Chichester’s Festive Jazz Café is back in a new venue

This year, however, it switches to a new venue – The Guildhall in Priory Park on December 11 at 7.30pm, this year as part of Chichester District Council's wide range of Christmas events. Tickets on https://chichesterboxoffice.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873565269

Masterminding the festive jazz cafe, as always, is Barry Smith, of the South Downs Poetry Festival: “We began the festive jazz cafe in the early days of the Festival of Chichester, and the idea behind it was to put on a good show but also to do a bit of fund-raising for the festival the following summer. We raised a reasonable sum each year through the efforts of our performers.

“It is not a fundraiser now. It's tougher getting an audience out these days. Now we're just looking to cover the expenses of our performers and just to contribute to the community. But the idea is that everybody should have a good time and get into a really nice mood for the festive season.

“This year we are part of Chichester District Council’s seasonal festivities and we're delighted to be working with them. They're doing all sorts of things. I was impressed with what they're doing and I was very pleased that we are able to collaborate with them on this and showcase our event. We will be continuing our tradition but under a new banner. We've always been in St John's Chapel before which is a lovely venue but Chichester District Council wanted to focus on The Guildhall and it's a great opportunity for us to perform somewhere new.”

Barry stresses that there will be heating provided “so that everyone can really enjoy it.

“It's really about celebrating the season so the idea is something that is appropriate to the season. The jazz element is really important. There will be lots of bouncy jazz tunes and jazz standards but with Mike Carey’s Big House Jazz Band there will be lots of originals in there as well. He's just had a fantastic run showcasing the music of Glenn Miller so maybe there will be some Glenn Miller in there as well.”

The night also encompasses the spoken word. Paula Tinker is a stage/TV actress with extensive performance credits, including West End shows such as Tom Stoppard’s Dirty Linen (Arts) and Crazy For You (Prince Edward). Tours include 84 Charing Cross Road, Funny Peculiar and Relatively Speaking.

“Paula is our headline this year. She's worked with us on lots of occasions before but this year she has got an original piece which came down to her through her family. It's a performance piece about Christmas pudding which Paula has brought back to life again. It was tucked in a book that she inherited and she really enjoys offering these glimpses into the past. It is great fun and goes down very well. She will also be performing some other seasonal fare, perhaps people like Dylan Thomas and Laurie Lee.”

The evening will also feature poet Naomi Foyle. Naomi will also combine with Barry to offer a duologue that they do, The Night Before Christmas, a piece which they did first at Petworth House a couple years ago. Barry will also offer a poem which he wrote on Christmas Day last year. Other featured poets are Richard Hawtree and Joan Secombe.