2006-08-10 23:16:16

James Dickenson was a church musician and jazz performer in Oppland County for 18 years and was active in building up a jazz milieu in the Gudbrandsdalen district of Norway. Several of his pupils have gone further to higher education in jazz, both at home and abroad. He now lives nearer Oslo and spends much time writing about and researching jazz.
In his most recent CD James looks back 25 years to the day he took up a post as first jazz piano teacher at Salford University, UK. The 80's saw the start of British jazz teaching at University level and there are few music departments today which do not make provision for jazz in one form or another.