Music
Step Inside: The Jazz Cafe
From historic jazz gigs to electronic music club nights, here is everything you need to know about the iconic north London venue
In the heart of Camden lies a piece of important music – specifically Jazz – history. A stage that has been graced by the greats; Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Cassandra Wilson, Floetry, the dearly departed D’Angelo, Bahamadia, Roy Ayers and Herbie Hancock, to name a few. A venue that continues to host the best contemporary artists in Jazz, reggae, R&B, soul and hip hop, including Duckwrth, Mahalia and kwn. That venue is none other than London’s Jazz Cafe. Opening in 1990, The Columbo Group‘s Jazz Cafe has been the premier venue for all things Jazz, soul and Afro club nights, and more.
Jazz Cafe London History
While the venue’s location for the last three decades has been in Camden Town, The Jazz Cafe was originally a club ion Newington Green founded by Jon Dabner and Jean Marshall in the 1980s. The venue moved to its current location on 5 Parkway in 1990, still under Dabner and Marshall’s ownership before Mean Fiddler Music Group took over bookings in 1992. MAMA Festivals acquired Mean Fiddler Music Group in 2008, and continued to operate The Jazz Cafe until 2016. During this period, the venue hosted an array of illustrious artists both mainstream and fringe, including Jamiroquai, the incomparable Sun Ra Arkestra, art rock and new wave pioneer Mick Karn, Amy Winehouse, and south London’s Floetry.
In 2016, The Columbo Music Group took over ownership of Jazz Cafe, investing in a £3 million refurbishment of the venue that resulted in a new logo, new tech equipment, and an improved menu in the mezzanine restaurant. Being under The Columbo Group means that the venue is part of the same family as XOYO, The Old Queens Head, The Blues Kitchen, Phonox and The Parakeet. Since 2016, Jazz Cafe has added electronic music to its programming, alongside the usual hip hop, funk, soul, jazz and reggae; plus, an annual summer festival in Brockwell Park.
Food, drink and amenities at Jazz Cafe
Located on the mezzanine floor is the venue’s restaurant, which is the perfect place to enjoy a great meal with a view of the stage. Visitors can either book a table just to enjoy the food, or purchase a restaurant admission ticket, which allows access to the restaurant during the show of your ticket booking. The menu is a fusion of mediterranean, Caribbean and continental cuisine, with dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options available on request. Additionally, the restaurant offers a full drinks menu, with cocktails, soft drinks, spirits, and more.
For the fans who just want to be closer to the action, general admission tickets grant access to the two ground-floor bars, which serve an array of alcoholic and soft drinks for a reasonable price.
Getting to the venue
By Public Transport
Fans can access the venue via London Underground routes that stop in either Camden Town, which is a five-minute walk away, or Overground routes that stop at Camden Road, which is a seven-minute walk away.
Additionally, any TfL bus that services Camden Town or Camden High Street can be used to get to the venue. The following bus routes stop short walks away: 214, 253, 27, 274 and 29.
For visitors who cycle, there are Santander Cycle and Lime Bike docking stations around Camden Town and very close to the venue.
By Car
While there isn’t parking at the venue, visitors travelling by car can find parking around the area using the Camden Council website. For visitors with accessibility needs and blue badge holders, you can contact the venue’s accessibility team via email on [email protected].
