Tuesday, June 26, 2012

More lost venues

While I am constantly adding older venues to my Lost London Jazz Venues map (see it here), it is sad that I have, in the last month, included three recent ones: North London Tavern (photo above), which was the work of Jack Davies and friends, Old Red Cow (courtesy of Barry Green on Sunday nights) and Regent's Hall (run by Maggie Black).
It shows the struggle that takes place to keep the jazz going on a day-to-day basis. As I've pointed out before, virtually none of the regular venues in London receive much funding, certainly on a regular basis. Begging, borrowing and stealing are the order of the day. Lots of goodwill from other musicians who are willing to play for little money but great atmosphere and similar. (The big amounts of ACE money for jazz in London in effect go to the London Jazz Festival and the large venues such as the South Bank or Barbican.)
So, however much we are in a thriving scene, that's not the case with the venues.
In the mean time, I have also added Sid Phillips' club in Ham Yard Soho, courtesy of Ian Tugwell. Jazz thrived there in the late 50s/early Sixties. Opposite the Windmill Theatre. While Tugs told me he went to the Sid Phillips club, as he was apprentice in Ham Yard, he didn't tell me if he went to the Windmill!

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