Last hurrah for jazz club Straight No Chaser

ATIYYAH KHAN

ONE of South Africa’s best and most-loved venues for jazz, Straight No Chaser, will close its doors this weekend. This comes as sad news, as we recently reported the closing down of music venue, Tagores in Observatory at the end of last month.

Straight No Chaser on Buitenkant Street in the CBD became the home of jazz in Cape Town after it opened in December 2011. Originally called The Mahogany Room, the venue was modelled after clubs like the Village Vanguard in New York as a place for serious listening.

The venue became known for its intimate nature and the great jazz photographs by Rashid Lombard and George Hallett that hung on the walls. It is probably the only jazz venue in the country to have had a strict policy of silence when the musicians were on stage.

In its four years, Straight No Chaser became essential to the jazz scene in the country. It helped create a much-needed platform for many musicians in the city and showcased a range of local and international artists. It also helped create a new audience of discerning listeners. The loss of Tagores and Straight No Chaser within a space of two weeks is a severe knock to the local music scene.

The creation of the venue was the vision of two musicians, drummer Kesivan Naidoo and trumpeter Lee Thomson, who were friends but also artists looking for a place to play. They opened the venue with the financial help of a third partner, Lawson Naidoo. In 2014, the venue underwent a restructuring in ownership and the name was changed to Straight No Chaser. Recently music journalist and writer Miles Keylock has been involved in the management and running of the venue.

However, as is often the case with many music venues, financial costs have become too heavy, in addition to high property rentals in the CBD. This has led to the venue closing down.

The management would like to do popup jazz concerts around the city.

Legendary drummer Louis Moholo will perform this weekend. He will be joined by special guests tonight and by pianist Kyle Shepherd and bassist Brydon Bolton on Sunday.

See Straight No Chaser’s Facebook page for more information and updates.

SERIOUS TALENT: Pianist Mark Fransman, saxophonist Buddy Wells and