THE SAD NEWS of the death of Jim Love arrived just as I was finishing this Editorial. As arts writer and latterly editor of the Inverness Courier, Jim was a much-loved and highly respected supporter of the arts in the Highlands and Islands, and his participation extended to an active role in promoting jazz in the city over many years.

His passing came after several months of illness following the diagnosis of a brain tumour early in the year, and will cast a shadow over the Nairn Jazz Festival, and far beyond. He will be sadly missed, and our deepest sympathies go to his wife and family, and to all his many friends.

On the arts scene, the third Tartan Heart Festival at Belladrum takes centre stage this month. As Joe Gibbs testifies in our main interview, it has doubled in size in respect of the number of artists from last year’s event (the first in the two day format), and has probably now just about reached its optimal size.

Joe also makes the point that it is a very different kind of event to Rock Ness, in which he was also heavily involved. Tartan Heart aims to be an eclectic, family-friendly festival while still offering a tempting line-up of artists, a difficult balance to achieve and maintain. Tickets are selling well, we understand, so if you are thinking of going and haven’t booked yet, it’s time to do so – www.thebooth.co.uk

The Nairn International Jazz Festival is also underway this month, with a strong line-up of traditional and mainstream jazz talent on offer. The festival has achieved its own niche in the jazz calendar, and continues to draw audiences that are at least as good and usually better than the same artists would draw in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

The difficulties of running events like Tartan Heart and Nairn Jazz in the Highlands and Islands should not be underestimated. It is a constant challenge to survive, never mind maintain standards, and we take our hats off to the various festivals that have made such a successful impact on the arts scene in our region.

Aly Bain, who celebrated his 60th birthday earlier this year, and Phil Cunningham hit the road again for their annual Scottish tour in August and September, with dates in the region spread over both months. Their appeal remains undiminished, and we have revisited last year’s interview with the pair of them for our From the Archive feature this month.

The rumours of cutbacks in specialist teachers in primary schools that we mentioned a couple of months ago have now been confirmed. Georgina Coburn condemns a short-sighted and contradictory policy in this month’s Speakout piece.

Elsewhere, Helen Semple reports on her activities as Arts Officer in Lochaber in our ArtsFolk series, while Mull Theatre is the subject of this month’s HITN profile. We also have a slightly belated launch of a new series of Showcase pieces featuring the work of artists who have received HI-Arts Funding Awards, focusing this month on the work of Skye-based artist Caroline Dear.

John Burns looks at the currently growing field of Podcasting, and as usual, we will be adding more news, reviews and features throughout the month.

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor, Northings

Kenny Mathieson lives and works in Boat of Garten, Strathspey. He studied American and English Literature at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a BA (First Class) in 1978, and a PhD in 1983. He has been a freelance writer on various arts-related subjects since 1982, and contributes to the Inverness Courier, The Scotsman, The Herald, The List, Times Educational Supplement Scotland, and other publications. He has contributed to numerous reference books, and has written books on jazz and Celtic music.