Upstairs at Ronnie’s keeps Soho nights swinging with jazz and reinvention
Jazz club Ronnie Scott’s new space is proof that, for live venues to thrive, they need to change with the times.
Most people remember their first night at Ronnie Scott’s – or, at the very least, how it began. The jazz bar on London’s Frith Street has become something of a Soho institution in the years since it opened in 1959. I first went as a student, when Ronnie’s became a welcome terminus after a late night spent roaming around town. It is one of a small number of London venues (that you’d actually like to set foot in) that’s open until 03:00.
Earlier this week, I made my way to Frith Street at a more reasonable hour for the relaunch of Upstairs at Ronnie’s. The renovations of the venue’s second space – which have taken the best part of two years – are extensive. With a new ceiling (complete with geometric fabric panelling) the room is more spacious and there are now seats for 140 guests, a slick new bar and improved acoustics. Rather than the red velvet synonymous with downstairs, Upstairs at Ronnie’s is bedecked in yellows and oranges. The colours create a soft golden light and give visitors the impression of being cocooned somewhere far away from the hectic streets of central London. As the guests found their seats – with hot pink welcome cocktails in hand – I watched them marvel at the room’s makeover. Like the venue itself, the new menu from executive chef Steven Connolly is classic and unfussy.
Onstage, the exuberant singer Vula Malinga seemed to pull off a magic trick – transporting the audience from 18.30 on a Wednesday evening to late on Saturday night (she might have had some help from a mid-show round of tequila shots for the band). The party atmosphere continued when R&B singer Nao arrived and turned her soulful voice to a high-octane cover of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody”.
As I watched, I was reminded of something Ronnie Scott’s managing director, Fred Nash, had said to me about Ronnie’s being both nostalgic and “a place of exploration and discovery”. He describes the venue as a broad church and argues that Ronnie’s thrives because it showcases the full spectrum of jazz and jazz-adjacent music. And, despite its storied history, Ronnie’s has evolved with the times. The relaunch of Upstair’s is just the latest example of this. Ronnie Scott’s is a treasured institution because it manages to be a home for more than the jazz cognoscenti – its cosy lamplit tables are equally inviting for purists and the wandering students who happen to stumble towards them.
Need more jazzy reads to riff off?
– Interview: Mathieu Jaton on the secret sauce behind the Montreux Jazz Festival
– The Danish churches putting faith in yoga, jazz and modern design
