Since its relaunch in September 2021 Twickenham Jazz Club has gone from strength to strength.
Followers from it’s its almost 20-year history have returned to the club and more people have discovered this wonderful musical gem in the very heart of Twickenham in Patchworks Theatre and Bar at the world-famous Cabbage Patch Pub.
In essence, the club’s philosophy has not changed from its original conception which was to create a great place for musicians to play and a wonderful for people to listen in an intimate and respectful environment…It is all about the music.
The Autumn-Winter Season 2021
Our Opening night featured the great clarinettist Martin Nickless and his All-Star Jazz Tentett playing music from the West Coast. This was so well received and has generated such an enthusiastic audience that over this season they have become Twickenham Jazz Club’s official ‘In House Little Big Band.’ Check out our events page for their next performance and come and enjoy amazing arrangements of music that originated in the chilled-out, sun-soaked West Coast of America from the 1930s, 40’s & 50’s onward, and everyone has fun.
Another Musical Feast happened in the summer where ‘The Jazz Marquee’ had an almost European vibe when the great saxophonist Julian Costello played with his band. It was musically hot and pretty hot outside too but with cool music and cool beer there was dancing and song… so extraordinary was the performance by his guitarist Maciek Pysz that Maciek had his own gig when, we moved back into Patchworks Bar and Theatre, as ‘the Autumn leaves began to fall’
Our guest Artists in the Winter season included some amazing and highly revered Jazz musicians, including Enrico Tommasso, Vasilis Xenopoulus, Jo Harrop, Maciek Pysz, Shireen Francis, Alan Barnes, Nick Mills, Andy Gibson, Nat Steele, Richard Busiakiewicz, Martin Nickless Tentett, and many many more.
The night of our club Christmas Party, the government announced re-introducing co-vid restrictions and many people cancelled their bookings and stayed home, consequently, a smaller audience all grouped around the Patchworks stage to listen to Enrico Tomasso on trumpet, Nick Mills on trombone and a sterling rhythm section as hostess Lesley Christiane sang the Christmas Classic ‘Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and everyone enjoyed Mince Pies and the good thing was that there were more pies for everyone.
January was tough too when our guest Ray Gelato also fell off the podium of Jazz enterprise due to Covid infections and we were forced to cancel his night but then just two weeks later the wondrous 2022 began for us in earnest with a full house and an amazing performance by vocalist Anton Browne and pianist and saxophonist Sam Walker. This gig was both timeless and extraordinary. Anton played the guitar, and percussion and sang classic tunes ‘A Foggy day’ Sam supported him on piano but then stepped into the limelight with his beloved saxophone as Mike Osborn played a cool bass as the distinctive drummer Eric Guy delivered subtly and rhythmic masterpieces on drums, all musicians delivering timeless Jazz standards with seemingly majestic ease.
So here we are in Twickenham Jazz Club 2022, happy, positive, thriving and living every wonderful gig to its fullest capacity and above all positive about the future.
If the pandemic taught us nothing else it taught us to truly value and support the sheer joy of live music.
Every Good Wish to you and those you care for.
Lesley Christiane
