Alec Sykes – (08/09/37 – 03/11/20)

Alec Sykes, who has died at the age of 83, won a place in the hearts of musicians and audiences almost from the moment he launched Wakefield Jazz with his wife Faith in 1987. From an unlikely setting at a sports club which looked out on a bowling green, 180 miles up the M1, Alec created one of the UK’s most lively and enduring venues.

He had an uncomplicated view of how to run a jazz club. When people come out on a Friday night, he would say, they want to enjoy themselves. It was Alec’s personality that made it work. Inevitably it was tough at first but later he went on to arrange recordings such as Dave Newton and Clark Tracey’s ‘Bootleg Eric’ or the Alan Barnes-Don Weller ‘Cannonball’ album. He liked to put impromptu bands together, often with names he made up, like the Italian Radio orchestra or the Bus Pass Orchestra. Without fail everyone had a good time on evenings like those. As Tina May said, ‘I’ve never heard of anyone not enjoying working at Wakefield.’

When he stepped back from running the club in 2004, its reputation as one of the country’s foremost venues was already made, as pianist and composer Nikki Iles, whose close association with the club goes back to the beginnings, confirmed. “Alec was an absolute gem of a man with a heart of gold,” she said. “I am so indebted to him for his and Faith’s kindness in giving me so many opportunities in those all-important early years to learn on the stand playing for the big guns such as Pete King, Dick Morrissey, Tim Garland and visiting Americans … not forgetting the after-hours hospitality up the hill to their place with many laughs and stories.

‘”He booked musicians he loved as people, so the programming was wonderfully diverse and the audience trusted him implicitly. Whether it was Django Bates, Alan Barnes or Norma Winstone, it was always a great night out with Alec at the helm. I look back at the many years of returning to the club, now realising what an important place it was to me – a safe place to try things out, celebrate a new project and enjoy a loyal, supportive and enthusiastic audience … all lovingly created by Alec.”