Ronnie Scott's, Frith Street, London W1
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club remains one of the world’s premier jazz venues attracting internationally renown artists for over four decades. Located in the heart of London’s Soho, saxophonist and owner Ronnie Scott first established the club on Gerrard Street in 1959, then moving to its current location on Frith Street in 1965. He wanted to create a place where he could not only host UK jazz musicians but provide a stage for big international names – that he first encountered while playing on cruise ships during the 1940s.
Running the club with his friend and fellow saxophonist Pete King, it soon became a Mecca for virtually every top jazz musician past and present; Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Chet Baker (among countless others) have graced the club with memorable performances. After Scott’s death in 1996 the club continued to keep his spirit alive but it’s been the latest refurbishment that has breathed a new lease of life into the venue.
While the walls are still decorated with artful black and white photos of jazz legends past and present the newly added extra seating, funky new bar, stunning new house PA and more convenient performance times means the venue has been brought well and truly in the 21st century, without losing its strength of character or the sense of history. Recent bookings have included Chick Corea, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, David Sanborn and Randy Brecker proving that it remains at the top of the list for any visiting artist; possibly the only opportunity in the UK to regularly see and hear some of the world’s biggest names in a classy, close up setting.
Address: 47 Frith Street London W1D 4HT
Telephone: 020 7439 0747
Email: ronniescotts@ronniescotts.co.uk
Website: www.ronniescotts.co.uk
Map
How to get there
Tube: Tottenham Court Road – from tube head west from Falconberg Court, turn left at Falconberg Mews, turn right at Sutton Row, turn left at Soho Square, turn left at Frith Street.
Bus: from Victoria 24 towards South End Green, From Paddington - 436 towards Lewisham / The Lewisham Centre or 36 towards New Cross Gate
Telephone: 020 7439 0747
Email: ronniescotts@ronniescotts.co.uk
Website: www.ronniescotts.co.uk
Map
How to get there
Tube: Tottenham Court Road – from tube head west from Falconberg Court, turn left at Falconberg Mews, turn right at Sutton Row, turn left at Soho Square, turn left at Frith Street.
Bus: from Victoria 24 towards South End Green, From Paddington - 436 towards Lewisham / The Lewisham Centre or 36 towards New Cross Gate