THE JAZZ CENTRE UK
AT VILLAGE GREEN
Village Green is a large-scale music and arts festival organised by Metal. It takes place in Chalkwell Park, Southend-on-Sea. The Jazz Centre UK have been involved since 2017 bringing a mixture of live jazz music, dance, art and heritage to the festival.
VILLAGE GREEN JAZZ STAGE 2019
In 2019 we teamed up with with ‘The Chalkwell Park Rooms’ at ‘Village Green 2019’ to present a jazz stage that recreates the atmosphere of a vibrant, city jazz bar. ‘TJCUK Jazz Café at The Chalkwell Park Rooms’ presents ‘The Harrison Dolphin Trio’, ‘The Glyn Morgan Trio’ and headline acts: Simon Spillett, Daryl Sherman and Digby Fairweather.
The Evening Jazz Jam rounded off the day with a glorious celebration of improvised jazz and standards from special guests and those who performed throughout the day.
As you walked into the jazz café you will be greeted by The Jazz Centre UK volunteers were are on hand with information about the Centre; vinyl records were on sale next to the all-important ‘Chalkwell Park Rooms’ bar where you could purchase a refreshment and listen to the live jazz presentations by local, national and international jazz performers.
RUNNING ORDER
12 pm: Harrison Dolphin Trio
1.30 pm: Glyn Morgan Trio plus special guests
3.00 pm: Harrison Dolphin Trio plus HEADLINER Simon Spillett
4.30 pm: Glyn Morgan Trio plus special guests
6 pm: HEADLINERS Daryl Sherman and Digby Fairweather
7 pm - 8 pm: Evening Jazz Jam
It was a fantastic event and we made a complete success out of the day entertaining the public, marketing the centre and raising funds. We hope to be at Village Green in a bigger and better way next time!
VILLAGE GREEN 2017
We loved Village Green 2017. Our stage for the event included a Jazz Café with live music and an exhibition of some of the fantastic things we keep in our collections - including posters, vinyl record sleeves, pictures and memorabilia of the great tap-dancer Will Gaines (who lived in Southend for many years), journals old and new, and a celebratory display of ‘Women in Jazz’.
Our Women in Jazz section of the exhibition included a showcase of jazz’s greatest women icons from Valaida Snow, Lil Hardin Armstrong and Mary Lou Williams right up to Barbara Thompson, Annie Whitehead and Britain’s newest emergent trumpet-star Laura Jurd.
Our live music line up is included a mixture of locally sourced and further afield musicians including Dominic Ashworth, Steve Fishwick, Mick Foster, Karen Sharp and Clare Foster. “I think one of the good things about Village Green,” says Colette, of Metal “- is the calibre of acts and the diversity of performances we attract now. We’ve had Wilko Johnson, Sam Duckworth, Stereo MCs, The Asylums, Youth Club, Tiggs Da Author, The Skints, Ballet Black, the Royal Opera House and, a local boy, Phill Jupitus jumping on stage with the Blockheads. This was our biggest jazz event so far. And we're very happy to be collaborating with The Jazz Centre (UK)!”
See our photo collection from the day below:
2017 GIG LISTING