ONE of the country's finest jazz musicians is set to perform a one-off recital in Dorchester on Saturday, November 9.

For the past 35 years, Julian Joseph has been championing jazz music across the British Isles, and has made groundbreaking advances for the genre. He was the first black British jazz musician to host a series at London's Wigmore Hall, and the first to headline a late-night concert at BBC Proms with his All Star Big Band.

Now known for presenting the programme Jazz Legends on BBC Radio 3 every Sunday, Joseph has also worked as a composer, writing original works for symphony orchestra, big band and chamber ensemble. Over the years, he has received major commissions from the BBC, the Hackney Music Development Trust, the City of London Festival and the London Jazz Festival.

Julian has long been committed to introducing jazz music into mainstream music education. His operas and dance works, including Bridgetower in 2007, Shadowball in 2010 and The Brown Bomber in 2012, have highlighted key moments in black history while giving children the opportunity to perform in and discover classical and jazz music. In 2013, he founded the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy in London, which teaches young musicians jazz technique and understanding, and he is also a trustee of the National Youth Jazz Collective. Trench Brothers, in which Julian fuses music, theatre and puppetry to dramatise the experience of black British soldiers in the First World War, has been touring schools since 2014.

In addition to performing, recording, teaching and broadcasting, Julian has recently published his first book, Music of Initiative, which shares unique insight into the philosophy and practice of jazz performance.

In 2010, Julian was presented with a Gold Badge Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), and in 2018, he was appointed an OBE for services to music.

Julian will perform at St Mary's Church, Dorchester, at 8pm. The concert is organised by MAP of Dorchester, a small group of individuals who work to bring high quality music and entertainment to the county.

Tickets are £22 and can be purchased from www.julianjosephindorset.com.