Reuben James

A NEW initiative to support and raise the profile of the next generation of musicians gets underway at Herts Jazz Club on Sunday (21).

The first College Collection gig launches at the club at Campus West, Welwyn Garden City, from 7.45pm.

With the support of the PRS Foundation for Music, Clark Tracey, artistic director at Herts Jazz, has selected the best of the next generation still attending music colleges to perform their own compositions at the club.

Over the next year College Collection will feature two groups per evening, representing musicians from the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, the Guildhall School of Music, Leeds College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Northern College of Music.

The first set is from Birmingham Conservatoire, coached by Clark earlier this year.

The BCU Sextet features Jack Dring (trumpet), Robbie Fearon (tenor sax), Alan Gilbert (guitar), Andy Woodhead (piano), Stuart Barker (bass) and Nathan England-Jones (drums)

The second set features a Birmingham Conservatoire alumnus who recently appeared at Herts Jazz with the late Abram Wilson.

The Reuben James Trio comprises Reuben on piano with Alex Davis (bass) and Moses Boyd (drums)

Tickets are £11 in advance from http://www.hawthornetheatre.co.uk/whatsonstage.html, £13 at the door and £5 for students and under-21s.