Penarth Jazz Club, the brainchild of jazz vocalist Debs Hancock with the assistance of jazz fan and critic Robin Lyons, will host its inaugural event on Thursday, August 6.
The launch will take place at Penarth Pier Pavilion and will begin with a brunch performance at 11am featuring pianist Eddie Gripper and singer Elijah Jeffery.
Ms Hancock said: “We want to create something sustainable. A festival in the pier, but something more.
“We want to make Penarth a place where you can hear all sorts of different sorts of jazz in all sorts of different places. Something for everybody.
“Prestigious jazz stars on the pier, but also a chance for local, up and coming bands to play in more informal venues.”
The Penarth Jazz Club is not a single venue, but an idea aimed at spreading jazz throughout the town.
Plans include concerts and a festival at the pier, as well as informal performances by local bands in venues still to be announced.
Discussions with venues across the town are already under way.
Mr Lyons is a BAFTA award-winning writer and producer of animated films, and has always been a jazz fan who for several years before his career in film and television overwhelmed him reviewed jazz for the Guardian.
Ms Hancock, known for her smoky, storytelling vocal style, has performed with many of Wales’ leading jazz musicians and is a former promoter and presenter with Abergavenny’s successful Black Mountain Jazz Club.
The debut performance will feature Mr Gripper and Mr Jeffery’s acclaimed self-titled project, presenting an intimate programme of original music that seamlessly blends jazz, folk, progressive pop, and contemporary songwriting.
Hailed for its lyrical depth, emotional honesty and musical imagination, the duo’s music is both “deeply personal and refreshingly original.”
