Issue #14 - November 2025

Benoit's World News

Hello folks

First of all, let me apologise to those who could not sleep lately because I did not write anything since July... 4 months of wait, or even agony for some, I feel bad about it but I had good reasons being so time deprived as you will find reading further.

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Weather Forecast

Let's skip to the next subject, nothing hot to mention here.

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Horoscope

If you are born under the sign of the Taurus, have an artistic or musical career, travel extensively and are working with the public, you will face life changing transformations for the next 12 months. All your planets will wreak havoc in your existence, your health will need attention, your finances even more, and you will have to adapt to a complete new set of circumstances as a matter of survival, especially if you somewhat happen to be male in your early 50's, jazz singer, guitarist and French. But there is a slim chance you could enjoy a rebirth like a phoenix. For all other signs, or taurus native that have normal jobs, don't worry everything will be as usual, same old, nothing to worry about.

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A new Hollywood production.

I have been asked this summer to act and provide a full orchestra for a period Hollywood film. I knew where to find the talents obviously. It's an independent production with a legendary director and it features people such as Nicolas Cage among other actors. I am bound by contract as usual, so I can't say very much, but it's a 1940's historical drama that should come out in 2026. Here is a photo backstage on set while you wait.

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Then, the red carpet...

As one thing leads to another, I've also been asked to perform by Everyman Cinema for the international premiere of the film "Lucas Seeing red" on the 25th of September. It is a Biopic by film directors Christopher M. Armstrong and Manish Pandey about the life of the legendary Italian Ferrari driver Luca Montezemolo. They asked us to recreate the film soundtrack and to play a repertoire of Italian music exclusively. It was challenging but a lot of fun. The whole thing was filmed, broadcasted live worldwide and in all the Everyman cinemas in the country. I had to learn to play "O sole mio" which went down a storm with the motor racing A listers apparently.

​The press wrote:"former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, Aston Martin head Lawrence Stroll, members of the Ferragamo family and businessman Bob Manoukian among them — arrived dressed in their finest for the occasion, serenaded by a jazz band"... and they loved it so much that we had to perform an extra 15mn. Call that glory?

Ps, I almost arrived late to the gig because I did not know where to park my personal Ferrari in London Bayswater. Eventually a whole line of less pretty Ferraris than mine parked on the double yellow line got a flurry of tickets, the traffic wardens must have had a great day!

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Nightjar: the end of an era.

Once upon a time in 2008 and 2009 in Holborn London, there was a basement club called "Volupté", where the vintage & swing and burlesque scene festered away from mainstream sight. The "Black Cotton Club" hosted by late DJ El Nino was the paramount of cool, and my Orchestra, Top Shelf Jazz and the Alex Mendham Orchestra all did their first steps performing publicly there. Sadly, it had to close soon after thanks to developers once more. On one of those sweaty gig, Roisin Stimson and Edmund Weil came to ask me my opinion about the new hidden speakeasy they wanted to open in Shoreditch: Bar Nightjar.

The rest is history, Bar Nightjar became the epitome of cool, won global awards as one of the top 5 cocktail bars in the world for a decade, and became the heart of the burgeoning London vintage & swing scene. I started to play there monthly from day two after the opening in 2009 and have performed there once a month on Saturday without fail for the last 15 years. Following the instant success of Nightjar, the owners opened the amazing Oriole Club in Farringdon soon after. I have performed there on Fridays with the Orchestra for years and it was my favourite venue with a 200/250 capacity venue with a magnificent exotic decor. We used it to film a series of nine live videos in 2016 and played some memorable concerts until the venue had to be demolished in late 2022 as part of the modernisation (read "destruction") of the historic Smithfield market (developers once again...). That longstanding residency got replaced straight away by another one on Fridays at their newly opened "Nightjar Carnaby", a new venture opening in Kingsly court Carnaby street the following month, a somewhat smaller and more expensive club that could only accommodate a trio thanks to exorbitant running cost. I had to lose my beloved horn section for that venue due to the size restriction, and developed a Nat King Cole trio kind of repertoire for this with a piano / double bass / piano line up.

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I have performed without fail from 9pm to 1am, often in a state of extreme fatigue in those three venues twice a month for 15 years, and it was mostly brilliant! We loved it so much, it felt like our musical and spiritual homes. But after the loss of the Oriole in 2022 to developers, Carnaby became victim of the cost of living crisis and had to close in October 2025. I was left only with the original Nightjar in Shoreditch on saturdays, but sadly since Brexit and the Pandemic things had gradually got worse. Being paid on a door fee, the revenues had been slowly dwindling due to forever reducing attendances because of the astronomically rising costs of a night out in London. That forced me to cut the size of the band from a quintet to a trio. In the end, I had to face 7 hours of transport for this, go to bed at 4am only to take losses so I have decided to stop. I finally admitted defeat, and I did not get a medal for my exploits.

Now, for the first time in 20 years, I no longer have any residency in London. I had an amazing run of 15 years with my Hot Club, the Orchestra, and the Trio. I have outlived all the venues staff by a very large marging and without exception as the longest serving artist/member of staff. I feel honoured to have had such an experience but it is now over over for me, and I need to move to greener pastures... outside London, where herds of cool cats are migrating.

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A special concert, once again

Talking about greener pastures, this is a reprint of the article I posted in July for those who have missed it, and it comes with a £5.00 discount... read below.

In May, I sold out the Henry Ward Hall (Hastings), and due to popular demand, I had to book it again on the 22nd of November. It's barely been advertised so far but half of the tickets are already sold, so please hurry if you are thinking of coming! Use the code "NEWSLETTER-NOV" during checkout to get £5.00 off.

Some journalists came, and this is what they had to say:

MIKE'S LIST:​
"The Hot Club sells out everywhere: from Ronnie Scott’s to festivals across Europe. Each musician a powerhouse in their own right, but under Benoit’s witty, magnetic leadership, something special happens. They play in the deepest sense of the word—musically, joyfully, soulfully.... read more"

HASTINGS INDEPENDENT:​
"The concert given by Benoît Viellefon and his Hot Club band commanded an almost sell-out audience, and, like most local audiences, they came in early. The place buzzed with anticipation, excitement and warm conversation, helped on by the bar at the back. And they weren’t disappointed... read more"

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National Archives.

I have been contacted by the "British Library Sound Archives", based in London Euston. This is what they wrote to me:

"My name is James xxx, I work alongside the audio curators here at the British Library Sound Archive (formerly the National Sound Archive). I’ve been checking out your Bandcamp page and see you are putting out some really great and interesting music. Sadly, we don't have anything of yours in the national collection. It would be great to change that if possible."

I have accepted of course and gave them my entire catalogue. I feel flattered of course, and I hope that people will finally discover my music when I'm dead. Maybe a PHD student will write a thesis about the London music scene of the early 2000s someday? At least there will be a legacy accessible to the public for a long time beyond online portals that are bound to disappear, and I'm very happy about that. But isn't it funny to receive such and invitation and be honoured to be selected as an "artist of some cultural importance" when during my lifetime I am still totally ignored by the music industry, don't have a record deal, and streaming platforms pay me less that £60 a year in total?

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Our town Has plenty.

This is a very rare interview of myself with my sidekick Jarrod Elks. It's a local version of "Tiny desk" showcasing the artistic talents that Hastings has to offer. We promote the gigs on the south coast, answer all the embarrassing questions with more embarrassing answers and perform a few impromptu swing numbers. Please have a look and subscribe if you like it. They are very nice people talking about the vibrant local community.

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One last thing

I am working towards releasing a new album recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017. I know that most people don't have the time to read and that this one has been quite long already, so I'll send another email dedicated to this project shortly. I hesitate to produce a CD, if you want one, please email me, that may change my opinion and I will reply to you.

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Upcoming concerts:

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From the author

That’s it folks, It's was a bit long but I hope it was good, or at least "somewhat good". For complaints and accolades please email me, I will respond.

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A bientot. (French: meaning "See you soon")

Benoit Viellefon

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Benoit Viellefon - St Matthews Gardens, St Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex, United Kingdom
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