This July, I’ll be taking off my gig heels and instead be lacing up my walking boots! I’ll be walking from my gig at Swanage Jazz Festival on 13th July all the way to my next gig at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho on 18th July. This route is over 130 miles in 5 days, all in aid of Grassroots Jazz, a great charity organised by Nigel Price to support independent jazz clubs across the UK.

As a young jazz student, I don’t have a lot of spare cash to give, but I do have my time, energy, (and slightly daft) ideas. I’ve been incredibly lucky to enjoy a busy diary of gigs this year, but I know how much these independent venues are struggling and how hard they work to keep it going. So let’s do our bit!

Grassroots Jazz aims to help jazz clubs that need financial support. The charity raises and allocate funds to the clubs that need the support. While the Arts Council do assist the charity, their funding can’t go directly to the venues themselves, their support enables Grassroots Jazz to build their own project. Whereas the money I am raising will go directly to the clubs.

Throughout the walk, I’ll be meeting up with musicians en route, recording and making some music between the miles. You can follow my journey - the highs, the lows, the jazz and the blisters here:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/emilymusicmasser_?igsh=MTk2dzU0MDYwc3Jwbg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/emily.masser.1?

And to top it all off, I’ll be celebrating the end of the walk with a gig; My quartet, featuring saxophonist, Alex Clarke at Pizza Express Dean Street on Friday 18th July. A night of blistering bebop… sorry, I mean blisters and bebop 😆

Every donation, no matter how small, will go towards helping to keep our jazz clubs alive for the next generation of musicians and audiences. If you can, please support this fundraiser and help me hit my target — and beyond!

Thank you so much for your support - bring on the miles!