The Edinburgh Reporter February 2023

3

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

MUSICIANS GATHERED in Edinburgh to

maintain pressure on the BBC who plan to

make cuts to jazz and other programming.

The BBC announced that they will cut Jazz

Nights, Classics Unwrapped and Pipeline,

leading to an outcry from Scottish musicians

from a variety of genres who are extremely

concerned about the effect of these cuts on the

BBC’s output in Scotland.

The artists say that the continuing success of

the music industry - at the centre of cultural

life here at home and in representing the

country on the global stage - “depends entirely

on the infrastructure to support and champion

emerging artists”. They regard scrapping these

programmes as a move against such support.

Jazz musician Honza Kourimsky convened

the protest in Edinburgh. He said: “I feel that

there is a lot of momentum gathering in

Scotland in classical music, folk music and jazz.

A lot of the musicians are cutting their way

through. Right at this moment cuts to BBC

programmes which give space to people to play

their music to promote Scotland further. At

this moment when there’s most momentum it

is being cut under their feet.

“Success would be if a platform is maintained

for people to play their music. Maybe it will be

somewhere else, but it is important that people

realise it is important to give musicians space

for their music especially at a time when they

are working hard to promote it.”

Saxophonist, Tommy Smith, OBE, told The

Edinburgh Reporter that the activism is now

changing direction. He said: “We are now at the

stage where we are becoming political. Angus

Robertson, Cabinet Secretary received our

open letter and he has responded to it in

Parliament at committee level. I have also taken

this to the House Commons through Alison

Thewliss who is Vice-Chair of the All-Party

Parliamentary Group for Jazz Appreciation

Society. This means all parliamentary groups

are now getting involved and will assist me in

our meeting with the BBC. We are on a

different tack now.”

Paul Paterson a member of the Paul Paterson

Trio with his wife, Charlotte, specialises in

1930s jazz music with inspiration from Django

Reinhardt, and he is one of the country’s

leading gypsy jazz guitarists. Paul said: “It

would be an absolute disaster if the BBC cut

their programming. It is one of the few things

that we have in this country that represents not

only world jazz music but also from a Scottish

angle. It is invaluable.”

Musicians raise their voices against cuts

BBC hits

wrong note

THE COUNCIL IS to buy 23 homes

on Dreghorn Estate from the Defence

Infrastructure Organisation, Ministry

of Defence at a cost of £5.72 million.

Of this, £1.6 million will come from

Scottish Government grant funding.

The homes to be bought are on

Dreghorn Drive and Dreghorn Place.

There are in total 78 houses and 77

garages on this site and the DIO

intends to sell all of these as they

become empty.

EYRE PLACE Properties Limited has bought a piece

of land next to Smithies Ale House on Eyre Place

from Edinburgh Council for £505,000. The company

registered at Queen’s Avenue intend to add the 552

square metres to an adjacent property and, subject

to obtaining planning permission, the proposal is to

create a residential scheme.

THE ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo have shared the

first photos of a lowland nyala calf born to parents Arnold and Arya at the beginning of

Expert vets at the wildlife conservation charity confirmed the youngster was female,

and she was later named Yara by keepers. Yara is growing in confidence every day and

can be spotted exploring her enclosure with mum by her side.

Lowland nyala are a species of antelope native to south-eastern Africa, where they

live in dense forest and woodlands. In the past, the species disappeared from much of

their range due to habitat loss. Fortunately, effective habitat protection, species

management, and re-introductions have helped wild populations of nyala bounce back.

First steps for Yara

Council buys

Army homes

Land acquisition

Musicians gathered on the

steps of the Usher Hall to draw

attention to the BBC cuts