A musical rocket ship to the moon launched way back in the early 20th century, with genres like Jazz, Swing, Latin and Blues showing us what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars. However, it seems that recently it has been floating dormant in outer space, and the scene of popular music has overshadowed these monolithic genres that have influenced our contemporary musical sphere. It seems the charts are only holding space for the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, but thankfully, our gorgeous town of Brighton has provided a saving grace for what would be an otherwise decrepit craft. Our city’s vibrancy offers an outlet for these eclectic genres to thrive in the face of peril, boasting a community of cooperation and communication that define the fundamental principles of these withering soundscapes. This article covers but a few that justify Brighton’s label as one of the leading cities of vintage sounds in Europe.
A Victim of War
First, I must clarify how these genres are not lamented in the modern live musical sphere but have most certainly experienced a significant decline in the last 60 years. Jazz was once the dominating form of musical accessibility. The roaring 20s of America and the cabarets of Western Europe elicited popularity for jazz and swing, encouraging the war-damaged and financially depressed Western world to dance and drink away their sorrows. However, due to the catastrophic effects of World War 2, finding musicians in a sufficient state to play the music was increasingly unlikely, which proved challenging to achieve similar success before the conflict. To counter this, jazz had to evolve into subcategories whilst maintaining the same core values to facilitate success. Consequently, Bebop Jazz was born, characterised by its bouncy, breakneck tempos and adventurous improvisation. This genre laid the foundation for what Jazz was to become, influencing the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Matt Monro. However, with the development of technology, outlandish fashion trends and a thirst for change throughout the Cold War, jazz was silently side-lined from the mainstream, and remains still to this day. However, some do not lose hope and adopt Jazz as their life’s purpose. This is particularly true in Brighton and is accessible for all residents to experience.
Brighton’s Singing Barber
Have you ever strolled up North Street from the Pavilion on a spring Saturday evening? The sun sets over the horizon as friends gather in the local pub, ready to sink a few pints and obsessively complain about their boss’ micromanagement (speaking from experience). However, you may be stopped in your tracks by the distant sound of a Dean Martin instrumental. If you choose to abandon your Guinness and follow the melody, you will be lucky to meet Peter Joannou, Brighton’s Singing Barber. From his barbershop balcony, decorated with mural art of the finest vocalists of the last century, Peter entertains Brighton with some blues, swing and jazz classics that attract a rowdy crowd ready to sway to the marimba rhythm. When he swaps his razor blades and scissors for cufflinks and his trusty microphone, electric energy consumes and bedazzles the streets of Brighton.
In conversation with him in his Barber Shop, he shared with me his relationship with Jazz and Blues. At age 13, Peter was given his first guitar. Starting with Rock ‘n Roll riffs, Peter was introduced to the legendary Nat King Cole, and the melodic simplicity yet emotional intensity instantly enamoured him with Jazz and Swing music. Starting out on guitar, Peter recounted how “Nat King Cole and Neil Diamond fit my range, and so I just did more of those.” Consequently, he took a deeper dive into more classical genres with a big book of Elvis classics that, as Peter quotes, “Gave me a really great insight into great songs and structures. I really enjoyed singing those.”
In his adult life, Peter spent a lot of his singing journey in Cyprus, entertaining hotel bars and cruise ships alike. Consequently, I was interested in his attraction to Brighton, and facilitating his balance between singing and shaving. After all, a sand beach beats a stone beach any day. As one of the most progressive musical cities in the country, Peter claims he “couldn’t do it in any other places because it’s so open-minded and anything goes… I just thought I would do the two together.” The idea to sing from his balcony came from Brighton’s acclaimed Fringe Festival, where Peter “thought yeah I’m gonna do that. I’d stand on my speaker, pull the window down and just lean out of the top sash… gradually over 10 or 11 years I’ve been upgrading my sound system… like any artist committed to something constantly trying to perfect it to make it better.” Safe to say his budget has reached an all-time high, with some of his performances featuring a confetti cannon and Neil Diamond-themed cash-bought on Etsy. When recollecting his experience with Brighton’s overall scene, Peter believes “it definitely is a great place for lots of genres. There’s lots of talent around everywhere, there are some brilliant buskers. I should definitely get out more and see it.”
Peter’s antics have also attracted some household names, with Sir Rod Stewart joining him from his balcony during Peter’s rendition of Tony Bennet’s ‘Stranger in Paradise.’ Approached by the BBC who posed as a local news reader, Peter was made to believe they were doing a small segment on him. However, to his bewilderment, Sir Rod was his reward for his charitable endeavours that greatly benefit causes such as the British Heart Foundation or Movember. Peter recounted feeling “a camera right next to me, I turn around and I saw this guy standing next to me, I took a look at him and thought ‘Wow, this guy looks like Rod Stewart.’ Then he started singing and I thought ‘it IS Rod Stewart.” To credit Peter, I don’t think there is an appropriate way one should respond when approached by a music legend. Peter concluded, “He was a very good friend; he was really warm and he said some lovely things from the window, some of which had to be edited because he swore in his Rock n Roll way.” What better way to prove the vast outreach of Jazz and Blues, combined with a charitable cause, than a feature from an icon of the genre (referring to Peter, not Sir Rod).
He performs on Saturdays, and his Barbershop neighbours cocktail bar Twisted Lemon, so if you fancy a suave night about the town that would make Judy Garland jealous, make sure you are in the right place at the right time.
Jam with The Brunswick
If you stray further askew into Hove town centre, you may stumble across The Brunswick. This charming little pub, located on the end of a residential road, is as good a place as any for a few drinks. However, their fame stems from a musical avenue: a Jazz Jam. Every Tuesday night, jazz and Latin guitarist Paul Richards gathers promising talents of Brighton’s underground jazz scene to play in a 2-hour jam that is completely free of charge! The joy of this jam truly encapsulates the formulaic but cooperative nature that defines the genre. Musicians will collectively play the same melody and chords of a song, which everyone adheres to, and then is followed by individual solos. These solos are a testament to Jazz’s freedom of expression, facilitating the voice of individual musicians to be shared with the audience through the bellow of a Double Bass or the trill of a Trumpet. Once all have said (or played) their piece, the song will circle back to the melody, rounding off a jam that encompasses communication between musicians and fosters a communal sense of respect for each other, and passion for the music.
Speaking to Paul before one of his performances, I was eager to discover his perspective on the Jazz scene in Brighton. He loves how the Brighton jazz scene “keeps growing. For a town its size, I’ve never seen anything like it.” He states “There’s jazz everywhere. You’re spoilt for choice. You could go on a pub crawl and go to jazz all day and all night.” This is certainly true of The Brunswick, which merges musicians and pub-goers into a romantic homogeny that is built upon celebrating the joy of the genre. He feels “lucky to have so much jazz in this town”, a feeling I can share with him.
Paul’s attraction to move to Brighton from Australia stemmed from “all the music. I came here because I wanted to get involved in Latin music. Here was ideal for me because you have all the jazz, the Latin and loads of places to perform classical stuff as well. You can make a living playing music and teaching music, so it’s just a melting pot really isn’t it.” Whilst the temperatures of Brighton may pale in comparison to the actual melting pot of Australia, the social cohesion of jazz venues and genres in Brighton adds that extra hot ray of sunshine into the heart of Brighton’s scene.
Paul defines the Brighton jazz community as a “big pool of musicians. Although people are in their own bands, on the whole, people just call each other and play. You can end up doing gigs with folks you don’t know. Everyone gets up and joins in.” This camaraderie paints Brighton as a town of tolerance and respect that exemplifies the values of jazz music.
Paul also believes Brighton provides the future of jazz alongside sustaining the present. When asked how he feels when being watched by a younger audience, whose mainstream is typically more pop or hip-hop-based, he explained to me how he “loves it when they come here because you’re thinking that’s the next generation. Particularly over the last 14 years you see young folk coming up and evolve over the years and they become well-known jazz musicians.” He further demonstrates the inclusivity of jazz, where his jam is “all ability levels here. Everyone gets involved. It’s improving all the time, anyone can have a go.”
Generational
Whilst the option of inclusivity is a truly unique characteristic of jazz, it still struggles to have such an outreach when it comes to student engagement. Whilst the memeification of jazz music somewhat extends it into the mainstream, active and conscious interaction with the genre is hard to come by. Furthermore, the waning music scene of the University, as a result of COVID and an inattentive SU, has meant that seeing Jazz on our campus grounds would be a distant fantasy. Until recently.
If you like this article, you should check out: The History of Sussex Music: From Jimi Hendrix to… Nothing?
I spoke to Felix Rocque, a 20-year-old student, jazz drummer and committee member of the University of Sussex Jazz Society. Felix helped organise a jazz jam on Thursday the 13th of February, and the turnout was overwhelming.
Having lived between Italy and India for much of his life, Felix has taken from the teachings of his drumming teacher in India and applied them to a more local sphere. He says as a young person it is crucial to play as jam sessions “as an opportunity to ensure its (jazz’s) continued existence. I’ve been playing on the scene for a while around Brighton, and it’s just incredible how many jazz musicians live here.” I compare this ethos to that of the Folk genre, whereby music and ideas are shared through playing and listening, which is continued to every new generation of musicians. As people play, the genre’s survival is established and guaranteed. However, without a younger generation to continue, it is destined to perish.
Felix concurs and highlights the lack of effort from the student body in sustaining this art form. He states “It’s a bit surprising that there wasn’t anything at the university, so it just seemed like a natural thing to bridge that gap between uni students and the rest of the scene. It’s a bit disjointed but it shouldn’t be.” The success of his jazz jam, however, ironically disproves his theory. He felt “people really enjoyed it. People were queuing at the door and trying to get seats.” His justification of the event was to “bring something to campus that was an alternative to the rest of the committee, but also to get people playing jazz.” He highlights that “The value is shocking, and it’s something that needs to be valued more.” Thankfully, his jam has proven the possibility to spark the fire of resurgence in jazz across the national student body, and this all originates in Brighton.
Jazz, Swing and Blues may not experience popularity comparable to their peak in the 20s and 60s. However, these hidden classics of Brighton prove once and for all that jazz is still present in our peripheral vision. So, I invite all students to save this stagnant ship and come fly with me on a journey of musical exploration. Let us bring this genre back to the mainstream.
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