Jazz in a basement, since 1959: where to hear jazz in Soho

Soho has been listening to jazz underground for the best part of seventy years. Ronnie Scott opened his club in a basement in 1959, the PizzaExpress cellar on Dean Street started selling tickets in 1976, and the late sets still run until 3am. If you want one night of proper jazz in central London, this is the square mile to have it in. Here is where we would go, and when.

Ronnie Scott's, 47 Frith Street

The story starts round the corner. In October 1959 the saxophonist Ronnie Scott and his partner Pete King opened a club in the basement of 39 Gerrard Street, helped by a £1,000 loan from Scott's stepfather. In 1961 it became the first club in Britain to put on American modern jazz players, and in 1965 it moved to 47 Frith Street, where it has stayed. English Heritage put a blue plaque on the Gerrard Street building in 2019, so stop and look up on your way through Chinatown.

Inside Ronnie Scott's it is low light, red velvet booths and a small stage that has seen almost everyone. Jimi Hendrix played his last public show here in 1970, and Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Jamie Cullum all recorded live albums in the room. Sally Greene and Michael Watt took it on in 2005 and it still runs at least two shows a night, every night.

According to Time Out's listing, the club is open from half five in the evening, until 1am on Mondays, midnight on Tuesdays and 3am from Wednesday to Saturday, with a Sunday lunchtime session too. Main shows start at around £30. The Late Late Show, the last set of the night, is about £12, and the Monday Jazz Jam at half nine is about £10. The room is small, so do not pay extra for a better table: there is no bad seat. Our call is the Late Late Show on a Friday. Book a seat in a booth, order a drink and stay until the band stops.

Upstairs at Ronnie's

The newest room in Soho jazz is above the old one. The first-floor rehearsal space at Frith Street has been rebuilt into a 140-seat venue with its own stage and a Yamaha grand piano, and it opened to the public in February 2026. The programme leans to vocal jazz, soul, R&B, gospel and classical, and it runs its own version of the Late Late Show. Country & Town House has the details of the build. Go here for a singer rather than a big band, and take a seat near the piano.

PizzaExpress Jazz Club, 10 Dean Street

Down the stairs of the PizzaExpress at 10 Dean Street is the other great Soho jazz room. PizzaExpress says the venue has hosted music since its first ticketed shows in May 1976, and it is still the company's flagship. It is a small cellar where the band is close enough to touch. It is a better first date than Ronnie's, because you can talk between numbers. Book an early show and order a pizza, because that is the whole point.

The jams and the cheap seats

The Spice of Life, at 6 Moor Street on Cambridge Circus, runs its music in the cellar bar downstairs. On Sunday afternoons there is a jazz jam from 2pm to 5pm, about £10 on the door, and the house serves a Sunday roast while you listen. On Monday nights Dove Jones and The Connection host a blues and jazz jam from 8pm, and anyone who plays can sign up. Go on a Sunday, order the roast and a pint, and watch who gets up to play.

Over on the western side of Soho, Ain't Nothin' But at 20 Kingly Street has had live blues every night since 1993. It opens at 5pm in the week and earlier at weekends, and runs until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. It is not jazz, strictly, but it is the most reliable late music in Soho. Best after 11pm, standing at the bar with a bourbon.

Something smarter

Crazy Coqs, the cabaret room inside the Brasserie Zédel building at 20 Sherwood Street, mixes jazz with cabaret and comedy, with shows most evenings and drinks brought to your table. It is the dressy option, and the one for a jazz singer and a cocktail before dinner downstairs. On Greek Street, Milroy's has a bar called The Vault behind a bookcase at number 3, and it hosts jazz nights. Order a whisky from the shop's own bottlings and keep your voice down.

How to do a jazz night in Soho

Start with an early show at the PizzaExpress on Dean Street, walk round the corner to Frith Street, and catch the headliner at Ronnie's. Stay for the Late Late Show and you will come out at 3am onto Frith Street, where Bar Italia is still open. That is a Soho night done properly.