News
19 Jan 25
Happy New Year from Southdown Jazz Collective! We're excited to get the ball rolling for 2025, starting with the Queens Head hosting the monthly Jazz Jam for another season (last Thursday of the month). As always, the jam is FREE and all jammers and listeners are welcome!
We're also planning another Groove and Grill event tba sometime in the early Spring. Info on this and other things that the collective is up to will be posted here, on Facebook and Instagram.
05 Oct 24
October is an exciting month for SJC, with the launch of a new event, "Groove & Grill", which will debut on Sat 26th at the Queens Head. This will be a really high-quality evening, with a smoking SJC band line-up playing lots of funky tunes and the fantastic DJ Mr Jazzy Vibes (regular on Luton Urban Radio), who brings an eclectic mix of danceable jazzy tunes inspired by the current hot London jazz scene. Also, the pub will be putting on delicious BBQ food. And... unbelievably... it's... FREE to enter!! We are so hyped for this - do come down and join in the fun.
Then, the following week we have the monthly jazz jam, which as always will be a big bundle of jazz energy, chat and smiling faces. Also not to be missed! Hope to see you for that too.
16 Aug 24
After a nice chat with Shelley at the Queens Head, we're pleased to confirm that the Southdown Jazz Jam will continue into the Autumn. The next one will be on Thurs 26th September.
We also talked about some other ideas for cool jazz-inspired events to put on, which we're really excited about. Check back for more info about these!
31 Jul 24
We've had a great run of jazz jams at the Queens Head and some other real highlights over this summer, notably taking our expanded nine-piece band to the Highland Gathering. Huge thanks to everyone who came along to share in our music at all of the events we've put on, singers, player and listeners alike.
We'll be having a rest in August, so please note there won't be a jazz jam at the Queens Head on the 29th Aug. However, we'll aim to kick things off with batteries fully recharged in September. See you then!
15 Jul 24
We had a fabulous afternoon at the Highland Gathering yesterday. Many thanks to everyone who came to listen and provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Special thanks to the Harpenden Lions for putting us on the bill again this year for this wonderfully eclectic event steeped in tradition. We got some good footage, so check out the media page for the entire recorded set.
Looking ahead to this weekend, we'll be playing at Gin and Jazz at The Engineer this sat, and the Jazz Jam will be back at the Queens Head for the last Thursday of July (25th). See you soon!
28 Apr 24
Please note the new URL of this site: southdownjazz.net. It was time to update, since this site covers more than the Southdown Jazz Jam (although that's obviously still one of our main things). Please update your bookmarks! And sorry for the hassle - this will be a long-term change and we won't be asking you to do this again.
A few of us went along to the Bear Club Jazz jam today - the first time in a while for some of us. Today's jam was a special one, led by UK virtuoso jazz guitarist Nigel Price (!!). Apart from being an amazing musician, Nigel is a fantastic human being, committed to supporting grassroots jazz venues, and it was amazing to see our very own Tim Sutton and Richard Hurford trading solos with a top-tier jazz muso. Dave also had chats with Niv Hammond (aka Mr Jazzy Vibe), the resident DJ, and Perry Louis, the founder of Focus on Jazz, organiser of the Bear Club jam. There was talk of collaboration on some new jazz-inspired events in the Harpenden area - watch this space! In the meantime, please enjoy the links provided to these and some other great local jazz stuff on the Info page.
20 Apr 24
We're delighted to announce that the the Jazz Jam is back at the Queens Head this month, everything having been sorted out management-wise. Jess and her brilliant bar team will be on hand to serve drinks, while your SJC house band and jammers serve up a jazz feast for the ears. Hope to see you there, Thurs 25th April from 7:30pm.
17 Mar 24
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The March SJC Jazz Jam will be taking place at Elliswick Lawn Tennis Club, not at the Queens Head.
In other news, SJC will be returning to play at Highland Gathering this summer (afternoon of Sun 14th July). We've also been promoted to the main stage this year, so will be bringing a larger band and a snappy set full of danceable tunes. Don't miss our performance at one of Harpenden's marquee events!
23 Jan 24
SJC are looking forward to kicking off with the first jam of the year, happening at Elliswick Lawn Tennis Club this Thurs 25th. Everyone is welcome! If you're coming to listen, please just ask for Dave when you arrive, so that the club's guesting rules can be honoured.
Another fun thing: Dave went on a podcast last week, hosted by of the the Perfect Pop Co-op, a record label based in St Albans. Jord and Dave had a nice chat about the jam and jazz generally - we're very grateful for the opportunity! Do have a listen if you have a spare few minutes - Dave's bit is 6m45s in. And please check out the stable of interesting pop bands on the label and their activities in the coming months!
30 Dec 23
We had the best night so far, attendance-wise, on the 27th Dec. The Queen's Head was really buzzing, with some great music and an electric atmosphere. Thanks to all who came along and made it an extra-special night!
As we head into the new year, we await the outcome of a change of Landlord at the Queens Head to determine whether we continue there. The January jam will therefore be back at our old venue, Elliswick Lawn Tennis Club, on the last Thurs (25th). Hope to see you there!
21 Dec 23
In a slight departure from our usual routine, the December jam will be on WEDS 27th December (the the day after Boxing Day) at our usual venue, The Queens Head. We've moved it forward by a day to avoid clashing with The Low Lamps gig at the Carpenters Arms on the Thursday, but will be back to our usual last Thursday slot from Jan onwards.
Southdown Jazz Collective wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thanks very much for your support over the last 12 months and we look forward to building on this year's successes in 2024.
10 Dec 23
Only a few days to go until our Jazzy Christmas special at Elliswick Tennis Club. Places are limited but there are still a few left. Book easily within a few clicks using our Stripe payment link HERE. If you prefer, you can still use the tennis club's Google form link from last month's news post. It'll be a fun, festive evening with a well-stocked and very reasonably-priced bar. All profits going to MSF.
14 Nov 23
This month's jazz jam will be on Thurs 30th Nov at the Queens Head. We've got some exciting new material lined up, so why not come down and hear us unleash it for the first time!
Also, as we head into the festive season, SJC will returning to Elliswick Lawn Tennis Club on Thurs 14th Dec for a jazzy Christmas celebration with a hot jazz combo, mulled wine, mince pies and some jazzy Christmas numbers you'll definitely know. £10 entry per person - BOOK HERE (places limited, max 6 people per booking).
27 Oct 23
It was another super Southdown Jazz Jam at the Queens Head last night. Lots of smiles on familiar faces and some new and very welcome ones too. And, of course, there was lot's of great music!
Next month's Southdown Jazz Jam will be on Thurs 30th Nov, so please add that date to your diaries. The current plan is that we will also do one in between Christmas and New Year, though please watch this space for the date as it is TBC. See you soon :)
30 Sep 23
It was another buzzing evening at the Southdown Jazz Jam this Wednesday! Check out the videos page for one or two highlights.
From hereon we will be occupying a last Thurs of the month slot at the Queens Head, so please mark these in your calendars, starting with 26th Oct. And, we'd be very grateful if you'd spread the word to all the lovers of jazz and live music that you know. See you next time!
04 Sep 23
Please come and join us on Weds 27th Sept for the next Southdown Jazz Jam! This will be at the Queens Head pub in Harpenden, from 7:30 to 10:30pm. After the September session (i.e. from October onwards) the plan is to move to a regular last Thursday of the month slot that the good folk at The Queens Head have offered us.
The August session will be hard to top, with so many players and singers turning up and such a great atmosphere, but we'll give it our best shot!
Prospective jammers, please do come along and check out the Info page, which explains how things work. We are looking forward to it!
04 Jul 23
Hi folks! The next jazz jam is set for Weds 2nd August at the Queens Head pub in Harpenden (7:30-10:30pm). Weather permitting, we'll be outside, so please join us for a relaxed, jazzy celebration of the height of summer!
Also, a quick reminder that the Southdown Jazz Collective will be playing a set at the "Highland Gathering" up at Rothamsted Park this Sunday 9th July (3-4:30pm), so come along to experience this unique cultural fusion of jazz with pipe bands and cabre tossing!
28 Jun 23
Thanks to everyone who came to the June jazz jam last weds, where we took advantage of the balmy weather to play outside. This time we raised £60 for crisis.org.
We're hoping to squeeze one more jam in in July before summer holiday season kicks in. We hope to make this a real banger, so look out for the date, which will appear on here within the next few days.
07 Jun 23
The next Southdown Jazz Jam will be at the Queens Head Pub in Harpenden on Weds 21st June, 7:30 to 10:30pm. We hope to see lots of people down there, listers and jammers alike, for a relaxed and fun evening of jazz on a summer evening. Check here for more info.
Continuing in the tradition of the Elliswick Jam, we don't take any pay for these events and instead use as an opportunity to raise money for charities. After the last jam in May, The Queens Head agreed to donate £50 from their bar profits to Turn2Us, and will continue to make donations for our future events there. And they will increase the amount if the bar takings increase (so bottoms up folks!)
In other news, some members of the Southdown Jazz Collective will be playing a jazz and blues set at this year's Highland Gathering on 9th July. It'll be an afternoon set. Watch this space for further info.
26 May 23
We had a great night down at the Queens Head for our inaugural session there.
It was made all the more special by the fact we were joined by local jazz legend Bob Power. Bob has been an inspiration to two generations of budding musicians in the Harpenden area (several of us included) and it was a true honour to include him.
Watch this space for news of another jam in June!
13 May 23
After several really successful jams at Elliswick Lawn Tennis club, the Southdown Jazz Jam is moving to the Queens Head pub, Harpenden.
Our next jam will be on Thurs 25th May, 7:30pm till 10:30pm at The Queens Head. Please come and join us for a relaxed and fun evening of jazz, with house band Southdown Jazz Collective and lots of guest jammers.
Please look at the Info page for information on how to get involved!