‘Young audiences are less scared of it’: why London jazz clubs are expanding and thriving against the odds

As the Jazz Cafe and Ronnie Scott’s expand, and Blue Note eyes its arrival, proprietors say there’s an energy in the scene – but financial pressures remain

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s small gig venues around the country nervously eye their futures amid rising utility prices and a cost of living crisis, one corner of the live music scene seems to be thriving: London’s jazz clubs.

The Jazz Cafe is extending its Camden venue and opening an east London location, Ronnie Scott’s is being refurbished, and New York’s iconic Blue Note club, which has already spread to Japan, Brazil, Italy and China, will open its first London venue next year. And while financial pressures remain, a host of other, smaller venues are bringing in vibrant new audiences.

“I’ll have been doing this for 50 years next year and, to be honest, I’ve seen quite a few ‘resurgences’,” says Steve Rubie, owner of the 606 Club in Chelsea. But, he adds, there’s something genuinely different today. “Younger audiences are less scared of jazz. It’s all just music to them.”