Month: August 2012

Hi, 

I hope you’re enjoying the new format of the site. Hopefully it’s just as easy to find everything you wanted, and more – but did you also notice the “Search” bar at the top? Scratching your head to remember that brilliant piece of prose that Nick put in one of the Jazz Matters? Well, try and search for it at the top and see what comes back.

Did you also know that the site is now optimised for searching in Google, so hopefully – over time – you’ll be able to search for SJS events from the comfort of the world’s most popular search engine.

Feel free to post suggestions here about likes or dislikes for the site. It’s a new venture for all of us, but hopefully you feel that it’s a big improvement on the old site.

Thanks,

Roger and Chris

This promises to be a very important new season for Stafford Jazz Society. Last season had its difficulties; out of the 37 concerts held, 22 of them resulted in a financial deficit. Your Committee has acted to arrest this slide and hopes sincerely that you will continue to support the Society both by your concert attendances and by your participation in our weekly raffles. Some jazz clubs have closed down in these recessionary times; we are determined not to.

In a very real sense clubs like ours have become preservation societies for an endangered species of music. Not so in other parts of Europe but here in UK many clubs are struggling; may Stafford buck the trend!

Visiting musicians repeatedly compliment Stafford Jazz Society both for the way we manage our organisation and for the welcoming, respectful, listening, friendly audiences that have become our hallmark. Long may this continue.

I believe the new season’s programme offers much to look forward to, indeed to get excited about. Many established favourites, some new attractions and a rich variety of jazz styles. There will be some of the most popular names in jazz performing for us: Derek Harrison; Ben Holder; Robin Mason; Mart Rodger; Mel Hill; Taff Lloyd, Annie Hawkins; Pete Ainge; Matt Palmer; Terry Brunt; Ian Royle; Eric Newton; Chris Pearce; Graham Smith; Richard Leach; Christine Tyrrell; Dave Leithead; Malcolm Hogarth and Willy Entwistle… (I’ve run out of space!).  With the quality of entertainment assured all we need are good audiences.

If what we provide is your kind of music and Stafford Jazz Society is your kind of club I urge you to be evangelical about it! Let others know what can be enjoyed and bring them along.  Nick

Following the annual ballot of Members in May the following have been voted:

Musician of the Year:Robin Mason

Band of the Year:Slide by Slide

Congratulations!

During a concert season many of us have birthdays, anniversaries, retirements – in short something to celebrate. For your special occasion Stafford Jazz Society now offers:

A Five Star* Concert Sponsorship Package

Simply select the concert of your choice and for a payment of £125 you will receive:

            *Free Admission for yourself, your partner and up to 4 guests

            *A specially reserved and decorated table for you and your party

            *A bottle of champagne and a celebratory cake

            *A strip of raffle tickets for each party member

            *Special recognition by the band of the day

Enquiries and bookings to:

Gwen Kenyon

 5 Felden Close, Parkside, Stafford ST16 1TX  Tel: 01785 244332

Our website is our shop window to the outside world and after around fifteen years in its original format is now in the process of being modernised. Chris Latham has been working closely with our original website designer Roger Foxcroft and will manage this long overdue and essential task. We invite you to log in to: www.staffordjazz.org… to see for yourself the early results. The upgrading is not yet completed but a great start has been made. New ideas are always welcome.