PJC Special Events

SPECIAL EVENTS 2009

     Next year 2009, Plymouth Jazz Club will be 25 years old. The club was formed in 1984 when local musician Tony Harris met up with a small group of jazz enthusiasts to see how they could enliven the local 'modern' jazz scene. Tony a vibraphone player and his two sons, Paul, a pianist and Dennis a drummer were looking for gigs and the enthusiasts wanted to hear more of the sort of music that Tony played.

    A working committee was formed with Mike Doran a local builder as chairman and soon after a short weekly programme was drawn up, featuring the Harris family and guest artists. The Harris family took care of the music and the 'enthusiasts' took care of the advertising, membership recruitment and general business matters.
     The club opened at "Pacers Club" in Union Street on 29th April 1984 with "The Tony Harris Quartet" and Plymouth born guest saxophonist Don Rendell who had made his name as one of the legendary "John Dankworth Seven".

     From that small beginning the club has promoted over 550 live jazz events in 22 indoor venues and 3 open air, with audiences as large as 1700. It has grown consistently over the years and now has 400 members.
     After a while the Harris family wanted to go their own way musically and it was left to the enthusiasts to carry on running the club, ably assisted musically in the early days, by trombonist "Algie" or Lloyd Davis and wife Elaine, and later on by pianist Dave Thompson and his trio. It is sad to say that both Algie and Dave are no longer with us, and it has been left to the enthusiasts to run the club for the past several years.

     Plymouth Jazz club must now be one of the few music clubs in the UK run by a committee whose members cannot play an instrument or read a note of music and all of whom are now 'senior citizens'.

     April 1984 being the month the Club was formed, The Silver Jubilee celebrations will start on Sunday April 5th at the Mermaid With the Andy Panayi Quartet featuring Mark Nightingale on trombone, then on Sunday April 19th 2009 in the ballroom of the Duke of Cornwall Hotel with a double bill featuring founder member Tony Harris and his Quartet and Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra with guest vocalist Joy Parke.

     Tony Harris and his sons Paul and Dennis must be the most talented family of jazz musicians in the city. As a trio, or quartet when augmented by a double bass player, they perform either in their own right or as a backing group for visiting UK and international jazz musicians. As a group they are never overawed by a visiting star musician but always blend in to produce memorable performances.

    Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra, billed as "Europe's most entertaining vintage jazz orchestra" celebrate the music and fun of the 1920's and 1930's. Dressed in style they play the music of New Orleans, the Charleston Age and the Jungle Book.

1984
Silver
Jubilee
Year
2009

Sun April 5
The Mermaid
Silver Jubilee Special
Andy Panayi Quartet
featuring
Mark Nightingale

Sun April 19
Duke of Cornwall
Hotel
Silver Jubilee Party
with
Harry Strutters
Hot Rhythm Orchestra
&
The Tony Harris Quartet

Sat June 6
Morwellham Quay
"Down by the Riverside"
Jazz Picnic
with
Five Bands

Sat July 18
Saltram House (N.T.)
"Summer Jazz Picnic"
with
Frog Island Jazz Band
&
Richard Leach's
Seven Stars of Jazz Thurs. May 7
The "B Bar"
on the Barbican
"The Steve Buckley Trio"
PJC's contribution to the Barbican Jazz & Blues festival

Thu. Dec 31
NYE Party
Derriford
Church Hall
with the
Pennyroyal Jazz Band