SJF UPDATE AND INFORMATION PAGE
On Thursday 26th August 2010 we sent out a general e-
With a few minor alterations, this is reprinted below.
To many and various
As the month of September arrives so also does the anniversary of Southwold Jazz Festival.
The last time we held a festival was in 2007, when it was at High Lodge near Darsham. The reason for that change of location was the loss of Southwold Pier as a venue, plus the lack of a suitable alternative in or very close to Southwold. Although High Lodge is an excellent venue, and was enjoyed by those that travelled the extra distance to be there, it was clearly stated by a large number of our customers that the location was too far outside the Southwold area, and it was clear that we would be faced with dwindling audience numbers were we to continue there with our project.
We examined a number of options as to where we might hold further festivals, but we felt that none of these met the criteria which we considered necessary in order to present quality jazz to the prestige standard which SJF had become. In the main, venue acoustics and catering facilities have been the difficulties. This then is the background behind our reluctance to stage an event since 2007.
We, the Southwold Jazz Festival Steering Group, are mindful that customers, artists and many other organisations have been very patient, loyal and supportive, and this has been demonstrated by the continuing large number of visits (averaging around thirty to forty daily) to our web site. There have also been many global contacts from musicians and bands, even though our mission has been to promote mainly local bands and performers.
Our steering group met on Wednesday 25th August 2010, the purpose being to determine our policy at this time, and we reluctantly had to recognise that there is no realistic prospect in the foreseeable future of a suitable venue becoming available to us in or close to Southwold. With great regret therefore, we have decided to close down the Southwold Jazz Festival project.
Our web hosting contract will be due for renewal by Saturday 9th October 2010. Up until that time, we will remain on view, with suitable notices posted on the home and venue update pages. Most of the other pages and features will soon be deleted and we will no longer be open to any new material for posting. If anybody or any organisation currently have publicity material or web links which promote our project, would you please remove or destroy those items. We would however appreciate the ‘passing of the word’ about our ‘closure with regrets’, as we wish to reach as many of the local jazz fraternity as possible.
We are grateful for the support that has been shown to us, and we offer our thanks to all who have been customers, performers and helpers in our mission to help keep East Anglian jazz alive. We feel our small efforts have been worth it over the several years, 1998 to 2007 inclusive, during which we organised ten festivals.
Finally, just a word about Jazz@ThePier. This project has been run solely by Annette and Peter Mace, but to which SJF has provided active support and assistance. It is the intention of Annette and Peter to keep that 'on ice', and resurrect it if the opportunity is presented. So, remember the title, and watch for any news in that respect.
Best regards from The SJF Steering Group.
Keith May, Roy Symonds, Mike Oxborough, Peter and Annette Mace, Neil Bland
This page reviewed
and up-
06/09/2010