The Definitive Guide To London’s Best Jazz Bars & Clubs
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know,” Louis Armstrong once said. While the famous trumpeter and singer might be right, if you’re curious to know where the jazz is, let us be your guide. London is swinging with jazz clubs, bars and nights that will turn a regular evening into something spontaneous, sexy and that, quite possibly, might go on until the early hours.
From the stalwarts of swing to the modern venues turning boogie-woogie on its head, these are the London jazz bars and clubs you need to know about:
Ronnie Scott’s
Legendary jazz musician Ronnie Scott opened his eponymous club back in 1959, and to this day it remains one of Soho’s best-loved spots. Any jazz musician worth their salt has played there, and any self-confessed jazz fan has been to watch a show. Inside, the deep red walls, velvety booths and low-lit table lamps make it feel exactly what a jazz club should be. Some of the world’s best jazz musicians play every night, but the real fun begins at 1 am when the Late Late Show starts and swings on through until 3 am.
After first opening its doors in 1959, to this day, Ronnie Scott’s remains one of Soho’s best-loved spots.
Where: Ronnie Scott’s, 47 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4HT
Website: www.ronniescotts.co.uk
The Piano Bar, Soho
This London hidden gem is tucked away in the heart of Soho and is widely considered one of the city’s best-kept secrets. The intimate jazz sanctuary almost feels as if you have stepped into someone’s living room, feeling more like a private home than a club. While the main bar gives you a front row seat, just inches away from the musicians, its ground floor library room, complete with leather-clad armchairs, offers an alternative space to enjoy the jazz while also holding a conversation.
Part of the Soho Live Music Club ecosystem, the bar hosts live jazz every night, featuring a rotating lineup of world-class pianists, vocalists, and trios.
Where: 41 Great Windmill St, London W1D 7NB
Website: www.thepianobar.com
Blues Kitchen
The Blues Kitchen is a high-energy London institution, with three venues spanning Shoreditch, Brixton and Camden. Get there early to enjoy its deep-South American food, and fuel up for the night ahead, before enjoying a line-up of live music which spans jazz, blues, soul and funk. This is the perfect late-night dancing spot, often staying open till 3 am on the weekends.
Where: Brixton, Shoreditch and Camden
Website: www.theblueskitchen.com
606 Club
Global jazz, soul, groove, R&B, blues and gospel artists have been walking through 606’s doors since 1976. It’s still a hub for live music with musicians playing every night in the speakeasy-style basement bar.
They are one of the biggest employers of jazz artists in the country, with up to 10 bands playing per week. While jazz is the core, the programming includes Soul, R&B, Latin, Blues, and Gospel. Sundays are traditionally “Singers’ Nights.”
While jazz is the core, the programming includes soul, R&B, groove and gospel.
Where: 606 Club, 90 Lots Road, Chelsea, SW10 0QD
Website: www.606club.co.uk
“MU” Dalston
“Mu” is an atmospheric, underground-style Japanese restaurant and live music venue situated in the heart of East London. From Wednesdays to Sundays, it sets the stage for an array of musicians spanning jazz and solo piano through to West African Mande music. With the name itself being a nod to a jazz record, this place is a must-visit for all enthusiasts of the genre.
Where: 432-434 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA
Website: www.muldn.com
Larry’s at The National Portrait Gallery
Situated within the historic vaults of The National Portrait Gallery, Larry’s is an intimate, underground speakeasy-style cocktail bar. Every Wednesday through to Saturday, the venue hosts Live at Larry’s, where it invites venues to indulge in an evening of live jazz while you dine.
Its headlie act, Kitty LaRoar, with Nick Shankland, performs every Thursday, while the other nights see a rotation of musicians.
Where: National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin’s Pl, London WC2H 0HE
Website: www.larry’s.com
Nightjar
Sandwiched between an off-licence and a kebab shop just off Old Street roundabout, you’ll find a big wooden door and inside, Nightjar. One of London’s best-loved secret bars, potent cocktails and live jazz every evening is their bag. The menu itself is a nod to bygone times with sections labelled Pre-Prohibition, Prohibition and Post-War.
Warning: it’s always busy and there’s a strict if-your-name’s-not-down-you’re-not-coming-in policy so book ahead.
Where: Nightjar, 129 City Road, London EC1V 1JB
WEbsitre: www.barnightjar.com
Dalston Jazz Bar
Dalston’s Jazz Bar is the kind of place you stumble across and end up having the best night ever. The bar and restaurant are somewhat rough around the edges, but then, isn’t that what jazz sounds like anyway? The nights are often free, but you need to get there early to secure a spot, and the food is served on a pay-what-you-think-it’s-worth basis. If you’re after red velvet booths and people dressed up to the nines, this is not the place. It’s way more fun.
Where: Dalston Jazz Bar, 4 Bradbury Street, Dalston, London N16 8JN
Website: dalstonjazzclubrestaurant.co.uk
The Jazz Cafe
Head north to Camden’s Jazz Café for an iconic institution steeped in musical history. Every night of the week, they bring Londoners the best of homegrown and global talent across jazz, soul and reggae.
Make a night of it and book into the restaurant that’s actually pretty decent, before dancing the night away for some of the most gifted live musicians in the city and beyond.
The best of homegrown & global talent on our London doorstep.
Where: Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7PG
Website: www.thejazzcafelondon.com
Ninety One Living Room
Head east to a jazz bar and club with vibes that feel like someone’s living room – albeit a much fancier, cooler one with great cocktails, tasty food and live jazz all night long. Ninety One Living Room is an entirely unique space that shifts from co-working in the day through to low lit, moody jazz bar at night.
Head there after hours for snacks and small plates set to the sound of London’s top live artists, as well as names from all over the globe.
Ninety One Living Room, 91 Brick Ln, Spitalfields, London E1 6QL
www.91livingroom.com
Eastcheap Records
Just a stone’s throw from Monument station, Eastcheap Records is famed for its substantial collection of vinyl and Manhattan-style charm, which attracts crowds of city workers and late-night partygoers in abundance. One of its pulls is that it has live music playing every night of the week. Weekdays are for brass-heavy jazz, soul, and acoustic sessions, while Saturday and Sunday welcome more pop classics and DJs playing until the early hours.
Where: 20 Eastcheap, London EC3M 1DT
Website: www.eastcheaprecords.com
PizzaExpress Jazz Club
Ok, hear us out. You may not consider the chain pizza restaurant to moonlight as a jazz club, but head to the basement in the Dean Street branch and that’s exactly what you’ll find.
PizzaExpress Founder Peter Boizot can be held responsible for this strange mashup – he was a jazz lover, and since the late 1960s was keen to include live music on the menu.
Thousands of internationally acclaimed musicians have performed in the Soho basement, from Amy Winehouse to Jamie Cullum, Benny Waters to Charlie Watts.
JizzaExpress Jazz Club, 10 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 3RW
www.pizzaexpresslive.com
Vortex
If you’re serious about jazz, make sure this is on your must-visit list. Dalston’s Vortex is one of London’s, if not the world’s, most pioneering jazz bars. It’s a non-profit business and for the last 25 years has supported upcoming artists and acted as a platform for jazz and improvised music. They’ve even launched the careers of Mercury-nominated bands such as Polar Bear and Portico Quartet.
If you’re serious about jazz, make sure this is on your must-visit list.
Where: Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square, London, N16 8AZ
Website: www.vortexjazz.co.uk
