100 Club

Ogólne informacje

The Jazz Era Live music began at 100 Oxford Street on 24th October 1942. It was first played at Mack's restaurant (as it was then known) when British jazz drummer Victor Feldman's father hired the venue on a regular Sunday night to showcase the talents of his jazz loving sons and their band. The band consisted of Victor and his two brothers Robert on clarinet and Monty on accordion. They were joined by legendary British saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore for the opening night. News of the venue spread and American servicemen and Britons who wanted to dance and listen to jazz began to arrive. Some of the GIs were well known as jazz musicians in their own right. An early visitor to the club in those days was big band legend Glen Miller, who appeared at the Club around this time accompanied by several members of his famous band including Ray McKinley, Mel Powell and Peanuts Hucko. This was during World War 2 and quite often as people enjoyed their night out, bombs were falling, but the crowd carried on regardless - safe in the knowledge that the club's location in the basement made it a very effective shelter. In fact the Feldman's advertising at the time read 'Forget the Doodle bug-Come and Jitterbug-At the Feldman Club'. Soon the likes of Jack Parnell and George Webb were performing on a regular basis and the club started to enjoy its first period of success. By 1948 the club's name had changed to the London Jazz Club and reintroduced the dance music of the era - Jitterbug and...