Ronnie Scott's worldwide 55th birthday celebrations
The world famous Ronnie Scott’s jazz club celebrated its 55th birthday last night with two world class performances streamed online.
The world famous Ronnie Scott’s jazz club celebrated its 55th birthday last night with two world class performances.
The night began with singer Dianne Reeves and her band playing music from her acclaimed new album ‘Beautiful Life’ and continued with a set of 1970s style funk fusion from Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda on the Late Late Show. Both shows were broadcast worldwide on the internet as part of Ronnies ground breaking webcast series that recently streamed shows by Wynton Marsalis, Jarrod Lawson and award winning jazz singer Cecile McLorin Salvant.
Takuya Kuroda said of the Late Late session at Ronnie’s, “You can go in, freer, with more joy. Late night sets are simply joy, the place becomes one with a great energy coming from the players.”
Managing Director Simon Cooke spoke with Chris Philips about the good old days when Ronnie Scott would host the club himself with classic one liners such as, "I love this place, it's just like home, filthy and full of strangers,” and how it is now using technology to enhance its brand. There are many great anecdotes coming from Ronnie’s history including saxophonist Sonny Rollins playing accompanied by an African American bagpipe player, an approach by gangster brothers the Krays to run a club for them in Kensington in the mid sixties and the story of the magnum of champagne donated by a local Soho ’protectorate’ in 1965 that remains unopened in the club bar.
Ronnie Scott’s was started in 1959 by the iconic British saxophonist, opening up on 30th October at the former venue in Gerrard Street in London’s Soho before moving the larger spot nearby in Frith Street. It continues to pack houses and play host to British and international star names and emerging acts. Celebrations continue with screenings and playbacks of archive footage including a live set from Jimi Hendrix on tape.
Listen back to Simon Cooke on Jazz FM.
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