"We are Jack ‘Mac’ McDougal on Saxophone, Nick Kacal on Double Bass and Ryan Thrupp on drums and we make up the regular tutors for the BMJ Jazz Katz. The three of us are all professional jazz musicians, performing regularly both as a trio group as well as in various other ensembles and collectives.  

 

BMJ approached us at the start of 2023 with the aims of expanding the youth jazz workshop series. Having all worked with and performed for Black Mountain Jazz, we were excited and enthusiastic to be a part of this new initiative.

 

The workshops are for students of all ages and run twice a month, once a Tuesday evening and once on a Sunday afternoon, with a monthly performance by the tutors with a featured guest artist happening afterwards on the Sunday evening. In these workshops we aim to teach Jazz performance and improvisation from a more organic, aural tradition, with plenty of listening and no sheet music involved.

 

It is a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere with the sole purpose of showing participants the enjoyment and fulfilment that can be had from jazz music with the aim that they take home the knowledge and confidence they gain from the workshops to be able to use in their future musical journeys."