Jamie Cullum, Zoe Rahman and Chris Philips announced as Patrons to the Jazz Centre UK
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Three leading names from the jazz world are announced as patrons to the reopened cultural centre in Southend-on-Sea, Essex as three exhibitions are also unveiled
The Jazz Centre UK (JCUK) re-opens on Saturday 26 June after a 15-month closure due the pandemic. The volunteer-led charity, founded five years ago by trumpeter Digby Fairweather and now headed up by new CEO Mark Kass, has used lockdown to transform its whole approach to showcasing jazz and now reopens with a revamped look and feel. Based at the Beecroft Art Gallery in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, the JCUK has used lockdown, and the Heritage Lottery Funding it received, to move many of its activities online, in turn finding a new, wider audience for its extensive archives and regular live performances. It’s also announced that platinum-selling pianist and singer Jamie Cullum, Mercury-nominated pianist Zoe Rahman and award-winning jazz broadcaster Chris Philips are its new patrons, who will help champion JCUK’s work to a younger and more diverse audience.
The reopening also sees three new exhibitions open with Jazz at The 100 Club – a multi-media exhibition with film, sound and ephemera from the club, illustrated with jazz poster art produced by local design students, Ace of Clubs, Digby Fairweather’s new book of stories about the legendary venue; The History of Jazz Tour – a “guided walk-through exhibition of jazz heritage telling its story from origin, diversification through to today’s eclectic, contemporary jazz scene” and UK Jazz Greats – a fascinating display of personal jazz effects from some of the leading lights in the UK jazz scene including Ronnie Scott, Humphrey Lyttelton and Snowboy.
The Jazz Centre (UK) is also a grassroots music venue and pre-pandemic, hosted live jazz gigs every week. CEO Kass explained he’s keen to re-build this aspect of JCUK’s work and to promote it internationally: “Our investment in new digital technology means we now have ultrafast internet connectivity, and broadcast quality audio and video production and we’re determined to ensure we use this to showcase jazz from the Centre not just locally but across the UK and of course the whole world. Although very excited about hearing, seeing and hosting jazz music again, we still need to be a bit cautious about going live too big and too soon so will be offering a hybrid of music, talk and video presentations using our live stage and our live streaming capability.”
For more info visit www.thejazzcentreuk.co.uk