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THE Orbit Jazz club will this month celebrate its one-year anniversary with special performances.
Co-owner Aymeric Péguillan said it felt like a lifetime It was not surprising he felt that way, given that he was one of the the partners who can always be found with his sleeves rolled up, doing the not so glamorous chores.
On any occasion, he can be seen taking on the roles of the maitre-d, kitchen assistant and MC, among others.
Péguillan forms part of the Orbit partnership together with Dan Sermand and Kevin Naidoo. While the other two are seldom seen, they also bring a wealth of experience to the table Sermand in producing and music promoting, while Naidoo is the numbers man.
It s been so intense,” he said of the first year that the establishment
Joburg s only real live jazz joint had been in operation.
It feels so long ago because the moment you decide to have a gig every night, you book new artists and every day feels different. But it s been great.”
In all occasions, be it from the jam sessions or the more formalised performances like album launches, musicianship is displayed from the artists.
What s really struck us is how much respect the musicians have for that stage. That matters. They prepare and rehearse, which makes it easy for us to work with them.”
For the week leading up to the main day, March 14, Péguillan said the venue will increase the number of performances with two sets for Friday through to Sunday.
Trumpeter Feya Faku, the first artist to perform during the club s launch last year, will return to mark the full year.
Others who will perform during the jam-packed week include singer Melanie Scholtz, pianist Nduduzo Makhathini and Herbie Tsoaeli s African Time project.
Running a business such as this presents its own challenges, said Péguillan.
One of the major problems for a niche club like theirs was failure to attract a full house regularly.
Péguillan said the bad economic climate meant regular attendance was not guaranteed. He pointed to load shedding as one of their biggest headaches.
He said they had to invest in a generator, an additional expense the venue did not foresee incurring so early on in their journey. Two weeks ago, the Orbit s Big Band gig was cancelled due to the four-hour long load-shedding.
Péguillan said one of the planned changes for the venue was making the ground-floor area a stand-alone music and food spot.
Here there will be no cover charge and entertainment provided will be on the easy listening side.”
Péguillan mentioned they were also planning to host live recording sessions. This venue has to be a place where we immortalise some of the concerts,” he said.