B-bop, hard-bop, rag time and swing, Mingus, Monk, Melly and Miles Davis. Digby Fairweather blowing his horn, some blue cat running down the barmaids with seething eyes from the back of another smoky stage in New Orleans like vibe and still looking for another dark rum; clear the back of his throat and see clearly through all that improvised haze.
All the time, in the back of this cats’ head lies the fervent energy and overbearing, energizing presence of old black stoic slaves singing ‘Spirituals’ the ‘Call and Response’ songs of oppressed long suffering men and women expressing their need for religion and emancipation. Incessant strength oozing from the pores of their souls. Outstretched minds, detached from reality and flying upward to realms of Godlike creation. Bap-Bap-Ti-Too-Bee-Dee-Bap-Bap, whooee, holla and sing the blues of all our brothers and sisters in this hole of a life they call the world; fusion in a tenor sax and some old drum skin. Ohhh Yeaaahh!
All the while, your heart’s racing through inconceivable spasms of life, death, work, love and hatred communicated to your red clothed seat from the deep, resonant and plum curvy voice of red and yellow striped suit lead vocal. Now that’s Jazz!
Jazz is black America. Jazz is the history of fusion and the incorporation of various musical traditions through European settlers to America, the long haul from New Orleans to New York and from there, slowly to our one and own London town.
Ronnie Scott's
Now I wanted to find this hooting holla of rapping drum thwaps and screaming Parker horns on my own turf. My first port of call had to be the infamous Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in Soho, 47 Frith Street www.ronniescotts.co.uk
Ronnie Scott was a twenty something tenor sax player when in 1937 he decided to go to New York to see for himself what the live jazz club scene was all about. Early Musician’s Union restrictions made it very difficult for American jazz artists to play in London, therefore Scott found himself dazzled by new performances and an exposure that would have been impossible to achieve in England.
The year of 1959 marked the opening of Ronnie Scott’s, now one of, if not the most, famous jazz clubs in Britain and beyond. I could literally feel the history of Jazz oozing out of the walls as I walked in. Picking up some information on current listings and membership details and prices, all of which was readily available and free to take away, I realised some passions don’t come cheap. Prices begin at £20 for admission between Mon-Thurs and £25 for Fri & Sat, members pay £10 Mon-Sat and the cost of a full years membership starts at £60.00 per annum.
Pretty expensive for the odd night, but if you like your jazz fix regular then becoming a member will save you substantially. Make sure you book in advance to avoid disappointment. Anyone who’s anyone in the jazz scene has played at Ronnie Scott’s.\n\nOther London Jazz Venues
Carrying on my mission to find varying jazz haunts around London, preferably free ones, I remembered an old bar in Covent Garden I’d been to once where I happened to stumble upon some old time horns and vocals giving it. The Lamb and Flag in Rose Street WC2 just off of Floral Street provides free jazz every Sunday in a classic old London pub setting. Just go along one Sunday and be prepared to take a chance. It’s free right? So if you get a rough set from a broken down and blue sax player, hard on his luck, just go to the bar and buy a couple of Prides and make sure you give one over; maybe his baby gone and left him or something.
The Jazz Cafe
A little bit further north lies the The Jazz Café in Camden, 5 Parkway NW1. What's on at Jazz Cafe
Less for the purists and with a more eclectic mix the Jazz Café offers a mixture between contemporary and old-school, with some acts leaving the arena of jazz completely, including Hip-hop from the likes of Gang Starr to a night of reminisence and jiving with Kid Creole and his Coconuts. Prices start from £8.00 and go up to as much as £26. Again, you should book in advance.
Sir Richard Steele
The Sir Richard Steele pub, 97 Havistock Hill NW3 provides a quirky alternative for a reasonable price. Filled with musty old animal heads and yellowing paintings of bygone eras, this pub has many live acoustic sessions and charges a minimal fee of £4.
Dalston Jazz Bar
Down the Kingsland Road past Dalston and Kingsland railway station lies the Dalston
Jazz Bar, 4 Bradbury Street. This is a great little jaunt with an intimate atmosphere and free sets, although the drinks can be a bit pricy. Sharp lines and the reflective surface of a stainless steel bar contrast intriguingly with comfy furniture and a well stacked book shelf. I was lucky enough to see a three piece set here once with trumpet, base and sax. The intimacy of this venue makes for an electrifying atmosphere when those horns start to warble.
Vortex Jazz Bar
The Dalston Culture house in Gillett St, just around the corner is home to the Vortex Jazz Bar, scene of much contemporary jazz. On the night I was there the atmosphere was less than conducive due mainly to an undercapacity crowd and a truly lacking amount of imagination with regard to the interior design. This aside though there seems to be potential in this venue. An impressive list of up and coming events can be found at their website www.vortexjazz.co.uk. A band named ‘Polaris’ were playing on the night I attended. Their use of modern recording samplers mixed with made up instruments such as old clay plant pots and hybrid electronic gadgets suggested an experimental inclination which one can only hope continues.
Dover Street Restaurant & Bar
Dover Street Restaurant & Jazz Bar is a great Mayfair party venue. They have perfected the art of offering fine French/Mediterranean cuisine and a fun, relaxed atmosphere with live music 6 nights a week. The music ranges from Jazz and Soul, through to funk and disco, with a DJ keeping the party going until 3am. The venue regularly hosts large corporate events, music showcases and romantic dinners, making Dover Street Restaurant & Jazz Bar the ideal venue for any celebration.
Additional London Jazz Venues
- Jazz After Dark - 9 Greek Street
- PizzaExpress Jazz Club - 10 Dean Street
- The 606 Jazz Club - 90 Lots Road
You can find full listings of the various jazz venues around London by visiting www.jazzservices.org.uk. In addition there is also a link to up and coming festivals around the U.K and Europe.\n\nJazz Music and Book Shops
Looking for a range of contemporary or classic jazz music to buy in a relaxed environment? Maybe the latest copy of Jazz UK, one of the leading newspapers in England dedicated to jazz. Try Ray’s Jazz and Café at Foyle’s book shop, 113-119 Charing Cross Road WC2.
For a more old-school feel a good little haunt to check out is Honest Jon’s, 276 Portobello Road W10. As opposed to the modern idiom, where rows upon rows of dutifully subservient headphones wait longingly for your ears, just pick up a record your in to and wait for the in shop assistant to play it on the loud speaker, bop down in the shop and maybe get some feedback from likeminded listeners too.
Mole Jazz situated at No.2 Great Marlborough Street, W1F offers one of the largest jazz selections in the U.K, new and used CD’s, LP’s, jazz related literature and collectors items.
Festivals
The capital, of course, also plays host to the magnificent annual London Jazz Festival - a showcase of UK and international performers appearing at the Royal Festival Hall and other venues around the city. Find details and additional resources and links for London Jazz Festival 2005 here.
There lies, in old London Town, a veritable cornucopia of smoky venues, dingy bars, post-modern arenas and street artists jazzing along to that historic beat, born to us from the resounding diaphragms of old black working souls and chafed wheat worn hands. Bountiful bellies of indulgence after one J.D too many, aching sweet memories of loves gone by on Old Compton Street. Blue, down and gritty evocations of life’s heavy core echo through improvised horns and over the seeping miasma.
Whooee, Whap, Bam and Holla!! The hearts and minds of empathy rile and stir for expression; a voice in a city of wondering souls. Jazz gives vent to this need, for it is a need, a desire, an appetite that must be sated. So go sate your soul.
Feed it with the tapping ivory keys of Theolonius Monk and the sweet winy wires of Charlie Parker night. Sit back in your red clothed seat once more and praise be to the blues and jazz creation from whence it came.
