Pershore is a small city in England unknown to most people. Yet it is home of one of the most active Trad Jazz clubs in the UK, with monthly gigs featuring top talent, both British and European. Additionally, for many years it was the home of an outstanding annual three-day Trad and Swing Jazz festival. Suddenly it was over. Not because of Covid but the loss of their venue at the local agricultural college. Unfortunately, there is no other local facility that could fit the needs for housing, caravan and car parking, dining and pub as well as stages which the college provided.
These people don’t give up easily. In 2021, the year before this disaster hit them, Covid forced the cancellation of that year’s physical festival. The club’s response? A virtual Zoom concert. It can be seen on YouTube (Pershore Jazz 2020). Then, after the loss of the college, in 2022, with the same determination, they produced their first one-day Jazz Party with great success. Now, for 2023, we were able to attend the 2nd edition.
In one word, it was brilliant. Billed as “A Musical Journey Through Time,” over a period of ten and a half hours, Graham Smith, the artistic director, managed to squeeze in 6 sessions as well a dinner break. Starting with “Trumpet Kings of New Orleans” the trip covered the first five decades of Jazz “Tin Pan Alley,” “52nd Street: Swing Combos & Billie Holiday,
