A passion for Jazz and Dance led me to organising and teaching Swing Dance (Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa etc.), something which I still enjoy enormously, but moving to UK from the Isle of Man revived my enthusiasm for Jazz, in all its forms. Once in Bradford on Avon, I was overjoyed to discover the Jazz club run by Gerald and Basil and I am, therefore, very honoured to take on its operation. I will endeavour to keep up their excellent record.

The breadth and variety of Jazz means that no one can hope to satisfy every taste, particularly in a small club, so it is important to build on what already exists. For the BoA club that means a strong emphasis on “Trad/New Orleans” jazz and the club has a great record of booking top bands.

If, however, the club is to survive, long-term, I believe it needs to embrace other styles such as Swing, Big Band and Be-Bop, popular with the growing “Heritage Music” scene in the UK and Europe. Given my background, I also want to introduce a dance element to some gigs, to broaden the appeal of the club, without losing sight of the Jazz ethos.

In addition, I have a strong interest in other, related music styles, such as Blues and Rock’n’Roll, as part of a wider aim of supporting local musicians and live music venues. The Gig Diary reflects this and I hope I have made it easy to differentiate the various styles so that people can focus on their favourites.

Finally, I aim to give everyone involved with the club the ability to communicate their views to me and I intend to publish regular email newsletters and What’s New pages to keep people updated. Please use the Contact page to ensure I have your details and to let me know what you think.

I look forward to seeing you at the gigs!

Gordon