Top performers is promise from 20/20JAZZ in Chichester

SussexWorld

Officially it’s called 20/20JAZZ. Unofficially it’s the “knock your socks off” jazz club, says Nic Saunders who runs it and is delighted with the programme coming up for 2025.

Transcript

00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspaper. It's lovely

00:06to speak again to Nick Saunders. Now, Nick, you've got something very special for this

00:09year, haven't you, with the 2020 Jazz, which meets in Chichester and in South Sea, and

00:15it's doing really well with a fantastic line-up for this year. And you were saying really

00:19teasingly that it's the Knock Your Socks Off Jazz Club. What do you make of that?

00:25My aim has always been to just, you know, I've known so many musicians over the years,

00:32and mainly on the London jazz scene, and it's great to be able to bring them down to Chichester

00:38and say, hey, come and play to these guys down here because they're such appreciative

00:43audiences in Chichester. They really love seeing live music. And we have a great time.

00:49We have a really, really great time. And so we've got a great line-up of all sorts of

00:55you know, a couple of musicians from the US coming over. We've got a Greek, fantastic,

01:02one of the top Greek saxophonists.

01:06And this is you using your contacts, isn't it? Your contacts in the business?

01:10Yeah, because I've been playing for so many years. And we've just come back recently from

01:14living in London. So I was down at the 606 Club and the Ronnie Scotts and, you know,

01:21just really, really getting back to know everybody again. And now we're here. Well,

01:26we've been doing this actually from since 2015.

01:29Right.

01:30So we're going to, yeah, we'll be up to our 10 year anniversary.

01:35Renamed because of a 2020 Clear Vision, but also to reflect the fact that we are, and

01:40I'd never thought of this, we are in the Roaring Twenties, aren't we?

01:45We are, we're halfway through now. So, yeah, let's make sure it's not the tepid twenties

01:53and keep up the Roaring Twenties. Yeah, yes. We're now also, yeah, because we moved from

01:59the venue that we originally started in, we went under new management. And what we're

02:03doing now is using the Chichester Inn, which is a lovely, it's quite historic in Chichester.

02:09There's always been bands there since the 80s, 90s. And some really big names have played

02:14there. So it's a lovely stage area. People can get food. It's got just a really nice

02:19relaxed atmosphere. And we don't make it a sit and make sure you don't talk jazz club.

02:27We make sure that everybody's hopefully having a really nice time and is comfortable.

02:32And generally jazz is doing well, isn't it? We were talking just now about jazz clubs

02:36in the area, which are flourishing, aren't they? It's a good time for jazz, is it?

02:40I think there's about five or six jazz clubs within a stone's throw of Chichester. Yeah.

02:45And two here, you know, with us.

02:47Can you explain why they're doing well? Why now is a good time?

02:51Well, I think people need something to go out for that makes them feel really good.

02:58And what everybody says when, you know, so many times I hear people say after a gig,

03:05that was so amazing. I've never really listened to jazz before, but seeing it live is something

03:11else. And that's the key for jazz, really. The live experience, seeing musicians,

03:17improvising, playing off each other, and also interacting with the audience.

03:22There's a real great feeling, you know, for the whole place. We're all in it together.

03:27Fantastic. Well, good luck for 2025. Lovely to speak to you again. Thank you.

03:31Thank you very much, Phil.

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