Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

club that has operated in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, since 1959.

History

The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's

district. It was set up and managed by musicians

Ronnie Scott Ronnie Scott Order of the British Empire, OBE (born Ronald Schatt; 28 January 1927 – 23 December 1996) was a British jazz Tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner. He co-founded Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho district ...

and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street. The original venue continued in operation as the "Old Place" until the lease ran out in 1967, and was used for performances by the up-and-coming generation of musicians.

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 ...

was the club's first transatlantic visitor in 1962, and was succeeded by many others (often saxophonists whom Scott and King, tenor saxophonists themselves, admired, such as

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

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

and

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

) in the years that followed. Many UK jazz musicians were also regularly featured, including

Tubby Hayes Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes (30 January 1935 – 8 June 1973) was a British jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his virtuosic musicianship on tenor saxophone and for performing in jazz groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and trump ...

and

Dick Morrissey Richard Edwin Morrissey (9 May 1940 – 8 November 2000) was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and flute. Biography Background He was born in Horley, Surrey, England. Dick Morrissey emerged ...

who would both drop in for jam sessions with the visiting stars. In the mid-1960s,

Ernest Ranglin Ernest Ranglin (born 19 June 1932) is a Jamaican guitarist and composer who established his career while working as a session guitarist and music director for various Jamaican record labels, including Studio One and Island Records. Ranglin pl ...

was the house guitarist. The club's house pianist until 1967 was

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 Insp ...

. For nearly 30 years it was home of a Christmas residency to

George Melly Alan George Heywood Melly (17 August 1926 – 5 July 2007) was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer, and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973, he was a film and television critic for ''The Observer''; he also lectured on art history, with an ...

and

John Chilton John James Chilton (16 July 1932 – 25 February 2016) was a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s, he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts. He won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in ...

's Feetwarmers. In 1978, the club established the label Ronnie Scott's Jazz House, which issued both live performances from the club and new recordings. Scott regularly acted as the club's Master of Ceremonies, and was known for his repertoire of jokes, asides and one-liners. After Scott's death in 1996, King continued to run the club for a further nine years, before selling the club to theatre impresario Sally Greene and philanthropist Michael Watt in June 2005. In 2009, Ronnie Scott's was named by the

Brecon Jazz Festival The Brecon Jazz Festival is a music festival held annually in Brecon, Wales. Normally staged in early August, it has played host to a range of jazz musicians from across the world. Created in 1984 by local enthusiasts – musicians, promoters a ...

as one of 12 venues that had made the most important contributions to jazz in the United Kingdom, and finished third in the voting for the initial award.

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

's last public performance was at Ronnie Scott's, in 1970.

House musicians

Many of the visiting musicians appearing at Ronnie Scott's were soloists touring without their own

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm ...

, or were touring as members of larger bands and they often used the house band to accompany them. On occasions, the house musicians coincided with the members of the various bands that Ronnie Scott led at one time or another.

Drums

* Phil Seamen – house drummer from 1964 to 1968 * Allan Ganley – house drummer from 1964 to 1967, ::backing visiting Americans such as

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

and

Roland Kirk Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

Tony Oxley Tony Oxley (15 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English free improvisation, free improvising drummer and electronic musician. Born in Sheffield, Oxley moved to London in 1966 and became house drummer at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club where he ...

– house drummer from 1966 until the early 1970s. ::Accompanied

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophone, saxophonist who focused on the alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biogra ...

and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

. *

Martin Drew Martin Drew (11 February 1944 – 29 July 2010) was an English jazz drummer who played with Ronnie Scott between 1975 and 1995 and with Oscar Peterson between 1974 and 2007. Career Martin Drew was born on 11 February 1944 in Northampton, Englan ...

– house drummer from 1975 to 1995 * Mark Fletcher - house drummer from 1994 to 2006 * Chris Dagley – house drummer from 2006 to 2010 * Pedro Segundo – house drummer since 2010 * Chris Higginbottom – house drummer since 2012

Keyboards

* Eddie Thompson – house pianist 1959–60 *

– house pianist from March 1960 to 1967/1968 *

John Critchinson John William Frank Critchinson (24 December 1934 – 15 December 2017) also known as "Critch", was an English jazz pianist. Biography Critchinson was born in London in 1934. He worked as a part-time musician with Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, and ...

– house pianist from 1978 to 1995. ::Accompanied

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

George Coleman George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935) is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master. Early life Coleman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was ...

, James Moody,

and

* James Pearson – house pianist since 2006

Bass

* Sam Burgess – house bassist since 2006

Other instruments

– house guitarist 1964–65.

Other musicians

Other regular performers since 2006 include: * Al Cherry (guitar) * Alan Barnes (saxophone) * Alec Dankworth (bass) * Alex Garnett (saxophone) * Alistair White (trombone) * Arnie Somogyi (bass) * Dave O'Higgins (saxophone) * Gary Baldwin (Hammond organ) * Gerard Presencer (trumpet) * James Nisbet (guitar) * Mark Smith (bass) * Matt Home (drums) * Mornington Lockett * Natalie Williams (vocals) * Nina Ferro (vocals) * Pete Long (saxophone) * Ralph Salmins (drums) * Steve Fishwick (trumpet) * Steve Rushton (drums)

Record label

In 1978, the club established its own record label, Ronnie Scott's Jazz House. The first release was an album by Scott's quintet. Over the next 20 years, the label gained in prominence, issuing both historic live club performances and new recordings.

Live albums recorded at Ronnie's

* 1963–65: ''Live in London vols 1 & 2'' –

(taped by Les Tomkins at the Old Place) * 1964: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, a ...

* 1964: ''The Punch'' – Ben Webster * 1964/65: '' There and Back'' – The

Quartet (released 1997). Recorded 27 January 1964/20 August 1965 * 1965: '' Sonny Stitt / Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

and the Dick Morrissey Quartet. Recorded May 1965 * 1965: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a ...

* 1966: '' Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott's'' – Blossom Dearie * 1967: '' Sweet Blossom Dearie'' – Blossom Dearie * 1969: ''Volcano...Live at Ronnie's'' – Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band * 1969: ''Rue Chaptal...Live at Ronnie's'' – Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band * 1970: ''Somewhere in Soho'' (also released as ''Live at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club'') –

Soft Machine Soft Machine are an English Rock music, rock band from Canterbury, Kent. The band were formed in 1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. Soft Machine were central in the Canterbury scene; they became o ...

* 1971: ''Dynasty (Live at Ronnie Scott's)'' –

* 1972: '' Rich in London'', aka ''Very Alive at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

Big Band * 1974: '' Ella in London'' –

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

* 1975: '' Lee Konitz Meets Warne Marsh Again'' -

and

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

* 1976: ''

Livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

'' -

Brand X Brand X were a British jazz rock band formed in London in 1974. They were initially active until 1980, followed by reformations between 1992–1999 and 2016–2021. Despite sometimes being considered to be a Phil Collins side project (due t ...

* 1976: '' Symphony of Scorpions'' -

Graham Collier James Graham Collier (21 February 1937 – 9 September 2011) was an English jazz Double bass, bassist, bandleader and composer. Life and career Born in Tynemouth, Northumberland, England, on leaving school Collier joined the British Army as ...

* 1977: '' Ronnie Scott's Presents Sarah Vaughan Live'' –

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

* 1980: ''Complete Live at Ronnie Scott's 1980'' –

* 1980: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'', aka ''The Man from Planet Jazz'' – Buddy Rich Big Band * 1980: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's – Mike Carr and His Trio Featuring Jim Mullen and Harold Smith'' – Mike Carr * 1980: ''Blues for the Fisherman'' – The

Milcho Leviev Milcho Leviev ( ; December 19, 1937 – October 12, 2019) was a Bulgarian composer, arranger, and jazz pianist. Leviev was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, into a Bulgarian Jewish family; his father was Izak Leviev and his brother was the artist Yoan ...

Quartet, featuring

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...

* 1980: ''True Blues'' – The Milcho Leviev Quartet, featuring Art Pepper * 1983: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Weekend The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...

* 1984: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

. Recorded 17 November 1984. * 1986: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

* 1986: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' – Chico Freeman * 1986: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's, London'' –

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

* 1988: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

* 1988: ''I Gotta Right to Sing (live at Ronnie Scott's)'' – Marion Montgomery * 1988: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Roy Ayers Roy Edward Ayers Jr. (September 10, 1940 – March 4, 2025) was an American vibraphonist, record producer, and composer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several studio albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure ...

* 1989: '' The London Concert'' – George Russell's Living Time Orchestra * 1990: ''Live at Ronnie's'' –

John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

Big Band * 1990: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

* 1991: ''Felicidad'' – Irakere * 1992: S Wonderful'' – Elaine Delmar * 1992: '' Fourth World: Recorded live at Ronnie Scott's Club'' * 1992: ''Ghostsongs'' – Ian Shaw * 1994: ''

Speed Trap Speed limit, Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside "s ...

'' – Peter King Quintet featuring Gerard Presencer * 1995: ''

How Long Has This Been Going On "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, for the musical theater, musical ''Funny Face (musical), Funny Face'' in 1927. History According to Ira Gershwin in his book ''Lyrics on Seve ...

'' –

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

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 only B ...

and Pee Wee Ellis. Recorded 3 May 1995. * 1995: ''

A Change of Seasons ''A Change of Seasons'' is the first EP by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, first released on September 19, 1995, through East West Records. It comprises the 23-minute title track and a collection of live cover songs performe ...

'' –

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). Dream Theat ...

* 1997: ''Dolly Bird'' –

Liane Carroll Liane Carroll (born 9 February 1964) is an English jazz vocalist, pianist and keyboardist. Early life Carroll's parents were semi-professional singers who met and sang at the Country Club in Eastbourne. She grew up in a musical householdIn a ...

* 1998: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' – Shakatak * 1998: ''Soho Session'' –

Peter Green Splinter Group The Peter Green Splinter Group were a blues band formed in 1996, fronted by guitarist and singer Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green was the leader of Fleetwood Mac until 1970. He suffered a mental breakdown during the 1970s and was rehab ...

* 2000: ''Ronnie Scott's Jazz House'' –

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval (born November 6, 1949) is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, timbalero, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 ...

* 2002: ''Son of Dolly Bird'' – Liane Carroll * 2003: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'' -

Lisa Stansfield Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition ''Search for a Star''. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first ...

* 2004: ''Watts at Scott's'' –

Charlie Watts Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021) was an English musician who was the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. Originally trained as a Graphic designer, graphic artist, Watts developed an interest i ...

Performing This Week...Live at Ronnie Scott's * 2005: ''MF Horn VI – Live at Ronnie's'' –

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

* 2006: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Jamie Cullum Jamie Paul Joseph Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, pianist, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He h ...

* 2007: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's'' –

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...

* 2017: '' Live at Ronnie Scott's – John McLaughlin with The 4th Dimension'' * 2019: ''Weekend in London'' –

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1959 establishments in England Jazz clubs in London Soho, London Chinatown, London