Behind the Scenes at the Jazz Festival
VICTORIA KINGHAM talks to the organisers behind this year’s event
Last year, the first year of Hastings’ newest jazz venture, the Festival was very much a home-grown enterprise. Not at all a bad thing – it was supported and enjoyed by 600 people. The big name, Osibisa, gave a performance in Henry Ward Hall (with its splendid acoustics) that had people dancing in the aisles.
This year’s is a more ambitious venture. The indefatigable promoter and musician Mike Willis, Barnaby Davies, and Simon Hersh have united their various skills to present a nationally-gathered programme of wonderfully-varied, top quality jazz artists. The musicians have universal appeal: to ardent fans of mainstream UK jazz, to lovers of radical free improvisation, to modern dance-oriented aficionados, through to blues fans and people who just like a good tune.
What does it take, though, to organise this kind of festival? First the three of them have an impressive range of connections in the business, and all of them are multiskilled. Their dearest wish is to be able to pay the musicians proper fees and hopefully, at the end of everything, to at least break even: “to make sure, critically, that at our festival, everybody gets paid right away,” adds Simon Hersh, a jazz drummer, entrepreneur, and financial organiser.
He also points out that an important part of the business is sponsorship. “We have several organisations putting money in … it’s a cool thing to be associated with, a respected art form. And they get their logos mentioned.” So money is important, but for all the right reasons.
Barnaby Davies (local trombonist and owner of Barnaby’s Jazz Lounge) concurs: “Simon’s role is crucial. Without sponsorship and finance, there’d be no festival.” Barnaby’s connections go far and wide, from Trinity College of Music to Ronnie Scott’s. He’s also responsible for bringing the amazing Trombone Assembly down here, led by the internationally acclaimed Rory Ingham. “They’re brass royalty, the finest trombone players in the UK.”
All three promoters are anxious to emphasise the value of the bands they have assembled – and how it’s a challenge when Hastings offers such a wealth of music every day. “I could reel off 50 world-class musicians who already live in Hastings, says Barnaby. And you have to wonder why that is, and why Jazz Hastings has been successful for 18 years.” The three promoters together, with their talents and connections, make a very powerful team.
PLANS FOR EXPANSION?
At the moment the maximum capacity for Barnaby’s Jazz Lounge is about 55. Their ambition is to connect Hastings to the wider jazz world, taking people to backstage New York, to the Blue Note, to New Orleans. So “yes, expanding, but not physically in the building” continues Davies. At least, not yet. But there are possible plans for an evening starting earlier: two 75-minute sets with a break in between (Ronnie Scott’s, like many of the New York clubs, now does this). This would retain the intimacy of a small venue while packing in more punters.
“What I like about Mike [Willis],” continues Davies, “is that he’s the crossover connector. He speaks to an audience that doesn’t even know they like jazz!” And that’s part of the challenge: getting audiences to realise the skill and quality of the bands that have been hired.
Willis (whom you may know as a prime mover for all kinds of local music events) came to jazz later than most, via his own songwriting, plus blues and Americana. He admits to his taste being on the ‘fun party’ side of jazz: Jimmy Smith, Ramsey Lewis. His contribution to the musical life of this town, his initiative and enthusiasm, and indeed his provision of his house as a venue, are invaluable and far-reaching. His local connections are extensive and instant, via all kinds of social media.
Jazz musicians’ pay is always an issue – a performer of 20 years’ experience may get £50 an hour for a 3-hour gig, which is in no way commensurate with the years and years they have put in just to be there. Which is why this triumvirate is keen that people appreciate the worth of the people playing the festival. Indeed it’s a truly wonderful lineup – you can catch the details on the website (links below) or their flyers and advertisements; and clips of most of the bands are further available on YouTube.
The team tell me that Brighton Jazz Festival felt it had to cancel their whole event this year after losing Arts Council sponsorship. I’d like to think that, with the enthusiasm of these promoters, the wild love of music endemic to Hastings and St Leonards, and the brilliance of the people they’ve been able to hire, this could never happen here.
Date: Saturday 3 October, all day. Venues: various. Full listing and tickets: hastingsjazzfestival.com. Most artists can be found on YouTube via a search on their name. Barnaby’s: barnabyslounge.co.uk. Tickets and lineup also at Mike’s Place: mikeslist.uk.
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