While some well-established city jazz venues may be struggling to keep their doors open, here’s an encouraging story from an unexpected corner of the country. Kings Bromley, a small village in Staffordshire, held its inaugural jazz club night in March and is gearing up for a programme of future gigs, starting with John Watson’s Latin Heat II on 8 May. Peter Bacon reports.
The main man behind Kings Bromley Jazz Club is village resident Jonathan Nason. I asked him how and why the idea for the club came about.
“Way back in 1978, the Sanyo Jazz Festival had entertained me in Chichester; it would also do so the following year. From the festival, I put on my bucket list introducing a band at my own concert. And, there it stayed, through visits to Gas Street and Martin Hone’s Opposite Lock Club in Birmingham, as well as Ronnie Scott’s, mainly in London.
“That is until a landmark birthday was approaching last year and asked by Rob, my son, how I would celebrate I suggested resurrecting that long-awaited wish. September saw the plans become reality with the Nick Dewhurst Band playing to 80 guests in the village hall. Little did I know then what I had sown by way of an idea. Several weeks later a neighbour, John Bowman, made a surprise proposition. ‘How about launching a jazz club in the village?’
“I admit it hadn’t exactly crossed my mind, but the thought of promoting live music, essentially jazz, along with encouraging and nurturing local bands, really did appeal. I had worked at Sony on the eponymously named Radio Awards in the 1980s and could put some of that experience to good use.
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“There were certain parameters John and I could agree on without much discussion. Our club had to have an authentic jazz club ambience, being dimly lit and presented in a way that mimicked what you could expect from an established jazz setting. It would also serve to provide the musicians with the correct mood and atmosphere. “
How did the launch gig in March go?
“We gave ourselves several months to check out locals bands before our first booking for our inaugural gig of four planned for the first year. Lichfield Jazz Club gave us a superb starting point as well as serving to promote our venture. As well as making our own short list, several bands approached me and we choose New Vintage to kick-start our programme.
“Seeing our tickets sell out in four days bore testament to our good fortune with our timing and plans for the club. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration, but we could have entertained an even larger audience had the room been equipped with elastic walls and rafters. The room was buzzing with anticipation, long before New Vintage took to the stage.
“Their varied programme thoroughly entertained the packed room, with guests being encouraged to dance in the foyer. The post-gig feedback showed the event to be an overwhelming success. Particularly favourable comments were made about the band, the seating at candle-lit tables and the atmosphere from the wide-ranging age group forming the audience.”
Next up in Kings Bromley’s programme is Latin Heat II, led by John Watson, a man more familiar to UK Jazz News readers as a photographer, but when he isn’t behind a camera he’s behind a saxophone!
How did it all start for John, I wondered.
“I got hooked on jazz at the age of eight when I heard traditional jazz records at a neighbour’s house in our East Yorkshire village. Then my Dad, though not a jazz fan, took me to see Louis Armstrong’s All Stars at Bridlington when I was 10.
“My ambition was to become a jazz journalist. I wasn’t supposed to become a musician, and there were no music lessons at my senior school, but when I got a newspaper job on Merseyside I started interviewing visiting American jazz players and blues stars. One of them was singer and harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson, backstage at the Cavern Club, and –pushing a Hohner Super Vamper in my direction – he said: ‘I’ll show you how to play.’
“Within a few weeks I joined an R&B band called The Earthlings, but I later switched to saxophone and moved to the Midlands, studying first with session player Joe Paterson and later in London with the great Don Rendell, a wonderful teacher.
“I was working full time as a news journalist, with music writing as a sideline, and doing occasional gigs. A chance came up to tour with the stupendous trumpeter Harry Beckett and pioneering singer Maggie Nicols in a band called Pulse. Although Maggie is a very original free improviser, she sang ‘straight’ in Pulse – a wonderful, earthy voice. Pulse did short tours almost every year for 15 years, made one album, Stormy Weather (Spotlite Records), and did some broadcasts, with drummer Tony Richards, bass guitarist Fred T Baker, and pianists Brian Waite, who sadly died young, and later Lewis Riley.
“My work as a music photographer later took off, but I did occasional gigs and then was invited to join a funky jazz group, Heliopolis, where I first played alongside Chris Gumbley, a fabulous saxophonist. Chris has been trying for years to organise a reunion of that band, but then we were offered the Kings Bromley gig for a new outfit, Latin Heat II.”
That suggests it’s not the first Latin Heat band?
John explained: “The original Latin Heat band is based in Suffolk, and formed three years ago. My music teacher son Ben started a jam session at the King’s Head Pub in Woodbridge, and we decided it would be fun to start a latin jazz band there with some really superb East Anglian musicians: the line-up is trumpeter Ian Buzer, me on tenor, guitarist Tomi Farkas, Ben Watson on bass guitar, drummer Mark Sewell and latin percussionist Adrian Wiggins.
“I realised that it would be impractical to bring the Suffolk band up to the Midlands, and I had been putting out feelers for gigs with a Midland version of the band when the offer came from Kings Bromley. It’s a great opportunity to reunite with Chris Gumbley, who will be on alto, Tim Amann on keyboard, Trevor Lines on bass, and the brilliant young drummer Aidan Amann. I’m hugely looking forward to it.
“As with the Suffolk band, the repertoire is a mix of classic bossa and samba compositions, plus standard jazz repertoire tunes with latin beats like Kenny Dorham’s “Blue Bossa” and Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay”.
So, back to Jonathan Nason, what hopes for the future?
“Making live jazz available to wider audiences is top of our list. Live performance is for us, what the club is all about. Joining with other venues in the area in promoting new and exciting musicians has to be good for all those involved.
“We have plans to encourage and nurture young and growing talents. Our jazz club will be a haven, where they will have a warm welcome and an enthusiastic, knowledgeable audience.
“With streaming providing bands with new ways of promotion, we are keen to provide an accessible way for them to also build their tours; and we are in touch with bands in Staffordshire, Cheshire and Yorkshire to be part of our 2025 programme.
“Those Sanyo days did indeed provide the very essence which will continue to serve as an inspiration.”
Categories: Features/Interviews, Previews
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