Blu Jaz Cafe’s Entertainment License Revoked
Walk past Blu Jaz Cafe on a Friday evening and chances are, you’ve heard local singers belting out pop and alternative tunes.
This may be a thing of the past, ever since the popular bar’s entertainment licence will be revoked from next Monday (Oct 22). Authorities cite multiple offences, including overcrowding as well as the failure to close windows and doors.
Casual observers may not realise the significance of Blu Jaz to the local arts scene. After all, there are a lot of bars and cafes in Singapore.
But Blu Jaz isn’t just any other bar.
It’s a venue for young local artists to hone their talent in live entertainment, performances, music, comedy shows and poetry sessions.
And it’s not something we’re saying. A local artist, u/cyhlalala, took to Reddit to share the importance of Blu Jaz to the arts scene here. We break down the rant after the jump.
Why Blu Jaz matters
Blu Jaz is one of the few local spots where one can rent a performance space at low costs–sometimes, even for free.
The policy is simple: Blu Jaz offers the space for free if performers bring in a crowd that buys a certain amount of drinks. Artists who can’t meet that number have the option of paying the cafe or charging admission to cover costs.
The Redditor points out that Blu Jaz is one of the last of these spaces standing, since so many have closed in past years.
2 years ago, an amateur or professional musician who wanted to practice at a jam session could do so at B28, Artistry Cafe, Sing Jazz Club and Blu Jaz. Plenty of choices. That slowly reduced to only Blu Jaz.
But there are no shortage of expensive arts spaces like the Esplanade. The artist continues,
The fact is that the rates of Singapore’s performance venues, say the Esplanade, is actually greater than our competition, say New York or London.
Here are the rates of a 245-seat recital studio at Esplanade:
So fledgling artists are being elbowed out of an affordable space to perform. In contrast, there are plenty of jazz clubs in New York and London, which probably explains why they have such thriving arts scenes.
Quick and direct removal
Blu Jaz’s licence was reportedly revoked because of noise complaints from residents of nearby condos.
The Redditor believes this is fair, but writes that there should be a two way process to solve the issue.
He points to countries like Germany and the United Kingdom, where bars have to end live music sessions at a certain time or incorporate sound proofing. He says,
This is because there is a process of communication, instead of a black-and-white “it’s too loud”, there are steps taken to resolve the issue in a way that benefits everyone.
More support for local artists
So what’s the artist’s solution? He has a few, but most interestingly, he’s calling on the government to act in favour of Blu Jaz, if it “cares enough about the development and survival of the arts”.
Blu Jaz is undoubtedly is the best venue for amateur and semi-pro artists, but it shouldn’t be the only one. So he wants more performance spaces that offer more affordable opportunities,
We need venues that didn’t cost hundreds of millions to build and charge rates that pose a huge barrier of entry for any artist.
To stay or not?
Redditors largely agreed with u/cyhlalala, citing the importance of Blu Jaz to our arts scene. Readers looking to support the cafe can sign a petition to get authorities to reconsider their decision.
Featured image from Blu Jaz Cafe and Instagram
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