30 am - 4.30pm

For players of all musical instruments. An exciting and enjoyable introduction to playing jazz and how to improvise for instrument people who would like to learn jazz or for those who have some jazz experience and would like to revisit the basic building blocks. You should have basic music reading skills and if you've studied music grades, have achieved Grade 3 or 4.

Even if you don't want to play lots of jazz, learning how to do so will help your musicianship. Easier tunes with sheet music issued in advance.

Through practical exercises and guided sessions for melody instruments and rhythm section players, you will explore key jazz concepts such as scales, chord progressions, time-feel, and phrasing, helping you build confidence in your improvisation. Led by experienced jazz musicians Anna Brooks and Iwan VanHetten, this course will provide you with essential tools and techniques to unlock your creativity and take your improvisation to the next level.

Tutors

Renowned saxophonist Anna Brooks is celebrated as a performer, educator and music arranger, known for her dynamic presence on stage and her dedication to teaching saxophone and improvisation. Formerly a key member of The Brooklyn Funk Essentials, she now graces stages in the UK and abroad with Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. With a mission to demystify improvisation, Anna is also a tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire as well as leading in numerous workshops across the UK.

Iwan VanHetten is a highly skilled trumpeter, keyboardist, musical director, and producer with over 30 years of experience performing, touring, and recording with renowned artists including Candy Dulfer, Paco Sery, The Yellowjackets, and the Brooklyn Funk Essentials. A dedicated educator, he currently teaches Jazz and Music Production at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Leeds Conservatoire, offering a straightforward, hands-on approach to music education. As a multi-instrumentalist with expertise in band leadership, improvisation, composition, and production, Iwan brings a wealth of real-world knowledge to his workshops, helping musicians of all levels refine their craft and expand their creativity.

The day includes a mini performance for friends and family and lots of musical activity. Cost £60. To apply, just email: neiljazzsax@outlook.com

Spring Jazz Course Programme

Please note: some details of the programme may change

	Monday 14th April	Tuesday 15th April	Wednesday 16th April	Thursday 17th April
9.00	Meet & greet. Portable Appliance Tests for amps, etc	Informal jam & practice sessions	Informal jam & practice sessions	Informal jam & practice sessions
9.45	Course briefing	Course briefing	Course briefing	Course briefing
10.00	Instrumental & vocal tuition	Instrumental & vocal tuition	Small group, instrumental, drum & vocal tuition	Band sessions
11.00	Break	Break	Break	Break
11.20	Instrumental & vocal tuition	Band sessions & drum tuition	Band sessions	Band sessions
12.45	Lunch break	Lunch break	Lunch break	12.20 Lunch break
1.45	Tutors' Concert (open to the public - £6, free for participants) Click here for online tickets	Tutors in Focus Sessions	Tutors in Focus Sessions	1.15 Set up concert
2.45	Break	Break	Break
3.00	Carousel session & young musicians' masterclass	Carousel session	Carousel session	1.30 Concert by bands and ensemble chorus performance. Click here for guests' online tickets
4.00	Band & singers performance sessions. (Open to public, free)	Band & singers performance sessions. (Open to public, free)	Band & singers performance sessions. (Open to public, free)	About 4.00: Course ends
5.00	End	End	End
Evening	6.45 pm. Meal and jam session,The Railway Inn, Westerfield Rd, Ipswich	6.45 pm Meal and jam session,The Railway Inn, Westerfield Rd, Ipswich.	6.45pm. Meal, jam session and tutor performance, The Railway Inn, Westerfield Rd, Ipswich

Carousel sessions: Participants will be split into three groups before the course begins. Each group will attend a different session each day and so all groups attend all three sessions during the course. These are active learning events featuring performances of specially arranged pieces of music for both instrumentalists and singers. Topics are: Latin Session Band, Ensemble Jazz Chorus (everyone will sing!) and "Bottoms Up" - playing & singing guidetones.

Tutors in Focus sessions: You choose one option to attend. Topics include: Guided Listening, Accompanists' Masterclass, Blues - Beyond the Basics, "Meet The MD - Part Two", Songwriting, Clapping Music, The Music of Louis Armstrong, History of the Blues and "Discover Another Instrument".

Evening jam Sessions: These include performance by some tutors and an opportunity for participants to play the course core music plus other tunes of your choice in a friendly local pub which is well-suited to live music as well as enjoy a meal and drink if you wish. These are structured so that everyone has plenty of opportunity to perform.

Practice sessions: Six practice rooms are available all day to use if you wish to.

Pre-course social: Informal pre-course social, The Woolpack, Tuddenham Road, Ipswich from 6.30pm, Sunday 13th April.

Our Brilliant Course Tutors

Depending on course numbers and composition, we may also have additional guest tutors. Sometimes for reasons beyond our control, tutor line up may change. All tutors have Enhanced DBS Clearance.

George Double

Drum tutor and Musical Director

George’s playing and recording credits include Dame Shirley Bassey, Grammy Award Winner Jack Jones, Marc Almond, Ruthie Henshall and Kym Mazelle.

His West End and touring theatre record includes stints on Wicked, Guys and Dolls, Avenue Q, Sinatra and Anything Goes.

Active on the British jazz scene and appears regularly at Ronnie Scott’s club in London and elsewhere as a freelancer (with John Etheridge, Digby Fairweather, Derek Nash, Alan Barnes, Art Themen, The Joe Loss Orchestra and many others).

He is also curator of Hadleigh and Southwold Jazz Clubs.

George is the senior drum kit consultant for Trinity College London. His books and arrangements are published by Trinity and Faber Music, for whom he has run seminars and workshops in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi as well as at MusikMesse Frankfurt, the London Drum Show and around the UK.

He worked as an examiner for Trinity and formerly, Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 2002-2016. www.georgedouble.com

Ned Bennett

Saxophone & Assistant Musical Director

Ned Bennett combines his time as a saxophonist, composer, author, arranger and educator in equal measures. Having studied at Bristol University and the Guildhall School of Music, he plays regularly at jazz clubs and festivals around the UK, often with his own project, The Harlem Meer Cats, playing pared-down arrangements of the Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway bands of the 20s and 30s. He is the author of many tutor books on saxophone and jazz playing, published by Faber, Wise Music, Boston Music etc, and teaches at a prestigious school in London. His arrangements have included large-scale vocal projects for Jacqui Dankworth, Joe Stilgoe, Claire Martin, and Clare Teal, and he often receives commissions for other orchestrations and miscellaneous compositions. www.worldofned.co.uk

Alan Barnes

Alan Barnes is a prolific international performer, composer, arranger, bandleader and touring soloist, best known for his work on clarinet, alto and baritone sax.

He has made over thirty albums as leader and co-leader alone and he has toured and played residencies with such diverse and demanding figures as Ruby Braff, Freddie Hubbard, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Harry Allen and Conte Candoli.

In British jazz, the young Barnes was recognized – and hired – by the established greats of the time: Stan Tracey, John Dankworth, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, and Humphrey Lyttelton. But he is equally respected for his longstanding and fruitful collaborations with contemporaries such as David Newton, Bruce Adams, and Martin Taylor.

He written many compositions and arrangements including “The Sherlock Holmes Suite”, “A Jazz Christmas Carol” and “Copperfield’ and runs a successful jazz record label, Woodville Records.

Alan has received over 35 British Jazz Awards including alto saxophone and best album in 2019 and has twice been made BBC Jazz Musician of the Year.

www.alanbarnesjazz.com

Joanna Eden

Vocals

Joanna Eden first established herself as one of the foremost singer/pianist/songwriters to watch in the 2000’s with a breakout album on Universal Records, airplay on the BBC, as well as touring with the likes of Jamie Cullum, Van Morrison, the Buena Vista Social Club and Ronan Keating at festivals all over the UK.

Joanna has written over 60 original songs, was a featured judge on BBC One’s singing programme “All Together Now” and is a highly sought-after vocal coach having mentored international mega star Sam Smith.“The reason I sing …..” says Sam Smith. She has run community music projects for Opera North, Saffron Hall, Addenbrookes University Trust, The Young Foundation and Anglia Ruskin University where she has been a tutor since 2010.

Her live show combines the energy and rhythmic diversity of Latin music together with the intimacy and honesty of her highly acclaimed jazz-influenced work. Joanna’s 6th studio album ‘Love Quiet’ is due for release this autumn.

www.joannaeden.net

Chris Ingham

Keyboard / Piano

Described by The London Evening Standard as “one of Britain’s best singer-pianists", Chris has led 200 festival and club performances of his Hoagy Carmichael, Dudley Moore and Stan Getz shows. His current repertoire project is Steely Jazz, a jazz quintet take on the compositions of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Musical director of film song quintet Jazz At The Movies and classic modern jazz sextet Rebop, Chris is also a record producer (Ruthie Henshall, Joanna Eden), author (Rough Guides to The Beatles and Frank Sinatra) and TV composer (Wartime Crime, How The Beatles Changed The World). Based in East Anglia, he curates jazz clubs in Diss (The Corn Hall) and Bury St Edmunds (Hunter Club) and gives one-to-one tuition in person and via Zoom.

www.chrisingham.co.uk.

Chris Allard

Guitar

Chris has performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival, The O2 Arena in London, Duoro Jazz Festival in Portugal, the Pyramids and Great Sphinx in Cairo, BBC Proms in Hyde Park, Beiteddine Arts Festival Lebanon, the Royal Albert Hall.

He has performed/recorded with Jacqui Dankworth, Russell Watson, Jamie Cullum, Charlie Wood, the BBC Big Band, Alison Balsom and Dame Cleo Laine, amongst others. Chris’s band has played all over the UK and in Europe, including the International Guitar Festival and Ronnie Scott’s.

His most recent solo album Invisible Landscape was his fourth as a bandleader, and received critical acclaim including: ★★★★ Guitarist Magazine.

Chris is also a Professor of Jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he is currently doing a PhD in contemporary jazz guitar.

www.chrisallard.co.uk

Simon Thorpe

Simon Thorpe is one of the UK's best-known and most versatile jazz bassists, nominated in 2016 and 2017 for a British Jazz Award.

Simon studied violin, guitar and drums before settling on the bass in 1991. He attended Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he gained the postgraduate certificate in Jazz & Studio Music, and an LGSM.

Simon has worked with many of the great UK and US names in jazz, recording and touring with Bobby Wellins, Stacey Kent (with whom he recorded five albums), Bheki Mseleku, Alan Barnes, Elaine Delmar, Scott Hamilton, Benn Clatworthy and Ray Gelato. Outside the jazz sphere he has played with artists as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Imelda Staunton, Imogen Heap, Alexander Armstrong, Maria Ewing, Mica Paris, Rick Astley (yes!), Sean McGowan of the Pogues and Scottish folk fiddle wizard John McCusker. He runs several of his own bands and is also known as a composer and arranger.

www.simonthorpe.com

Enrico Tomasso

Enrico is considered one of the top jazz trumpeters on the jazz scene and six times winner of best trumpet category in the British Jazz Awards. He plays the top festivals and jazz clubs around the world, having an exciting presence and dynamic personality on stage with his command of the instrument and stylistic invention placing him in the top echelon. His broad stylistic knowledge also makes him first call for period jazz styles in the studio. He met and was mentored by Louis Armstrong as a child and has met and played with many more of the ‘Jazz Maestros’ on his journey.

Spring Jazz Course Application Form

To apply for the Spring Jazz Course, please download and complete the Application Form.

Application Form
PDF / 134.32 K
Acrobat Reader software (or similar) may be needed to fill in the PDF form on screen; not all platforms are supported.

You can either print and post the form with a cheque for £365 to Neil Bateman, 32 Kingsfield Avenue, Ipswich, IP1 3TA or fill-in the form in Acrobat and email it to neiljazzsax@outlook.com and also please send payment for £365 via bank transfer (we will give you the bank details when you apply). Please contact us if you would like to pay in instalments.

Course Fee £365
For Enquiries: 07941 360890 or neiljazzsax@outlook.com

Spring Jazz Course Sheet Music

Sheet music and the Course Handbook (which contains essential infromation) will be available to download from here. People who are on the course are sent a username and password to download.

Please print off and bring the Course Handbook and all the music for your band plus all the Core Music for your instrument/voice and bring it to the course because we won't be able to photocopy or print it for you.