Music and culture

Bands we like, musicians, theatre groups and choirs you name (or sing) it!

The Well – pub on High Town Road

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After a long time in the making, The Well pub opened just before Christmas last year.

We’ve been a couple of times, and the experience has been good. Landlady Victoria comes with armed with decades of experience under her belt, and we’re hoping that she’ll make it a big success of it.

It’s been really welcoming, with two snuggly seating areas at the very front, that let you watch the life go by through the big windows. I’d been hoping for a pub with a vista like this since I’ve arrived here!

Further along, there’s the bar, more seating and a stage/dance floor area. Live music is on the cards, and there’s certainly plenty of space for it, which is welcome in High Town.

We’re looking forward to see things develop.

 

 

The Bear Club – Mill Yard Jazz and Blues

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“If you build it, he will come” that’s the motto of Luton’s very own Jazz Club.

Well, we built, and it came. Very much so, opening on 12 September 2014 with a bang right into the middle of Luton, downtown just south of the railway station, housed in what was once a Victorian industrial building and then a photo studio for Vauxhall.

Open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, this fantastic venue with a capacity of around 100 people offers a broad spectrum of Jazz music and Blues acts, spoken word events and more.

The bar is well stocked with an ever changing array of novelty beers and the cocktails are mixed with love.

The interior is an eclectic display of found objects, vintage furniture and skilled DIY solutions: check out the loo with the sink on top.

A must visit, whether you’re a Luton newbie or a seasoned connoisseur.

The Bear Club – Mill Yard Jazz and Blues

 

The Bear Club Luton

Party at The Bear – as usual

Luton Central Library

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This is a stub.

It looks like someone was inspired by the Royal Festival Hall in London when they designed the building, which is not a bad thing.

Whilst it may not be a ‘palace for the people’, it does have its own theatre space, as well as everything else you would expect from a main library.

 

Bustin’ Loose – for real jazz dance

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If you think this means ‘jazz hands’, then think again.

Bustin’ Loose is an occasional club night put on in Luton by the town’s own jazz dancers, Perry Louis and Christiane Hennecke. It’s all about freestyle dancing to different forms of uptempo jazz, soul and funk – think a mix of spins, knee drops, splits, breakdance, Salsa, tap and more.

Although the technical level of some of the dancers is very high, it is an extremely friendly scene, with anyone welcome to shuffle their feat, try and compete with the best or simply watch in awe from the sidelines.

It has most recently been on at The Hat Factory on Bute Street and Deja Vu on High Town Road.

Eagerly awaiting the next one, whenever it is. Keep an eye on this web page: http://www.jazzcotech.com/whatson.htm

In the meantime, there are some shots of one of The Hat Factory nights in the middle of this video.

 

 

Jazz Jam at the Carnival Arts Centre

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Another fabulous jazz jam session at the Carnival Arts Centre in Luton (just behind St Mary’s Church). The special guest today was a keyboard / Fender Rhodes player called Greg Foat, who charmed everyone with great renditions of “Penny Lane” and “Day Tripper”.

He’s just come back from Sweden, where he recorded some rather lush music which involved a sexy 70’s style backing choir. I tried to buy the cd from him but it had sold out. I’ll be trying to get it online from Jazzman Records here: http://www.jazzmanrecords.co.ukSculpture garden at Carnival Arts Centre, Luton

I had the pleasure to be let up on to the stage and sang a couple of Christmas tunes. Then there was a guy from Harlington who played a Japanese flute called a shakuhachi, followed by a lovely Spanish lady called Salome, who played classical flute.

Check out dates and upcoming artists on the Luton Jazz Jam Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/lutonjazzjam

And most of all: keep swinging!