Jazz club will be ready when good times return
Steyning Jazz Club finds itself well positioned to weather the indefinite coronavirus lay-off. “As soon as conditions allow, we will be ready, like crouching tigers poised to leap into action,” says spokesman Colin Jilks. “Over the years, we have obviously always tried not to make a loss and we have got a nice little surplus. Financially we are sound, and what happened with the last band that we had to cancel at short notice was that we were able to give them some money. “The four musicians, like everybody else, are not going to be able to work. A number of our musicians are elderly and are not doing it for the money, but for some of them it is really important.” It all means that the club can look ahead with a degree of confidence. “We are now planning for the future. From a secure financial base, our band bookings run well into 2021; the bands we have had to recently cancel, we are rebooking to play for us in the second half of 2021 and covering their immediate out of pocket expenses.” Good organisation will also help see the club through. “We are a very inclusive club, and we have got a good team running things. The team is about five of us, and we meet every few months to put our views forward as to where we are going to go. It is very much a combined thing. “The team ensures every aspect of the club runs smoothly, each playing their part in their particular area of expertise. This enables us to maintain the club’s relaxed, café-style ambience, providing a comfortable informality which members enjoy. “We have had to cancel for
April and May, but beyond that we don’t know. We have got musicians lined up until 2021. It is just a question of when we can start back. We had a super evening booked for June. We will just have to wait and see. “But we are certainly looking ahead. The programme for the second half of the year is booked through until December. As soon as we can get back to it, we will be up and running. We can update our website and swing back into action very quickly. “The Steyning Centre (where they meet) is owned by the parish council and is used by all sorts of clubs and associations. It is a lively centre. We can have up to 150 people and we are nearing that level for most of our events. They have got a big polished Steinway grand that is looked after and tuned by Steinways. When the jazz musicians see it, they are just amazed. They love it.” Which, of course, all adds to the disappointment of cancelling gigs. But as Colin says, the jazz club has got a loyal audience and everyone understands and accepts what is happening. “Our highly efficient secretary/treasurer has recently been building an email base and records of our members, allowing us to keep in contact, especially now when the pandemic passes. “Also, we are grateful to The Steyning Centre which has permitted us to retain our option on the booking of the first Friday of each month, to ensure we can continue presenting our handpicked professional jazz musicians as soon as possible. “Many bands bring CD recordings for sale, and feedback has revealed some members are now keeping their jazz club alive during this lockdown period by having regular jazz evenings at home, albeit recorded ones. Some bands are apparently providing online gigs.”