Photo: Robert Goode

Some commentators are asking whether the ‘festivalisation’ of jazz has contributed to the decline of the club scene, the traditional lifeblood of the working musician. In the summer season particularly, hundreds of jazz festivals worldwide compete for our attention, many of them featuring headline acts that are not jazz by even the loosest definition. Is there a danger that the pursuit of marketing opportunities is endangering grassroots development of the music?

As the Bray Jazz Festival proved over the May bank holiday weekend, it’s all about getting the balance right. Carefully planned, a good festival will leverage a critical mass of...