Complaints, noise and all that jazz

3:24pm Thursday 27th January 2005

JAZZ music has been a dominant force since the early 1920s and its roots lay firmly in the oppression and poverty of the deep south of America. This particular genre has made its way through the ranks and firm followers will tell you how it is one of the most influential types of music there is.

The importance of jazz is not lost on The Bull's Head pub in Barnes, which has heard international artists play every night of the week for the past 45 years.

World-renowned and individual, the pub can hold its head up high in the knowledge that it is the only one of its kind in the borough.

Recently, the pub hit hard times when a noise abatement order was served following a complaint from just one neighbour, causing a stressful time for the landlord and Young's Brewery, who own the pub.

The order was served on November 15, 2004, to come into effect on February 15 unless a scheme to soundproof the jazz room was put in place. However, all parties involved are now positive that a solution is within reach, which will save the club from closure.

Dan Fleming, the pub's landlord has been at the helm of the Bull's Head for the past 23 years along with his wife and is proud of the rich history this famous landmark provides.

The club has seen artists perform throughout the years such as Dudley Moore, Roy Budds, Dick Morrisey, Bill Lesage, Tom Lee and Manfred Mann in the 60s through to Humphrey Lyttleton, Alan Price and Anita Harris more recently.

"I have been in the business for years as I have had always had some kind of jazz in my life." Dan tells me, "This is the first time I had been involved in jazz every night and twice on Sunday but I absolutely love it. The music has got better and the clientele is very positive. In the last three or four years it has seen a resurgence and is becoming interesting to see a lot more of the 20 to 30-year-olds. They have come to realise how good the music is."

The pub opened in 1674 and was originally a coach house. The music started in 1959 and by January 1960 jazz was in full swing. Around 23 years ago jazz appeared to be in decline at the venue and Dan came along with the intentions of rebuilding it, which he lived up to, with the continual performances of the best players in Britain, Europe and America.

A book named the Unofficial Guide to London, which has sold over 3.5 million copies, features The Bull's Head twice and is the only institution in the borough to have made it into the publication.

Dan says: "The Bull's Head is an incredible pub with an incredible atmosphere, I love it here. Music runs through my family and I hope this will go on for another 23 years. Everybody knows I love working and it is a trait carried through to my children.

"Wherever I travel around the world as soon as I enter a jazz venue those I meet have heard of us, it's fantastic. I think jazz is growing rapidly and people are coming to understand how much other music comes from the jazz world."

Dan continues: "All music knows some roots in jazz. Jazz seems to be attracting more people now from right across the board, and I am a sucker for a very good saxophone."

When the development next door to The Bull was originally planned for residential housing, both Young's Brewery and the pub explained that there could be problems with noise.

There were hopes that the area would be kept as commercial and become a piazza with shops and offices but instead it was made residential and the problems of complaints were anticipated. It is claimed that these concerns were ignored by planners at the council which has led to this current situation.

The good news is that necessary works which need to be carried out should be completed by June 2005 and normal practice will continue throughout.

"We want people moving in to become neighbours, friends and customers not warring factions," Dan says, "It would have been a crying shame if we had to close the doors to jazz. I love it here, apart from the last three months but one good thing to come out of the stress as is it has made me lose some weight, it's been the best diet. We are very keen to make sure that we create no noise problems. The solution we have come to with the council will solve the problem and allow us to carry on playing jazz for another 45 years, this year is the 45th anniversary."

The pub has enjoyed fantastic support from the Jazz Development Trust, who Dan says has been supporting, campaigning and organising, Jazz Wise magazine, Barnes Community Association and members of the community.

"When you run a pub you don't take an interest in politics or religion we leave this to everyone else. You never really understand this until there is a crisis. I don't think I've ever been through such a bad time in my life."

The licensing and smoking laws are also bound to affect the pub but Dan says he will comply with them completely however frightening or detrimental they may be.

The music room of the pub has been made non smoking already and although jazz clubs conjure up images of a smoky back room it is for this very reason that many good players have been lost to lung cancer from breathing in too many fumes.

Food is served in the pub each day and a Thai restaurant is on hand for the evening but jazz is played every night and twice on Sunday. Prices are reasonable considering the calibre of the performers and Dan comments that the pub is one of very few jazz venues where punters can come with £20 and still go home with change in their pocket. If the fact that a solution has finally been arrived at to save the distinctive Bull's Head from closure isn't something to drink to I don't know what is, here's to another 45 years.