Women in Jazz Media: In conversation with...Dr Kathy Dyson and Naadia Sheriff

Women in Jazz Media: The Podcasts

In this episode we have a special guest host, Helena Summerfield in conversation with two incredible women: Dr Kathy Dyson and Naadia Sheriff

Helena Summerfield has worked in music education since 1999 and is a regular performer (saxophone and flute) on the Manchester jazz scene. Helena became the project manager for Jazz North’s Jazz Camp for Girls in 2019 which gives young female musicians a positive first experience of playing jazz and improvising. Helena is a regular contributor to Jazz North’s online broadcasts and hosts the monthly ‘Midweek Jazz’ show on Reform Radio.

Naadia Sheriff is a UK Jazz Pianist, Composer, Musical Director Arranger and educator. In April 2021 Naadia Released ‘Beyond The Fear’ in collaboration with Aimee Hilton. The piece, written as a response to COVID includes spoken word, field recording and a remotely recorded ‘street band’. It raised over £1000 for the charity Breast Cancer Nowand is available to listen to on all platforms. Naadia is a founder member of Yazz Ahmed’s Hafla band. She appears on the albums ‘La Sabotueuse’ and ‘Polyhymnia’ In 2020 the band were guests on the radio 2 programme J to Z. Since 2018 Naadia has been the pianist and occasional accordionist for Lara Eidifor whom she wrote the song ‘Anon’ using text from Virginia Woolf’s ‘A room of One’s Own’. This was premiered at ‘Hampstead Jazz Club’ for the International Woman’s Day Concert 2020. Since 2019 Naadia has been the Keyboardist for the band ISQwith whom she appears on the albums ‘Requiem for the Faithful’ and ‘Requiem for the Faithful the Remixes’ She also produced one of the tracks ‘Where Beauty Lives’ for the album.Naadia is a teacher of jazz and classical piano currently holding positions in London at St Paul’s Girls School and Merchant Taylors Boys School. She has also worked extensively on the jazz course at Junior Guildhall. In 2019 Naadia founded ‘Kids Concert Club’* and in 2020 received a national lottery grant to fund future concerts. Naadia is an examiner for ABRSM.

Dr Kathy Dyson: As a jazz guitarist I perform in the North with saxophonist John Dyson, with Deirdre Cartwright in ‘Remembering Emily Remler’ and in a duo with NYC guitarist Sheryl Bailey playing here at the Huddersfield Jazz Guitar Festival. Research reports include two for Arts Council England on the economy for jazz musicians in the North West and on ways to improve jazz education in the North East.I also co-authored a chapter in the Women in Jazz Series and presented many academic conference papers in the UK and abroad, most recently at the Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice conference in Cambridge University. These have been based on PhD research in Learning Improvisation and this work continues through my teaching practice.