Klooks Kleek was a jazz and rhythm 'n’ blues club on the first floor of the Railway Hotel,

West Hampstead West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottag ...

, north-west London. Klook69ad

Klooks Kleek was a jazz and rhythm 'n’ blues club on the first floor of the Railway Hotel,

, north-west London. Named after "Klook's Clique", a 1956 album by jazz drummer

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-h ...

(Savoy Records 12006), the club opened on 11 January 1961 with special guest Don Rendell (tenor sax) and closed nine years later on 28 January 1970 after a session by drummer Keef Hartley’s group. There were over 1200 sessions at Klook’s Kleek, around 300 of them were featuring jazz, and the others, rhythm ‘n’ blues.

Zoot Money George Bruno Money (born 17 July 1942) is an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He is best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was drawn ...

Ten Years After Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its ...

and Graham Bond recorded live albums at Klooks Kleek. The

British blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric gu ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed p ...

boom of the early 1960s brought to the club many living legends.

History

Jazz

Klook's Kleek founder Dick Jordan was a jazz enthusiast and aspiring trombonist who had made previous attempts to establish a jazz club in the inner suburbs of North-West London. KK proved to be third time lucky. Don Rendell played the club a record 20 times, followed by the hugely popular Dick Morrissey, Tubby Hayes, the best-known jazzer of the time, played KK seven times. The only non-British jazz came from the Polish Modern Jazz Quartet led by Zbigniew Namyslowski who returned by popular acclaim three weeks later. The policy of featuring top British jazz soloists made the club viable as long as the 18- to 25-year-olds remained interested in jazz. The promoters – in 1962 Dick Jordan had invited childhood friend Geoff Williams to partner him at KK – also believed in making their punters part of the club, rather than just a crowd of fee-payers. So there were competitions and coach outings which helped ensure loyalty to the club.Weinding and Colloms Pps 145-147 But jazz at KK ceased on 11 November 1964. An attempt to revive jazz nights in “Dopey Dick’s” on the same premises lasted for 18 months from April 1967. With earlier performance restrictions removed several American jazz “royalty” appeared, including saxists Ben Webster, Roland Kirk,

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as ...

and

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

. Drummer

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

, also appeared. British artists included pianist

Stan Tracey Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album ''Jazz Suite Inspir ...

, and the man responsible for bringing the Americans to his own famous club in Soho, Ronnie Scott. The last-ever jazz session, on 29 October 1968, featured organist Jimmy McGriff.

Rhythm and blues

In 1963 the promoters were very aware of a burgeoning scene in both blues and RnB which arrived at Klooks Kleek in the shape of

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the onl ...

and the Blue Flames. The band's mix of Louis Jordan, soft soul, funk and even vocal versions of bebop numbers (“Parker’s Blues”) met the interests of a pretty diverse audience. Their first appearance at KK was on a scheduled Jazz night causing a queue of a rare length and mass approval of their music. They opened the Tuesday RnB nights on 10 September 1963 and performed a further twenty-one times, continuing to appear at this small venue even after two No 1 chart singles. Their legendary manager, Rik Gunnell, allowed them to work for “peanuts” every so often because the band so liked the ambience of KK. Appearing regularly in rotation with Fame were the Graham Bond Organisation. Apart from the prodigious musical skills of the leader on keyboards and saxes, the rhythm section was

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pio ...

and

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disban ...

, Guitarist John McLaughlin (“Mahavishnu Orchestra”) was also a member of GBO. By the beginning of 1964, RnB nights had become so successful that an additional Monday session was introduced. Georgie and the Blue Flames opened on 13 April that year to the usual full house, but Monday nights proved not to be viable, and on 1 April 1965 Thursday became the second club night. Zoot Money who was already on the way to becoming a club legend opened. The last Monday session took place on 26 July 1965. Thursdays endured until November 1969. Also appearing in the early sixties was Rufus Thomas (Walking The Dog).

Most Appearances

The Mike Cotton Sound's 45 appearances were made mostly on Thursday where they were effectively the house band. Graham Bond made 39 appearances under the RnB banner and a further 4 as a Modern Jazz artist. Zoot Money and The Big Roll Band performed 34 times. They were Club's most popular attraction.

brought many future stars through his various bands He Appeared 33 times and did much to foster interest in blues nationwide. Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames played 22 times within the first two years of RnB at KK. Commercial success then took them into larger venues, but spin-off bands, e.g. The Night-Timers who played 21 gigs, kept the genre going at smaller clubs like KK

Blues

The early 60s, and 1963 in particular also evidence a burgeoning interest in both country and urban blues, with national promoters bringing groups of American blues artistes over for concert and club tours. By 1964 this was in full swing and KK featured well-known bluesmen particularly in the Autumn of 64 and Spring of 65. Sonny Boy Williamson II, (backed by the Moody Blues!),

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

, Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker (backed by John Mayall), Champion Jack Dupree and Buddy Guy all delighted their audiences. Hooker and Wolf both made return visits in later years;

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mo ...

and Otis Spann appeared in 1969. Britain was not to be left out. Alexis Korner, a crusader for the blues for more than a decade also appeared half-a-dozen times in 1964.

Notable performers

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

appeared so long ago he was still prefixed as “Little”, between the initial Motown hits and the emergence of the adult superstar in the 1970s. Also paying their dues at Klooks Kleek were inter alia Jon Lord of Deep Purple, playing in

the Artwoods The Artwoods (also sometimes known by Decca Records as the Art Woods) were an English rock band who formed in 1963 and were professionally active between 1964 and 1967. They were a popular live attraction, rivalling groups such as the Animals, ...

, named after Ronnie Wood's older brother and leader of the group; Purple themselves played one gig in 1969 before the big time beckoned;

Bluesology Bluesology was a 1960s British blues group, best remembered as being the first professional band of Elton John (then known by his birth name Reginald Dwight). History From about 1960, organist Reginald Dwight – then aged 13 – and his nei ...

had a 20-year-old called

Reg Dwight Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, later Sir Elton Hercules John;

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

, all of whose members were familiar with KK from previous bands, played a couple of gigs before their first mega-bucks US tour and again between that one and the next; they were recorded “unofficially” on the latter gig in November 1966.

The Nice The Nice were an English progressive rock band active in the late 1960s. They blended rock, jazz and classical music and were keyboardist Keith Emerson's first commercially successful band. The group was formed in 1967 by Emerson, Lee Jack ...

who gave birth to Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP) were regulars in 1967 and 1968, as was

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

with Roger Chapman on vocals and Ric Grech, later of

Blind Faith Blind Faith were an English supergroup featuring Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They were eagerly anticipated by the music press following on the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton ...

on bass, violin and cello in 1969 following the release of their debut album '' Music in a Doll's House''.

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

appeared with three different bands – his own Soul Agents backed Buddy Guy, he was a member of Shotgun Express with Peter Green and

Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of t ...

, and appeared with the

Steam Packet Generally, packet trade is any regularly scheduled cargo, passenger and mail trade conducted by ship. The ships are called "packet boats" as their original function was to carry mail. A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post ...

with

Long John Baldry John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including ...

, Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll.

's live LP ''

Undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by ...

'' was recorded at KK in 1968. The original

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the li ...

with Peter Green were regulars in 1969; Christine Perfect keyboards and vocals in their later incarnation had given her first-ever professional performance at KK with Chicken Shack in 1968. The Mac made full use of their appearances at KK by making unbooked recording raids on Decca Studios next door The proximity of the club to Decca also helped a new group to test their proposed single on a live audience. On 29 September 1964, the interval band,

the Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The group c ...

, performed Go Now. Other KK regulars who established themselves on the national stage in later years were

The Alex Harvey Band Alexander James Harvey (5 February 1935 – 4 February 1982) was a Scottish rock and blues musician. Although his career spanned almost three decades, he is best remembered as the frontman of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, with whom he bui ...

, Chris Farlowe, and

Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band are an England-based soul band. Career The Ram Jam Band were formed around 1964 by Pete Gage and Geoff Pullum. Before taking on Geno Washington, whom Gage knew from performing at the RAF Bentwaters US Air ...

. Another regular in 1968/69 were Family, a progressive rock outfit.

Visitors and commendations

Situated next to Decca Studios, KK was a favourite drop-in before or after work for music stars, notably

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

, and Mike Smith of

the Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten sin ...

. Eric Burdon often dropped in, particularly when Georgie Fame or Zoot Money were appearing, sometimes accompanied by other members of the Animals. The surprise visit which passed into legend was the one made by Jimi Hendrix whose manager Chas Chandler, formerly of

the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound an ...

brought him in one night when John Mayall was topping the bill. Jimi was never booked, but he was invited to jam with the John Mayall band, and that night's crowd was ecstatic. Individual memories of Klook's Kleek abound, some of them misted by time but all of them enthusiastic The bands themselves loved the location and the ambience of Klook's Kleek. Jimmy Page said, “We loved doing gigs in places like Klook’s Kleek but in the end, they were turning away more people than could actually see the show” At Georgie Fame's 55th birthday bash at The Forum, he brought on Zoot Money to do “Papa’s got a brand new bag” with the words, “He had the best RnB band in the 60s”, which Zoot denies – “No he did”. As the number finishes with both at the top of their form Zoot shouts, “Klook’s Kleek 1964” John Mayall and Dick Heckstall-Smith both recall dropping in to the club to see Cream and Graham Bond respectively. Dave Thompson in his history of Cream mentions that the audience at KK “was already spilling through the downstairs bar and into the street. If people couldn’t actually see the band they could listen through the wall.” Mick Fleetwood summed up the atmosphere, not just at Klook's but all over London thus, “Ah, Swinging London – if one could only re-create that lost, heady air of freedom and opportunity that was sweeping over sleepy, stuffy London town during the mid-sixties”.

Other clubs at the Railway Hotel

Following the closure of Klook's Kleek the owners of the Railway Hotel established both a Moonlight Club and a Starlight Club, neither of which had any connection with KK.

Recordings

Live at Klooks Kleek, the Graham Bond Organisation recorded live on 5 October 1964. Released long after recording and the reservoir for several later releases in different countries, some as recent as 2006. Solid Bond Recorded 16 months earlier on a jazz night GBO was a sextet of stars – Bond, Baker, Bruce, Heckstall-Smith and McLaughlin. Warner Bros WR 3001, re-issued Aug 2008 on Rhino Records. John Mayall plays John Mayall recorded live at Klooks Kleek 07/12/1964, Decca Records 1965 Zoot Money “Zoot!” live at Klooks Kleek 31/05/1966. Columbia SX 6075 Ten Years After “Undead” live at Klooks Kleek 14/05/1968 Deram SML 1023 The Artwoods "Live at Klooks Kleek" was instigated by Mike Raven, a DJ/producer on the short-lived pirate station Radio Atlanta, which had become Radio Caroline South, by the time of the recordings in late 1964. The Artwoods had been so successful as authentic blues purveyors on a dozen interval spots at the club that they stepped up to topping the bill nine times before moving countrywide. The original tapes were transferred to vinyl for availability in June 2016 in the Record Collector magazine's Rare Vinyl series. Don Rendell's "Live at Klooks Kleek" was recorded live at Klooks Kleek on 11 September 1963 the recording was suggested by Ray Goganian, the then KK doorman and a keen amateur recordist and made using Dick Jordan's Ferrograph tape recorder and some quality microphones. The original tapes were transferred to vinyl for availability in April 2017 in the Record Collector magazine's Rare Vinyl series. "Cream Live at Klooks Kleek" recorded on 15/11/1966 without the knowledge of the club promoters.

References

* http://www.musicmakers-world.com/jazzatklookskleek.html * Dick Weindling and Marianne Colloms “Decca Studios and Klook’s Kleek”, The History Press (2013) with Appendices compiled by Geoff Williams. * https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jun/18/guardianobituaries.obituaries * Mick Fleetwood with Stephen Davis and Nicola Mazzella “My life and adventures in Fleetwood Mac”, Avon Books 1991 * Allan Ashton:Klooks Kleek * Dave Lewis with Simon Pallett “Led Zeppelin, the concert file”, Omnibus Press (2005) * Georgie Fame and the Big Birthday Band, (26/06/1998, 3 Line Whip records 710813) * Dave Thompson “Cream – The World’s first supergroup” Virgin Books (2010) {{Coord, 51.5463, -0.1910, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Blues venues London Borough of Camden Jazz clubs in London Defunct jazz clubs Nightclubs in London