London Recomendations for Jazz Clubs & CD and Book Shops

[dr.33]

Hi Folks,

I am a new poster (been reading everyone elses posts for years). Now I ask anyone's help. I am going to London for a vacation in early March. Please give me any helpful information about Jazz clubs to visit and good jazz cd shops and book shops. I only have five days and would rather hit the ground running with ideas in hand from you guys than just doing a scatter-shot approach. I'ld appreciate any help.

Regards,

Jeff

[Simon Weil]

In terms of Jazz CDs, I'm afraid London is pretty poor (at least I think so). There's a nice store within a store - Ray's Jazz on the first floor of Foyles (the big bookshop on Tottenham Court Road), which I'm sure you would enjoy visiting. Nice vibe, decent selection (though with some loopholes, the store is not vast) and with a little coffee shop adjoining. I haven't visited the (separate) music book department there, but they used to have some pretty good stuff...

The big Virgin at the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street (i.e. just up the road) has a bigger stock, no vibe and no avant-garde.

I don't think London is such a hot buying destination. Sorry.

Simon Weil

[tonym]

Unfortunately since Rays moved and Mole Jazz closed this is correct. The big hyper-stores have stuff but like Simon said, no vibe.

However, there are decent clubs; PizzaExpress on Dean Street in Soho have a good programme as do Scott's around the corner.

Further out of the centre, The Vortex in Stoke Newington (north London) have an eclectic mix as does the 606 ni Chelsea. Recommended.

[jostber]

Record shop - Honest Jon's in Portobello Road!

http://www.honestjons.com/

and you have Jazz After Dark as a really intimate jazz club in Greek St., Soho. I have been there a couple of times, and it's cool.

http://www.jazzafterdark.co.uk/

- Jostein

[Alexander Hawkins]

Increasingly, Virgin have a little 'avant-garde' stuff in - a few HatHuts, Black Saints, Tzadiks, etc...but vibe? None, it's true.

Ronnie Scotts has sold out with its new management (although was on the way down previously, probably), and its booking policy is an absolute disgrace. I'd say boycott it, but there'd be no point - there's hardly any musicians there anyway, and you have to pay an outrageous amount to get in on the door (how's £40-£50 strike you?). But there you go - the corporate pound was too alluring (silly me for thinking it was about the music). So by and large, I'd say Ronnie's is a joke (admittedly, there's still the off-chance you might catch something nice). [Rant over ]

Agree with the 606, and especially the Vortex. If you're in on the 8th March, for example, Evan Parker's at the Vortex with Paul Rutherford, John Edwards, and Tony Marsh.

If you're into the free improvisation end of things, the Klinker is an institution - can be exceedingly 'out', in a very British way. Similarly, 'Free Radicals' at the Red Rose often has some very fine improv.

[JohnS]

Pick up the free monthly Jazz In London leaflet. It's available from places like Rays. This will tell you what's on at clubs and pubs in and around London. There's some pretty good music to be heard.

You can download the information from jazzinlondon.net

[Alexander Hawkins]

Pick up the free monthly Jazz In London leaflet. It's available from places like Rays. This will tell you what's on at clubs and pubs in and around London. There's some pretty good music to be heard.

You can download the information from jazzinlondon.net

That's what I would have recommended if I were in a better mood this morning !

[tonym]

Also, have a look here. You can search the listings that we get in the Jazz UK magazine.

[dr.33]

Hey Guys, thanks so much for getting back to me on your recomendations. I was away for a couple days and was pleased to take in your info. I noticed a lot of stuff in Soho. That is my first beeline when I get there. Some people are into Beatlemania, but I am into Catmania; I am a hugh Cat Stevens fan. Other than Jazz his is the only stuff I play repeatedly. Any suggestions about his father's restaruant (Moulin Rouge, but I think it's called Alfredsons or something now). He also has other connections to the area (where or what is "Tin Pan Alley," Island Records, Hammersmith College where he went for art, the hospital where he recovered from TB, the Catholic school he initially attended, theatres he hung around as a kid, the Islamia School that he started as Yusuf Islam and the hotel that he used to run?). I also was seeking some bookstore recomendations because there a but a few biographies on him and none in the States so I thought maybe the used shops in London might have something (George Brown's, Charlesworth, and Evans are the three authors that come to mind). Thanks again for your info and any forthcoming on the Cat!

Jeff

[Alexander Hawkins]

No help on Cat Stevens, but as Simon Weil hints, if you're after books, go to Foyles, and Ray's Jazz is there as well. Go on the correct Thursday (I think it is) and you'll hear some fine improv as well, often.

Charing Cross Road in general will do you nicely for bookstores!

[umum_cypher]

In terms of Jazz CDs, I'm afraid London is pretty poor (at least I think so). There's a nice store within a store - Ray's Jazz on the first floor of Foyles (the big bookshop on Tottenham Court Road), which I'm sure you would enjoy visiting.

Foyles is on Charing Cross Rd, just before it turns into Tottenham Court Rd.

Honest Jon's (above) is good, but vinyl is thin on the ground there these days unless any London jazz lovers of an appropriate vintage have recently died.

Have a look at Harold Moore's (basically classical) records in Great Marlborough St (Soho), it's great; Mole Jazz is upstairs, though it's difficult to keep track from week to week whether they've shut down for good or not.

The Vortex (above) is the best place to see interesting music in London by a country mile. There is far, far more free improv around than jazz, if you like that sort of thing.

The Barbican and the South Bank Centre are big name places that sometimes have big name jazz, don't recall if anyone interesting is coming up.

Listen to Resonance104.4FM! It's at www.resonancefm.com as well - have a look at the forum section of their website for adverts for upcoming gigs, largely of an underground/avant/improv nature.

Time Out carries pretty comprehensive jazz/improv listings.

The Crypt is a club underneath a church in Camberwell, with regular jazz - listings: http://www.jazzlive.co.uk/forth2.htm

Now I think about it there isn't much around. Bring an iPod. Can't help on the Cat Stevens front, but Tin Pan Alley is presumably Denmark St, just off Charing Cross Rd (opposite Foyles bookshop in fact). Look in Helter Skelter, music bookshop on Denmark St, possibly trading under a different name now, for yr Stevens books.

[umum_cypher]

Of course, Pizza Express on Dean St (Soho) has a venerable jazz club in the basement.

Avoid: Ronnies, Jazz Cafe. Nothing to see here.

[Big Beat Steve]

As for music books in London, maybe the Londoners could follow up and elaborate on the following:

When I was regularly in London throughout the 90s and up to 2000, the Henry Pordes bookstore (Charing Cross Road) regularly carried a good selection of cut-price music books among other art books (usually books about to go OOP or books that had been superseded by a subsequent edition).

Up in Camden Town there used to be Compendium Book Shop but they closed down in '99 or so (had to give way to unaffordable rents and building development policies, it seems) but there was another book store nearby across the road in a sort of inner court (lots of small specialist shops arranged around an inner court - might have been near Camden Lock). When I passed by there in 2000 they told me they had sort of taken over where Compendium left off, i.e. they had a pretty good selection of music books. I forget their name but maybe this description rings a bell with one of the Londoners around here so they can confirm whether these outlets are still any good.

Edited February 12, 2007 by Big Beat Steve

[sidewinder]

Have a look at Harold Moore's (basically classical) records in Great Marlborough St (Soho), it's great; Mole Jazz is upstairs, though it's difficult to keep track from week to week whether they've shut down for good or not.

Mole closed some years ago at that venue and I don't think they've re-opened. Harold Moore's is well worth a look though, if you are into classical music vinyl.

Honest Jon's is a great little store - especially for R&B, ska etc but not much vinyl last time I was in there. Very helpful staff and they have their own label putting out rare Candi Staton sides etc.. They even have some interesting visitors (the guy from Thievery Corporation was buying a stack of CDs last time I was in there).

There are a few vinyl emporia around Berwick St in Soho but they can be very hit and miss I'm afraid.

[Big Beat Steve]

There are a few vinyl emporia around Berwick St in Soho but they can be very hit and miss I'm afraid.

The best of them (for various styles of music) in that area was RECKLESS RECORDS located in Berwick Street but I am afraid they have closed down too at about the same time that Mole went (at least that's what they said elsewhere on the WWW).

London sho' ain't what it used to be ...

Another point trying nowadays that the choice narrows down is the various 2nd hand record shops of the MUSIC & VIDEO EXCHANGE, including the one at Notting Hill Gate (where you pass by anyway when you walk up towards Portobello Road).

Hope that they at least are still around. Normally they would only have been second or third choice for me but I used to check them out pretty regularly anyway and when I was there last in 2000 I was surprised to find quite a huge selection of jazz vinyl at Notting Hill Gate (including an original 50s U.K. Vogue pressing of one of the Bud Shank Pacific Jazz LP's in very decent condition at a very fair price).

[sidewinder]

Indeed things are not up to past standards in London as regards vinyl. The 'golden age' was probably the late 70s/early 80s with the likes of Mole, All Change, Colletts (predecessor shop to Rays on Shaftesbury Ave) and Honest Jon's had at least 3 stores (Baker St, Portobello Road and Camden Town - the last of these was particularly ). And these were just the specialist jazz places ! Those were the days before trendy fashion crap 'boutiques', useless mobile phone emporia etc. and their high rents forced everyone out. The CD era also sounded the death-nell.

Heck, in those days even places way out in the sticks like Plymouth and Weymouth had jazz stores !

'Rays' is a nice place to check out - have one of their cappucinos in the cafe, one of the best in London. Good for CDs although I've not seen anything in the vinyl racks of note the last half-dozen visits.

Edited February 13, 2007 by sidewinder

[jostber]

A couple of overviews of music shops in London:

http://www.talkingcities.co.uk/london_page...pping_music.htm

http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/out/music/record-shops.html

http://jazz.about.com/od/londonjazzclubs/a/londonguide.htm

- Jostein

[Simon Weil]

In terms of Jazz CDs, I'm afraid London is pretty poor (at least I think so). There's a nice store within a store - Ray's Jazz on the first floor of Foyles (the big bookshop on Tottenham Court Road), which I'm sure you would enjoy visiting.

Foyles is on Charing Cross Rd, just before it turns into Tottenham Court Rd.

Yup. Sorry 'bout that.

Sidewinder wrote:

Indeed things are not up to past standards in London as regards vinyl. The 'golden age' was probably the late 70s/early 80s with the likes of Mole, All Change, Colletts (predecessor shop to Rays on Shaftesbury Ave) and Honest Jon's had at least 3 stores (Baker St, Portobello Road and Camden Town - the last of these was particularly ). And these were just the specialist jazz places ! Those were the days before trendy fashion crap 'boutiques', useless mobile phone emporia etc. and their high rents forced everyone out. The CD era also sounded the death-nell.

Heck, in those days even places way out in the sticks like Plymouth and Weymouth had jazz stores !

I don't know that I have exactly an unbiased view, but to me listening to Jazz in the 70s and 80s had many more entry points than it does now in the UK. There seemed better people on the radio, more stuff in the shops, more vital gigs etc., etc. Perhaps this is in part just a 50+ guy looking backward, but then there seemed a kind of positive aspect that is missing now. Like this is a music that was really happening then. I miss that.

I know Brit Jazz has always had an element of holding on, but that seems prevalent now.

Simon Weil

Edited February 13, 2007 by Simon Weil

[umum_cypher]

I know Brit Jazz has always had an element of holding on, but that seems prevalent now.

Simon Weil

[jostber]

Rough Trade is going strong, not too far from Honest Jon's:

http://www.roughtrade.com/site

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_result...mp;category=009

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/about.lasso

- Jostein

[sidewinder]

I know Brit Jazz has always had an element of holding on, but that seems prevalent now.

Simon Weil

I could have sworn that when I walked past a couple of weeks ago the door up to Mole was open and it looked like something was going on, but I didn't go in because Mole was never any good after it moved to that site. They 'shut down' several times before they actually shut down.

It's the mid-80s deregulation of the stockmarket/City, isn't it: I'm sure it's the super-rich merchant bankers who were suddenly prepared to invest £300 on an old Sahib Shihab record, so snatching all the useful vinyl stock out of the shops and out of the hands of the real connoisseurs, just like they did with wine ... literally EVERYTHING bad about London is Thatcher's fault!

[mikeweil]

Up - we have a gig coming up in London and two days off after that, Sunday and Monday April 27 and 28, so I'm grateful for any up to date info!

Thanks!

[sidewinder]

Not too much to add Mike - Mole is now long gone but 'Ray's Jazz' in Foyles Bookshop on Charing Cross Road (Leicester Square or Tottemham Court Road tube) is well worth a visit.

Have a good trip to the big smoke. I'll be in London on the Friday night only for Wayne Shorter's gig. Too bad I can't stay longer.

Where abouts is your gig?

Edited April 21, 2008 by sidewinder

[mikeweil]

Where abouts is your gig?

I have no idea - we get picked up at Heathrow and are taken straight to the venue, I have no adress or whatever. Kurdish organization borders on chaos, in most cases. Mikail Aslan's webiste hasn't any details, either. I have the exact flight details 'cause I booked it myself!

[sidewinder]

Where abouts is your gig?

I have no idea - we get picked up at Heathrow and are taken straight to the venue, I have no adress or whatever. Kurdish organization borders on chaos, in most cases. Mikail Aslan's webiste hasn't any details, either. I have the exact flight details 'cause I booked it myself!

Magical Mystery Tour !

If you are passing through the Picadilly Circus underground, you might want to try the old Tower Records site which is accessible from there, now rebanded 'Zavvi'. Was in there briefly yesterday - prices are ludicrous though (especially compared with good stores in Germany) and it's not as good as the old 'Tower'. 'Rays' remains your best bet (and the coffee is good there too).

Edited April 26, 2008 by sidewinder