Over the years there had been a certain amount of jazz round and about in Chelmsford, and of course, both big and small dance bands were much in evidence at the Odeon, local parish halls and other venues when quicksteps, fox-trots and waltzes were still the thing. Then came pop and discos and local jazz took a back seat.

However, in late 1985 Eastern Arts contacted local band leader Eggy Ley and a couple of concerts were put on at the Cramphorn Theatre, with the result that a few enthusiasts formed a committee and the club was under way.

Not without problems though. In the early days there were some hairy moments when funds ran very low. For the first few years there was a mixture of local bands and others from the wider jazz scene, mainly traditional, and although they included names revered in the jazz world, it seems that Chelmsford was not quite ready for them. Nevertheless, the club struggled on from hand to mouth, helped unselfishly by many jazz men through those troubled times who gave their services for little reward. It was in this period that the very first American, Buddy Tate, came to the club, which in turn led to our current chairperson, Susan, becoming his agent; therein lies another story of the spread of jazz in Essex and beyond.

Back in 1988, however, it was crunch time, and the club was in the brink of folding when it was decided that there might be one way out and that was to go for a nationally known name from the UK jazz scene. To aim for the top and hope for the best; and who better than Humphrey Lyttelton? So bicycles were ridden down to the pawnbrokers and on 10th April 1988 his band appeared, including the ever popular Adrian Macintosh and John Barnes, and of course the icon himself.

It proved a turning point, with a resolve to feature only musicians from out of town, including touring Americans and national British bands that could not otherwise be seen locally. In May it was Kenny Davern and Art Hodes and in June Beryl Bryden, then Adelaide Hall…

Sadly, the downside was that local bands and musicians were no longer heard at the club but of course they were still out and about locally and still enjoyed by club members. Happily they are still much in evidence and regularly supported as jazz seems to be making a welcome return.

Over the years of the club there has been a real variety of talent. British bands such as Alan Elsdon, Pete Allen, Keith Nicols, Digby Fairweather, Sax Appeal and Harry Gold have all been regulars. So too have the small groups led by eminent members of earlier bands: Campbell Burnap, Roy Williams, Jack Parnell and Dave Shepherd among many others.

Singers too- Elaine Delmar, Maxine Daniels, Claire Martin, Clare Teal, Lee Gibson, Stacey Kent; many now picked up by the recording companies who have recognised their talents.

Although mainly featuring small groups, occasionally bigger bands have come along, such as Echoes of Ellington, Harry Gold and his Pieces of Eight, Essex Youth Jazz Orchestra and Digby Fairweather’s All Stars (Digby himself is an honorary member and one of the supporters in the early days).

The club now puts on an occasional extra event, helped by the sponsorship of local firm M and G. We have had Chris Barber and have been able to feature a local musician or two but generally the “specials” are for the bigger bands. Overall the club has remained financially solvent, and as a charity aims for “break even”, with some reserve for unforseens.

The club has several honorary members. One of them, Harry Gold, who sadly died in 2005 at the age of 98, did us the honour of becoming our first ever President. He took a great interest in the club, even making the lengthy commute from his home in North London to attend the AGMs. Only if the AGM happened to be near St. Patrick’s Day did he excuse himself on the pre-arrangement of meeting relatives in Ireland, plus a desire to be acquainted with the joy of a drop of Irish Whiskey in the land of its origin. Even then he sent a cassette recording of greetings and words of wisdom to the club in his absence and latterly, when too unwell to come, still sent word to us. He decided to resign the presidency when unable to get about, ending a period we all regard with great affection. His autobiography, Gold, Dubloons and Pieces of Eight, is a good read and a great history of British dance and jazz from before the last war to the beginning of this century. His 90th was celebrated at the club and then a few days later at London’s 100 Club. He approved our choice of Don Lusher as his successor and we are indeed pleased to welcome another eminent musician, Alan Barnes, as our new President.

Club history would be incomplete without mention of the late Spike Robinson. Spike entered club life when he met Susan, whom he later married in 1992. They lived at Writtle, so this American became a local and continued to tour the UK and abroad until he died. Permanently as weekly host of “Spike’s Place” in Brentwood, he also played at the club occasionally (not often enough, perhaps) and on his 70th birthday had a celebration with those members of Club Eleven still around and with Harry Gold on bass sax, followed by his current band, Young Lions – Old Tigers. The memory of this fine man and musician is perpetuated by the Spike Robinson Scholarship, a charity to help up-and-coming young jazz musicians.

Every month Chelmsford Jazz Club puts on music ranging from trad and mainstream (with a touch of modern, reflecting current jazz trends) and plan to do so for a long time to come.