Legendary London jazz club Ronnie Scott's is celebrating its 60th anniversary by magically going back in time.
The
world famous Soho club - which has hosted performances by all the
superstars of jazz in its time such as Johnny Griffin, Roland Kirk, Al
Cohn and Stan Getz - is putting on two weeks of shows in a pop-up club
which recreates its first tiny basement club in all its bohemian glory.
The
pop-up club - which will be temporarily located in another legendary
Soho basement den Gerry's - even features the original drinks and food
menus from the club, where you could buy a steak for just £1.
Other
memorabilia - including original photos, posters, neon signs and
furniture - makes patrons feel as they are grooving in a fifties time
warp.
The opening night featured a musical explosion of British
classics that would have been played 60 years ago on that opening night,
alongside audio memories from friends of the club from years gone by.
Saxophonist
Alex Garnett - who leads Ronnie Scott's All Star trio - will be playing
Ronnie's original tenor sax, performing a composition by Ronnie who
founded the club in 1959.
A special guest on the first night was
veteran saxophonist Pete King who, like the house band, got a rapturous
reception for the privileged audience who were exclusively invited to
the first night.
The series of shows will feature some amazing live renditions of legendary albums from that era including http://www.contactmusic.com/miles-davis" rel="nofollow - Miles Davis ' 'Kind of Blue', Horace Silver's 'Blowin' The Blues Away', Dave Brubeck Quartet's 'Time Out' and http://www.contactmusic.com/john-coltrane" rel="nofollow - John Coltrane 's 'Giant Steps', as well as wonderful tributes to artists like Sonny Rollins, Stan Tracey and Wes Montgomery.
Ronnie
Scott's Managing Director Simon Cooke said ''Gerry's felt appropriate
as the original site is unavailable, so this felt like the next best
thing. The original Ronnie Scott's was a fairly no-frills affair, with a
stage, a bar and an audience, so we're reproducing the club as it was
in 1959.''
The Old Place pop-up at Gerry's is part of a year-long celebration of the club's 60th anniversary.
Ronnie
Scott's has staged several events over the course of the year,
including the release of their definitive Jazz 60 playlist, a
summer-long residency at Pikes in Ibiza, a roaring 60th anniversary
street party and most recently, an instrument amnesty organised by the
Ronnie Scott's Charitable Foundation which resulted in more than 350
instruments donated to beneficiaries across the UK and abroad.
The
birthday celebrations will culminate in a special 60th anniversary gala
concert featuring Van Morrison and Imelda May on October 30 at The
Royal Albert Hall.
from www.contactmusic.net