BIG ROOM JAZZ

On December 20^th, as on any other Big Jazz Night at The Hedsor Social Club, we will be in the Club’s Big Room, not the small bar. It will be a great night, with great music and great food.

Last Years Christmas Jazz Party at Hedsor

It has become apparent over the last few months that the Hedsor staff would rather have our Thursday jazz nights held in the large room, leaving the small bar for members only, and not have it hired out as now to Hedsor jazz (we do pay to hire the bar).

With Christmas nearly upon us, Hedsor Club have asked us to leave the bar for the big room in order for them to put up a large Christmas tree in the bar. This will give us an opportunity to try out the big room for our usually smaller Thursday night numbers over the next two weeks. We have been given some assurance that we will be allowed back into the bar again after Christmas.

In order to make the most of our presence in the bigger room over the next two weeks, it would be a great advantage if a few more Hedsor Jazz fans turned out on Thursday evenings to help us take up the space!! Next week, it will be almost our regular Clive Burton Quintet but with Ken McCarthy at the keyboard, so the music wont be a hardship!

The new team in charge of the bar arrangements at Hedsor are attempting to lift the finances of the club by opening every night of the week, and have made efforts to rearrange the furniture in the members bar to accommodate their new bar trade. This has made it less comfortable for our jazz nights, as the furniture has to be rearranged just for us every week.

We have been assured that we are welcome a The Hedsor Social Club “for the foreseeable future”, but if we are to remain there, we may have to use the bigger room on a permanent basis. This could have the advantage of allowing growth past the 30 max persons that we can currently get into the bar (the seating capacity in the bar has now gone down anyway). If we can attempt to fill the big room on a more regular basis, then we will be able to invite more guest musicians, you know, the ones that have a bigger price ticket. BIG Names on adverts will help to swell our own membership and enhance our already solid jazz reputation.

I have explained to Hedsor Club’s new steward Sarah that it would be my ambition to help to turn The Hedsor Social Club into a venue recognised for its music, not only just for its jazz, and if we (Hedsor Jazz) could cooperate with Hedsor Club in advertising and promotion, this could be an achievable objective. Ronnie Scott’s is now full most nights, and we have cheaper entrance fee and no car parking problems! As Hedsor Club already runs a Rock evening once a month, and I feel there is space for all of us.

In the meantime could I ask those regular jazz attendees who are already Hedsor Social Club members as well to renew their membership this winter, and for those of you who have yet to become Hedsor Social Club members to seriously consider joining from January onwards. Just ask Sarah for an application form.

And for you jazz “irregulars”? Come and join us!! We are, after all, just trying to keep live jazz alive locally!

Geoff C