For nearly two decades, Jazz Hastings has performed a vital role in our town’s cultural life – bringing world-class jazz artists to perform for and alongside our town’s musos.
Over that time, both as players and promoters, pianist John Donaldson and flautist Reg Hendrickse played their part in making Hastings the incredible music scene it is today – booking top-tier artists, building a vibrant community, and keeping the music playing season after season.
On Tuesday 2nd June 2026, Jazz Hastings held its final concert at the East Hastings Angling Club – its home venue for 18 brilliant years. This final concert marked the end of an extraordinary chapter.
More than a monthly gig, Jazz Hastings has always been an independent, voluntary, not-for-profit group run on passion, goodwill and a belief that Hastings deserves world-class musicianship.
Over the years, Jazz Hastings enticed to our seaside hamlet artists such as Don Weller, Art Themen, Alan Barnes, Stan Tracey, Guy Barker, Bobby Wellins, Jerry Bergonzi, John Etheridge, Polar Bear, Gwilym Simcock, Nikki Iles, Byron Wallen, Eddie Henderson, Kirk Lightsey — and many, many more.
John and Reg and the team built something that punched far above the weight of a small, volunteer-run organisation, and they did it consistently – with care and a deep love for the music.
When we launched our first-ever Hastings Jazz Festival in October 2025, we knew we were stepping into a landscape shaped by their work. The success of that first year — the packed rooms, the energy, the sense of discovery — didn’t happen in a vacuum. It happened because this scene already had a jazz heartbeat – kept alive through the hard work of Jazz Hastings.
Reflecting on when John and Reg approached Barnaby Davies about passing the Jazz Hastings torch, he said, “My first thought was: ‘Blimey, that’s a big responsibility.’ My second thought was: ‘Right then — don’t drop it.’”
As part of this next chapter, you’ll find Jazz Hastings’ Yamaha U3 piano now permanently in situ in Barnaby’s Lounge. This professional-grade instrument was generously gifted and symbolic of the promised continuity of excellent year-round jazz programming in Hastings.
HJF and Jazz Hastings are different organisations with different histories, but we share the same spirit: curiosity, adventure, and a belief that live jazz can thrive here by the seaside.
Thank you John and Reg. Thank you to the many who worked behind the scenes to make it happen, and a massive thank you to the many true music lovers who packed the room each month to keep the music coming.
Everything that comes next stands on the foundation you all have built.
We’re proud to continue the story.
— Barnaby, Mike & Simon
Hastings Jazz Festival
