Outstanding live music for Herts and all around
The Watford Jazz Junction
Upcoming shows below
Next Festival dates: 9-17 May 2026
EDUCATION
Since we founded we have committed to education projects, including with young people locally.
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This has included several interactive percussion workshops for 4-12 year olds, an improvisation workshop at Purcell Music School, many performance opportunities for young players and the creation of our own festival Walkestra for players of all ages and abilities to learn and play.
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In 2025 we launched a series of immersive musical appreciation and improvisation workshops called Orphy's Jazz Train, running in several local primary schools.
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Based originally at Bushey Manor, Greenfields and Wood Hall Primaries, to date we've worked with more than 300 children, building knowledge around the history of jazz, exploring music-making and enabling personal creative expression through improvisation.
Above: The National Youth Jazz Orchestra performing at our 2022 Gala Show in the Watford Palace Theatre, under musical direction from Mark Armstrong. May 2022.
Below: 2 participants in one of our festival jazz workshops. May 2024.
OUR PROJECTS
Improvisation workshop
In May 2022 we created an improvisation workshop led by educator and percussionist George Double and supported by bassist Geoff Gascoyne, held at the Purcell Music School, for thirty 11-18 year olds.
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Above photo: a quintet from the Purcell Music School playing at our Jazz Steps event following our workshop. May 2022.
Festival percussion & jazz workshops
We've delivered several jazz percussion and rhythm workshops, in partnership with The Music Workshop Company, at the Pump House Theatre and Arts Centre as part of our May festival each year.
Led by principal tutor Donald Gamble, more than a hundred 4-12 year olds have participated on each occasion, many with no previous musical experience.
Above photo: members of our festival's jazz education team including principal tutor Donald Gamble (far left). May 2024.
Walkestra
In 2024 we founded the Watford Jazz Junction Walkestra, led by Orphy Robinson.
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The group supports musicians of all ages and abilities to come together and play jazz, developing confidence in public performance and improvisation.
Above photo: members of our inaugural Walkestra during a rehearsal. April 2024.
Orphy's Jazz Train
Working with different local primary schools, Orphy Robinson leads series of interactive workshops followed by assemblies and performances, in and out of the schools. The majority of children have no previous experience of making music.
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The project was initially supported with funding from Kindness UK and subsequently The Ronnie Scott's Foundation and Sovereign Network Group. Working alongside Orphy tutoring musicians have included Ilario Ferrari, Camilla George, Chris Newstead. Emily Masser and Georgina Jackson.
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Read a head teacher's feedback about how our Jazz Train impacted their school - link opens PDF.
Above photo: Orphy leading a whole-school assembly focused on the history of jazz and introducing improvisation at Bushey Manor Primary in Watford. January 2025.