Vortex - evolution not revolution

The Vortex, partly by financial restriction but partly by choice, adds bits and changes slowly. Financial restriction - that's obvious really. It's a venue that has to survive mainly through its wits in prising out admission fees and money from the bar. (The Arts Council and other official bodies have tended to be relatively cool so far to offering anything.) This means that things have to be added slowly.
But. It means that it's possible to consult and discuss before things happen. A stage was built last weekend. The carpenters (Derek Drescher, David Mossman and Mike) had an average age of 65. However, the height and way it was packed with Rockwool was the culmination of 18 months of debate. Pressure to put it in now was due to the opening of Il Bacio downstairs. Food available every evening at last. We need to avoid too much noise affecting their business of selling pizzas. The archetype we thought of was what happens when Gene Calderazzo gives his all at a Partisans gig. (Gene is our role model of a drummer in many ways. The set-up of the club's kit is also thanks to his advice.)
And it's working well. A few musicians had felt that no stage created intimacy, though audiences were beginning to comment, especially at some of the full gigs. I myself have sympathy with the "no stage" approach, though it's clear that a stage works better, and that the height (just 12 inches) is the upper limit before any of that connection with the audience is lost.
Now, the next stage is improving the sound system and sorting out the piano. The p.a. is also better than it was earlier in the year, thanks to the help of Jeremy Farnell in cleaning up the wires and Harvey Brough for lending his mixing desk. But comments are always welcome as to how the final configuration should be. Sarah-Jane Morris had been saying that, while the quality was fine, it needed more monitors and more d.i. boxes. She was surprised that the club didn't have them yet. The reply was "Thanks. We're grateful for your reactions, and they will be taken into account when the next stage of improvement takes place."
One feeling that remains vital is that the Vortex is everyone's front room. Unprompted, both Sarah-Jane and Nikki Yeoh both actually described the Vortex like that. We must hope that this isn't lost. That loyalty and empathy between audience and the musicians created by the club must not be lost and it's an important part of David Mossman's legacy.

Bruce McKinnon

I am shocked and saddened to hear that Bruce McKinnon who was part of the trio Squash Recipe died on Wednesday 17 January of a rare cancer.
Obviously not as high profile as the other recent deaths (Michael Brecker and Alice Coltrane), I only met Bruce the one time when he toured with Tom Arthurs and Joe Sorbara last Spring. I was impressed by the thoughtfulness of his playing. Also that his parents were so supportive of him. The guys were walking along Charing Cross Road outside Foyle's when they saw people who looked familiar. Indeed they were, as Bruce's parents were paying him a surprise visit. I feel proud that Babel helped bring out their one release together. A promising musician who was only beginning to make his mark. I wish his family and friends long life.
By the way, there is a lovely tribute to Michael Brecker on the Bad Plus blog by Mark Turner.

Muenster Jazz Festival

It was nice to start the year at Muenster Jazz Festival. The best for me were the new group of Louis Sclavis, who always has that cerebral side to him, though he was using a really good young band. "L'imparfait des langues" not what one would usually expect from an ECM album. I also liked Atomic from Norway, Mikiel Braam from Netherlands, Fat City Wednesdays, who were "suburban nerds" from Minneapolis doing a great take on Don Cherry. Hopefully they'll come to London to play with Evan Parker some time soon.
Also an exhausting peripheral programme, including a morning bowling session, where I teamed up with Yann, a promoter from Perpignan, to help the entente cordiale. We even won one match, against teams from Holland, Scotland and Norway. I'll post our prize presentation soon. We didn't get to keep the main prize, a James Last LP called Voodoo Party with a bizarre cover and sleeve note.
But even festivals like this which are relatively cheap for the city to put on, and have a long history are now under pressure. What was good fortune that they were well supported by the Muenster has now become a great risk. If the city decides to pull the plug then that means the end of the festival. And that certainly is a possibility. Unfortunately, these decisions are more political than practical. That was also the problem for Caber in Scotland. Tom Bancroft was there who ran the label, and probably did more for improving awareness of the scene over its five years than any amount of official jazz networks could have done. Unfortunately, he was reliant on Scottish Arts Council funding, especially once his distributor went bust. Now the bureaucrats are back to using formalistic organisations that go so slowly, so slowly.

Where will the money come from?

It's not easy getting grants from anyone, as we know only too well at the Vortex. I think that too many of the bureaucrats are getting too distant from the realities of where the music is happening. For example, at the Vortex, the original Lottery application was turned down. So was the application for money for the opening of Gillett Square, Andy Sheppard's Dalston Saxophone Massive. In both cases, it was due to a scepticism as to whether the venue, or the particular event, would succeed. Similarly, when we had a meeting at the Vortex with the Arts Council, the first thing that was suggested was that the football season during the World Cup could not have succeeded. Of course the opposite was true - the season covered its costs from the first day, and apart from one game, there were never fewer than 50 people there.
By contrast, we receive individual sums of money at random but fast. One night recently, we got £1700 (!) from two particular people just because they enjoyed the night and we had told them of our needs.
In part, it's a matter of a lack of trust and lack of ability to understand the risks involved. Also, we have only once had an Arts Council official come to the Vortex (Denys Baptiste came to support Nikki Yeoh).
In fact, the Vortex does better as a "regeneration" project. That's where the money for the building and the Square have come from. The great benefit to the Vortex is that they just let us get on with booking the bands whom we want to book.
Not that I'm against the principle of funding from the Arts Council or other similar bodies. It's a good discipline. Nevertheless, it's taken nearly 6 months to get the form applying for money for the piano complete, because we don't have the resources to finish it properly, and there's too much else to do.

Return from Amsterdam - Dutch Jazz Meeting

Just returned from a showcase of jazz in Amsterdam, where I was invited along with 80 other promoters from all round the world to hear some of the latest out of Holland. What a difference in government commitment to that in the UK!

First, that they actually make such an effort to invite people to check out the jazz of moment. Second, that they give it a high artistic priority, in their international activities. Third, that they have made such a stron investment in the Bimhuis. I hadn't been to the new one before, but it's amazing, overlooking the city with a huge picture window behind the band, great acoustics and comfortable seats. It takes a long-term, almost indefinite, view to support such a venture.

Contrast that with the UK. The Vortex got going on no direct public funding, and certainly is dependent 100% on self-generated income for survival. (The equivalent at the Bimhuis is 25% raised from door income and bar.) And people are hardly aware of any new trends in UK jazz at present. I spoke with a father and son from Timisoara who run a festival. In the 10 years that the festival is running they had had no contact with anyone about UK jazz whatsoever.

A few of the bands might be feasible to have perform at the Vortex. I felt that many were in general still 1 or 2 years away from being well enough developed, though I was impressed by their energy, especially some of the young guys. The problem at the Vortex will remain that people still don't come to such gigs based on quality and curiosity alone. It would be good to change people's minds on the matter.

I understand that Gwilym Simcock is worried that, based on a recent comment in the Evening Standard, he might not get gigs at Ronnie Scott's. As John Cumming of Serious pointed out to me, would he really want one anyway with Ronnies being what it is at present?