When jazz music arrived on our shores in 1919, with the first British tour of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, it received a frosty welcome from many. Other performers tried to get the group kicked off theatre bills, and the tour ended abruptly – with the Original Dixielanders being chased to Southampton docks by a lord who had just found out the lead singer had been trying to seduce his daughter.
Happily, in the subsequent 100 years or so, jazz has gone on to earn a firm place in our hearts and record collections. With the return of London Jazz Festival, which runs from today until 20 November, we hunted down the capital’s best jazz bars where you can dine and dance the night away.
Louie London, Covent Garden
Just around the corner from Ronnie Scott’s, by Leicester Square, Louie is the secret tourists wish they knew about. The décor makes you feel as though you’re on an opulent 1920s New Orleans river cruiser, with fringed gold lamps draped over a hand-painted marble bar (lined with bottle upon bottle of sparkling liqueur, naturally).
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