Simon Cooke
Former Managing Director of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Simon first made his name as manager and licensee of The Venue, presenting Japan, Todd Rundgren, Captain Beefheart, Rory Gallagher, U2 and David Crosby in his time at the legendary venue, which was owned by Virgin Records.
After a successful decade managing tour merchandise for the likes of Queen, Prince, David Bowie, Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan, he was Merchandise Manager for the Rugby World Cup in 1991.
From 1991 to 1996, Simon acted as a freelance booker and event manager for Jazz FM. He was made Enterprise Director in 1996, creating their record label, which would soon include Hed Kandi records. He was a board member of Jazz FM when it was sold in 2002 for £60m.
In 2004, Simon was partner in a team that raised £50m in the city to acquire and launch onto the AIM market (via an accelerated IPO) a group of radio stations under the Local Radio Company banner.
As Managing Director of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club – Europe’s leading jazz club – from 2008 to 2020, Simon had a significant influence on the UK jazz scene. Since 2023, he has been a Trustee of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He is also a gifted sculptor!
Joe Paice
Joe Paice is an experienced project manager, who has worked internationally in collaboration with funders and other promoters. From 2012 to 2024, he worked at the PizzaExpress Live, most recently as Programming Manager, booking thousands of shows across five venues – the jazz club in Soho, The Pheasantry in Chelsea, and PizzaExpress Live venues in Holborn, Maidstone and Birmingham.
From 2006 to 2011, in his role as International Manager at Jazz Services, an Arts Council-funded organisation, Joe initiated and managed a number of international showcases and concert series promoting British Jazz, including the largest ever overseas festival of British jazz in Toronto in 2008.
Among the organisations he has partnered with on projects over the years are the British Council, EFG London Jazz Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival, jazzahead! (Germany), Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (USA), International Association of Jazz Education (USA), Europe Jazz Network, UK Trade & Investment, Jazz at Lincoln Center (USA), Dubai International Jazz Festival (UAE), Ronnie Scott’s, Banlieues Bleues Festival (France), Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, the Scottish Jazz Federation, Jazz Services, Jazz FM (Canada), the Rex Jazz Club (Canada), Le Dynamo (France), Serious, CAA and Leicester Square Theatre.
Joe previously spent time managing a marketing department, overseeing major websites, writing album liner notes and magazine articles , and creating the World of Jazz website. He has been nominated for the 2024 Parliamentary Jazz Award for Services to Jazz.