Steyning Jazz Club reflects on “extraordinary turnaround”

Club spokesman Colin Jilks said: “Twenty-nine years ago this year, meeting with just a small gathering of loyal supporters and a few local musicians, Steyning Jazz Club was founded. From these embryonic beginnings, the club has gone from strength to strength, now comfortably filling the large main hall of The Steyning Centre on the first Friday of every month with audiences of well over a hundred: it is now a club with over 150 members. With a relaxed café style ambience, the club retains a comfortable informality, although, in contrast with many jazz clubs, it is a listening club, the audience not wishing to miss the intricate nuances of our outstanding musicians.

“Covid proved a testing time for Steyning Jazz Club, as it did for many clubs, but the past foresight and management of the club – like Sir Isaac Newton standing on the shoulders of giants – had provided a financial cushion, which allowed the club to run at a loss for some two years during the Covid restricted audience period. 2022 also proved to be a rather disappointing year with audiences still reluctant to come out, even though restrictions had been lifted. However, 2023 has seen an extraordinary turnaround in audience numbers with our audiences often exceeding 120. As well as people feeling more comfortable in coming out to the club, we have endeavoured to cater for all tastes, presenting a different band each month and providing a much wider genre of jazz each month. However, in what has become a constant each year, we are particularly grateful, and indebted to the international clarinettist, Adrian Cox, who agrees to open our new season each year; in January 2023 Adrian's gig attracted a capacity audience of more than 150 people.

“The secret of success is threefold: providing a broad selection of jazz styles, with the very best professional musicians; a first-class venue, together with our Steinway grand piano and a bar providing an excellent local brew; and a hard-working, reliable team, who run the club. As well as setting up microphones and staging prior to each gig, programmes and publicity must be provided, including a comprehensive website. Our treasurer/secretary undertakes hours of work, contacting and booking agreed bands, as well as introducing the particularly useful innovation of building an email base of members who can be kept fully informed of future gigs. Our management team numbers some seven people, each with expertise in different fields. Without such a loyal team, the club would quickly falter and, looking ahead, the team are now endeavoring to recruit and train new younger team members, without which the club would, in time, become extinct.

“Our membership renewal night is in January each year when all can share a free glass of fine wine and sign up for another year’s supply of jazz. Annual membership costs £15, allowing entrance to each subsequent concert at the reduced price of £10 compared with £15 normal admission. Join us on January 5 2024 at The Steyning Centre for our new season's opening gig at 8pm, doors 7pm.”