A new teenage East London Creative Jazz Orchestra is to be launched to perform jazz repertory work with material written by the participating musicians and composers, the Barbican will announce tonight in partnership with New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, an international associate of the city of London arts complex. Sir Nicholas Kenyon managing director of the Barbican centre will make the announcement ahead of this evening’s concert by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra. The partnership will also include joint big band and ensemble leadership training, JALC masterclasses and talks for Guildhall students and jam sessions at the Vortex jazz club in Dalston with British and JALC musicians.

Concerts by the orchestra and Wynton will take place in venues in addition to the Barbican to also include the Hackney Empire and a free outdoor performance plus supper club/dance events and family concerts. A jazz film season will also take place at the Barbican.

The first residency which follows the new associate status announced back in March, with Wynton Marsalis and the JALC faculty, begins next year and is to feature concerts, new works, educational and outreach programmes across east London with schools and regional jazz big bands coached by JALC musicians who will perform at the Barbican. The residency will then continue two years later in Olympics year, 2012.

– Stephen Graham