John Cumming OBE 

John Cumming was the inspiring and much loved co-curator of The Third Orchestra, who sadly passed away in 2020. 

John was the main programmer and producer of jazz at Serious until 2018.  He co-founded Serious in the mid 1980s, initially as an international production and management company, and later joined forces with David Jones and Claire Whitaker, developing the company’s role in the UK and abroad as producer and commissioner of new music, and as a creator of concert series, festivals and touring projects.  He has been a member of a number of Arts Council and Regional Arts panels and committees, and until recently was a long-standing board member of Europe Jazz Network. He received Services to Jazz Awards at the BBC Jazz Awards (2005), and from the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (2012).  He was awarded an OBE in 2014. 

Amongst projects developed over five decades, he has produced a series of projects to play the music of composer/performers such as Carla Bley, Gil Evans, George Russell, Ornette Coleman, Hermeto Pascoal, Basement Jaxx, Hugh Masekela, Zakir Hussain, Wayne Shorter, Jason Moran, Robert Glasper and Miguel Atwood Ferguson, as well as working closely with successive generations of UK music creators. 

Serious is responsible for the EFG London Jazz Festival (the Festival is also a member of the International Jazz Festivals Organisation) and is an Associate Producer at the Barbican Centre.  The company’s activity covers a massive range of innovative new music activity in all areas of creative music today, including a substantial learning programme alongside professional development schemes devised for working artists.

Raymond McDonald,saxophonist, long a friend of John writes:

John was a beautiful person, with a huge heart and unmatched dedication, knowledge and expertise for his work. I felt privileged to know him and benefit from his wisdom. He was endlessly sociable and always up for a chat with great stories and good advice and a lot of laughing. Although he had officially retired, last time we went, he was still full of energy, ideas and generosity.

Wherever he is, he’ll be fixing a big gig with a glass of wine in hand, lots of people around him telling stories and laughing. John knew all the living legends of jazz as friends and one of many unforgettable moments with him was when he very generously invited me backstage to meet Ornette Coleman. When John introduced me the great man, Ornette took my hand very gently and kissed it and said "you're beautiful man" and I caught John's eye and he had the biggest grin (to go with his big class of wine) knowing how much that moment meant to me. I haven't washed my hand since.

John is pictured here with his wife Ginnie and daughter Kate after receiving the OBE.