Made in the UK is a concert series founded by John Ellson of ESIP Ltd to present the UK’s vibrant jazz and creative music scene abroad.  Well known British musicians aiming to promote their music internationally are selected each year to showcase at RIJF (Rochester International Jazz Festival) in the USA, elsewhere in the US and on the Canadian summer festival circuit. Since 2017 the series has been curated and managed by Sue Edwards.

 

Made in the UK launched in 2008 starting with performances at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (XRIJF). Every year since, there have been nine nights of British jazz at Rochester's Christ Church venue. These concerts have proved such a success that the series has since been extended to feature at Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, and many other Canadian festivals. Despite it's (now) diverse spread across a multitude of festivals, Made in the UK remains an important part of what has become one of North America's leading jazz festivals, RIJF. 

 

Made in the UK has also been featured at many prestigious venues in New York and other US cities, including Dizzy's Jazz Club at 'Jazz at Lincoln Center', Joe's Pub, Birdland, Iridium, Sweet Rhythm, Flushing Town Hall, and the Living Room.

 

2012 was a particularly notable year for the series, with Made in the UK featuring at 25 concerts in the USA, and 18 shows across major Canadian jazz festivals. This gave an estimated total audience of some 15,000 in the USA, and in excess of 25,000 in Canada. In 2017 the Made in the UK series groups performed an additional 22 concerts in North America.