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The appearance of Catherine Russell is among the highlights at Ronnie Scott's in September when the club re-opens

Ronnie Scott's opens again next week after an August closure for refurbishment. Highlights include an appearance by singer Catherine Russell whose new duo album My Ideal is our album of the week



Catherine Russell - daughter of Luis Russell known for his work with Louis Armstrong - plays Ronnie Scott's on 30 September



65 years old in October having been founded in what is now Chinatown on Gerrard Street Ronnie Scott's operating over the road from Shaftesbury Avenue on Frith Street in London's Soho itself since 1965, as much an institution in the neighbourhood as Bar Italia, the Coach and Horses of Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell renown and The French House, re-opens in the first week of September after a refurbishment.


Here's a look at who's playing the Soho institution - the UK's top jazz venue in the first month back all spick and span. Highlights include the appearance of jazz singer Catherine Russell whose new Dot Time Records release My Ideal is our album of the week.




A duo album with pianist Sean Mason it arrives two years on from Send For Me that marked their first collaboration. My Ideal is named after the Richard A. Whiting, Newell Chase and Leo Robin song first recorded by Maurice Chevalier in 1930. The label explains the album ''tells the history of the jazz art form, from the early beginnings of the music with homages to James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, to the confluence of jazz and popular music with tributes to Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra.'' Russell plays Ronnie's on the last evening of September with pianist Roy Dunlap, bassist Tal Ronen and drummer Domo Branch.




"I told everyone that I got a slipped disc by bending over backwards to please Stan Getz'' - Ronnie Scott

The title song has been covered by many of the greats down the years memorably by Sonny Rollins (who also wrote the instrumental theme of the classic1960s film Alfie locked in on the Ronnie's premises one night) and also - given this short piece is about Ronnie Scott's - we include a version of the song by Stan Getz and Chet Baker from Quintessence Vol. 1 (Concord Jazz).


Of Getz notable wit Ronnie Scott, who died in 1996, quipped "It so happened that one of his visits to the club coincided with my contracting a very bad back. I told everyone that I got a slipped disc by bending over backwards to please Stan Getz.''

September

Monday 2nd September - Wednesday 4th September 2024

5.30pm & 8.30pm (£35.00 - £55.00)

Natalie Williams’ Soul Family present: A Philly Soul Summer Festival

Galvanised by the success of the popular and riotously fun ‘Motown and More’ shows, which have been selling out every December for many years alongside their monthly Soul Family residency, Soul Family are delighted to bring their signature soaring gospel-inflected vocals, driving bass lines, pounding rhythms and all-round joyful musicianship back to Ronnie Scott’s. Expect to hear modern masterpieces and influential classics, from Jill Scott’s ‘It’s Love’ and Jazmine Sullivan’s ‘Bust Your Windows’ to the O’Jays ‘Back Stabbers’, The Spinners ‘Working My Way Back to You’, and ‘Could it Be I’m Falling in Love’ to Sister Sledge’s disco classic ‘Thinking of You’.


Thursday 5th September - Friday 6th September 2024

5.30pm & 8.30pm (£35.00 - £55.00)

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra

Directed by wise-cracking MD Pete Long, expect the power of a big band across all the genres with first class arrangements of classic big band hits from the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, The Rat Pack and Benny Goodman.


Saturday 7th September 2024

6.30pm (£35.00 - £50.00)

Ronnie Scott’s Blues Explosion

Since its inception in 2008, the club’s monthly blues night has remained a firm favourite on the blues calendar bringing top performers from the world of jazz and blues. Co-led by guitarist/vocalist Marcus Bonfanti (Ten Years After), pianist/vocalist Paddy Milner (Tom Jones) and also featuring Tony Remy (Jack Bruce) on guitar, the Blues Explosion presents a night of electrifying blues featuring the music of BB King, Buddy Guy, Peter Green, Albert Collins, Dr. John and many more.


Sunday 8th September 2024

12.00pm (£15.00 - £25.00)

Mark Crooks and Nigel Price present Jazz Samba

Mark Crooks, a lyrical saxophonist in the Stan Getz mould, and guitarist Nigel Price, one of the unsung heroes of the British jazz scene with over 500 appearances at Ronnie Scott’s, present their interpretation of the first ever fully fledged bossa nova album recorded by American jazz musicians “Jazz Samba”. A commercial success, “Jazz Samba” topped the charts on its release and produced its own pop hit single – ‘Desafinado’.


Sunday 8th September 2024

6.30pm (£35.00 - £50.00)

Ronnie Scott’s Blues Explosion

Since its inception in 2008, the club’s monthly blues night has remained a firm favourite on the blues calendar bringing top performers from the world of jazz and blues. Co-led by guitarist/vocalist Marcus Bonfanti (Ten Years After), pianist/vocalist Paddy Milner (Tom Jones) and also featuring Tony Remy (Jack Bruce) on guitar, the Blues Explosion presents a night of electrifying blues featuring the music of BB King, Buddy Guy, Peter Green, Albert Collins, Dr. John and many more


Monday 9th September - Sunday 15th September 2024

5.30pm, 6.30pm, & 8.30pm (£60.00 - £85.00)

Curtis Stigers

US singer and saxophonist Curtis Stigers has had several global top ten hits, has written an Emmy-nominated TV theme song, recorded a track for one of the biggest-selling pop albums of all time, and has released nine critically acclaimed, award-winning jazz albums. His album “You Inspire Me” was ‘Jazz Album of the Year’ in The Times, Stigers was named ‘Jazz Artist of the Year’ by BBC Radio 2, and in 2010 he won the German Jazz Echo in the category ‘Best International Male Jazz Singer’.


Tuesday 17th September - Thursday 19th September 2024

5.30pm & 8.30pm (£50.00 - £70.00)

Guy Barker Big Band - Inferno 67

Inferno 67 features the trumpeter and arranger’s 18-piece big band with Clarke Peters as narrator alongside vocalists Vanessa Haynes and Joe Stilgoe. The group reflects Barker’s love of every stage of jazz’s evolution, from the 1920s to the contemporary, and his abiding affection for film noir and classic TV series.


Friday 20th September 2024

5.30pm & 8.30pm (£35.00 - £55.00)

Snowboy and the Latin Section

The music of Snowboy and the Latin section draws on salsa, mambo and Latin jazz, and captures the block party feel of 1970s New York, inspired by the greats such as Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente.


Saturday 21st September 2024

5.30pm & 8.30pm (£35.00 - £50.00)

Ian Shaw

Shaw, who has worked with luminaries Quincy Jones, Cleo Laine, Kurt Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Guy Barker, Jimmy Webb, Madeline Bell and Cedar Walton amongst many others, presents a show featuring new takes on songs by David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Bacharach and David, Leonard Cohen, as well music from his recent releases.


Sunday 22nd September 2024

12.00pm (£15.00 - £25.00)

Pamela Knowles

With an international career spanning more than 30 years and a voice described by critics as “Husky, mysterious, playful, clear, and swinging” (Steve Rath, NPR Radio), Australian vocalist Pamela Knowles presents a musical feast of jazz gems as well as beautifully interpreted original songs.


Sunday 22nd September 2024

6.30pm (£35.00 - £55.00)

Natalie Williams’ Soul Family

Natalie Williams' Soul Family is a 10-piece band that has held a monthly residency at the club for the past 16 years. Soul Family emerged from the jazz and neo-soul era of the early 2000s and the band perform their original music alongside classic soul, nu soul, jazz and R&B.


Monday 23rd September 2024

5.30pm (£30.00 - £45.00)

Sean Gibbs Big Band

Gibbs’ writing is steeped in the jazz tradition and characterised by lyrical melodies, hearty grooves and a deep connection to the blues. He has released two albums with Ubuntu Music, receiving a five-star review in BBC Music Magazine and exceeding one million streams. Performing credits include the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (with guest soloists such as Kurt Elling, Joe Locke, Kenny Washington and Jazzmeia Horn), the Calum Gourlay Big Band, Georgia Cécile and Daniel Casimir.


Wednesday 25th September - Saturday 28th September 2024

5.30pm & 8.30pm (£50.00 - £70.00)

Nigel Kennedy - Originals

Renowned worldwide for his groundbreaking classical performances, and still the best-selling violinist of all time, Nigel Kennedy has also firmly established himself within the jazz scene. These shows will be the only ones this year in the UK featuring this select repertoire.


Sunday 29th September 2024

12.00pm (£15.00 - £70.00)

Jivin’ Miss Daisy

Now in their 23rd year, Jivin' Miss Daisy are London's premier swing band. Simon Thorpe brings the full 9-piece line up back to Ronnie Scott's and will be playing songs from Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin as well as classics from Basie, Ellington and others.


Sunday 29th September 2024

6.30pm (£30.00 - £45.00)

W3 Funk Sessions

Originally conceived amidst the city's vibrant jam nights, where musicians gather to express their creativity and passion, W3 has evolved over time not just into another band, but an innovative force in the world of funk.


Monday 30th September 2024

5.30pm (£35.00 - £50.00)

Catherine Russell

Catherine Russell comes from a musically influential New York family, boasting a rich heritage with her father, Luis Russell, Louis Armstrong's musical director, and her mother, Carline Ray, a pioneering vocalist and instrumentalist. Russell's impressive career features collaborations with music icons like David Bowie, Paul Simon, and Rosanne Cash, contributing to over 200 albums.

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