It was organised as a members club with a constitution and run by an elected committee. The first gig on April 29th was in a small club in Union Street with Plymouth born, guest star Don Rendell backed by Tony's trio. The business plan was for Tony to organise the music and the enthusiasts and the non musical members of the committee took care of publicity, recruiting members and front of house duties.
In those early days it met once per week on Sunday evenings with Tony's trio backing a series of guest musicians. In a very short period of time the Club had to move to a club on Plymouth's Barbican which is on the waterfront. Whilst there Tony's trio hosted sessions with such stars as Bruce Turner, Danny Moss M.B.E., Roy Williams and John Barnes. After about one year the Club moved again to the Mayflower Sailing Club, which was literally right on the waters edge, where it stayed for a number of years. During this time the Club experienced mixed fortunes and had to reduce sessions to once per month for while. However an appearance by the Andy Sheppard Quartet revived the Club's fortunes and it has never looked back. Other notables to appear in the club at that time were the great American star, Slim Gaillard, singer Beryl Bryden, John Etheridge, Digby Fairweather, Dick Morrisey, Jim Mullen, Don Weller and Bobby Wellins.
After the Mayflower Sailing Club, Plymouth Jazz Club settled down to two gigs per month and has promoted gigs at some twenty plus venues around the city, for periods of a few weeks to two or three years. In those early days the Club survived with the aid of small grants from South West Jazz, then part of South West Arts, Plymouth City Council. Plus it received one generous sponsorship from a local company Heybrook HI FI, who as the name suggests manufactured high quality high fidelity systems in the days of vinyl records.
In 1992 the Club formed an association with a National Trust property, Buckland Abbey, the former home of Sir Francis Drake, where the Club organised a picnic followed by a jazz concert in a very large tithe barn, the event being called “Jazz in the Barn". This was very successful for four years before the barn needed major restorative work. As this was a major income source for the Club, another local National Trust property, Saltram House was approached, where we were able to organise annual “Summer Jazz Picnics" on their lawns. These events were even more successful and regularly drew four figure crowds, and have continued to this day.
The Club now meets regularly, twice a month on Sunday evenings at a pub called the Mermaid, which has a large function room capable of holding 220 seated. The first Sunday is devoted to almost any jazz genre, the third is Traditional or New Orleans, as this is the most popular style with the 400 plus members.
The “Silver Jubilee" or 25th anniversary will be celebrated by two gigs in April, on the 5th it will be the turn of the “Andy Panayi Quartet, featuring Mark Nightingale". On the 19th it will start with one set by the Club's founder Tony Harris and his quartet, followed by three sets from “Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra" with local vocalist Joy Parke.
Plymouth Jazz club has published a sixty page booklet, “The First Twenty Years" which gives more detail of the gigs and the personalities involved, price 2.50.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
