This year saw the third instalment of the now yearly extravaganza of the Sidmouth Jazz Festival. So what is it and how was it?
Sidmouth is my home town in East Devon, England and it started a jazz festival on the May Bank Holiday in 2022. That was a fairly small affair, testing the waters and seeing if it was something that worked and could be expanded on.
The second one took place last year (2023) which was a huge success, and was clear it already went from strength to strength. That first one was a small and basic affair, whereas round 2 already changed to a larger venue as well as keeping what worked first time round.
This main venue takes advantage of a park in the centre of town - Blackmore Gardens - which is ideal and underutilised for this kind of thing (or it has been in the past, could that be changing?)… but being used far more these days which is great to see.
There were other happenings dotted around town, in bars, cafes, Kennaway House (where it was based first time round with a smaller grass area) but this was the focal point and made a cohesive and appropriately sized festival. I'm not sure if in the past it was not realised it could be made more of, or if there were official reasons or restrictions.
The whole 2023 shebang was very well organised, fun, interesting and enjoyed by all. The weather helped as that was perfect so it all went with a swing. Just a few photos of some of the vibe…
I was hopeful that 2024 would continue the trend… and that it did. This year it maintained what it had built as well as added to what was on offer, whilst becoming a little more 'commercial' (whether that's good or bad is up for debate, but necessary to a degree for these things to survive and thrive).
There were costs involved in getting in the main arena, so instead of just charity boxes (which were still there) you would pay fee to enter for the day or a variety of full festival tickets. Perhaps that will be altered in next year's iteration or kept as is.
The evening concerts were separated out and included several acts, some well known and others less so… including Mr Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet fame! Not really a jazz classic in my book, but then again that's a loose term to encapsulate a wider range of music. There was plenty of 'real' jazz on display, as well as blues, R&B, Latin and related genres. Roland Gift, the singer from the Fine Young Cannibals popped up last year… again not jazz so much, but seemed to go down well.
It's organised by the same guy who has put on a similar event in Rye in south-east England at the end of August bank holiday weekend. I believe the story goes, he was on holiday down in Devon and thought Sidmouth could make an ideal location for the same thing (and is part of the Jurassic Coast which is a World Heritage site no less). He looked out over the views, saw the setting and potential venues and thought he'd try to re-produce it there.
I imagine there was some red tape and push-back, with a few hoops to jump through but he's brought it to life and it looks like it's here to stay. Sidmouth is the setting for a yearly folk festival which just passed its 70th year and is one of the biggest in the country. So no stranger to a big event like this but some are against that and would rather not have 1 week taken out of the 52 for these kind of shenanigans and certainly don't want more.
However, many people love all this (not least businesses, traders, and just normal folk who like a good time), and it adds an extra dimension to an otherwise quiet and 'older demographic' kind of town. The folk festival is always the first week of August, and this jazz fest looks like it's settled in to the last weekend of May bank holiday weekend, and brings a different musical flavour and buzz.
Plans are afoot for 2025, and long may it continue!
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