The Jazz Legend

After the early days of setting up the club with British jazz musicians Ronnie Scott was able to offer engagements to some of the American jazz greats to play in a club setting.

`A club run by people who love jazz for people who love jazz`

It started with a small advertisement in Melody Maker to announce the grand opening performance: "Tubby Hayes Quartet; the trio with Eddie Thompson; Stan Roberts; Spike Heatley, a young alto saxophonist, Peter King; and an old tenor saxophonist, Ronnie Scott. The first appearance in a jazz club since the relief of Mafeking by Jack Parnell".

The great Zoot Sims was booked in for a four-week residency at Ronnie Scotts club, November 1961. This memorable session was followed by guest appearances, including Johnny Griffin, Roland Kirk, Al Cohn, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt, Benny Golson and Ben Webster.

There were also visits by Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd and Art Farmer to name just a few.

Artists such as Tom Waits, Linda Lewis, Elkie Brooks, Eric Burdon, Paul Rodgers, Jack Bruce and recently the Notting Hillbillies, featuring Mark Knopfler. "Acts not exactly within the jazz field but nevertheless part of the unique "atmosphere" of the club that has always been so important".

Pete King has continued to keep the club the way it was always intended to be. He said;

"Ronnie always wanted it to be a club where you could appreciate good music. Merchandising is common in clubs now, but Ronnie didn't like it and for years he would insist it should be a club and not a shop.

He didn't care much about the decor either. There was a wonderful lighting designer who was always offering to redo it for us, and we never did. The place is special because it's evolved, it just happened because we were the people we were, we didn't have a plan.

Musicians who've played all over the world still say to me that it's the best for all sorts of reasons - the sound system, the staff, the feel of the place, the sense of being appreciated.

The fact that Ronnie and I were both musicians probably made all the difference. We wanted a place we'd be happy playing in, so it was a place other musicians felt happy about too.

Now, after all these years, with so many great musicians having played here, it feels to me as if all that music is in the plaster, in the walls.

Going on without Ronnie is very hard of course, and I still can't believe he isn't going to walk through the door. But when I think about the future, and I look at our upcoming programme for this autumn, it amazes me. I don't think anywhere in the world you could get all that great music for the price we offer it, and with that atmosphere.

That's why I believe the club will go on, long after I'm not here. You can practically touch that history and that atmosphere, even when there's nobody in the room."

Afer a lifetime in jazz Pete King is still a lover of jazz, music and still an enthusiast. When he was asked if he would encourage a 'youngster' to become a jazz musician he answered;

"Yes, I would. One of the nicest things in the world is to be able to play an instrument and have the enjoyment of studying an instrument. What happens when you come into the professional standard is another matter, but the enjoyment of playing an instrument is one of the greatest. If a child showed any inclination at all, I'd most certainly encourage them".