Ghostwriting: The Exciting Jazz Revival Taking London by Storm

The cramped interior of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is steeped in smoky ambiance. On this Saturday night, the iconic Soho venue is packed and pulsing with eager energy. When the lights dim, a young band takes the tiny stage. With the first cry of a saxophone, they launch into an uptempo jazz number. The crowd seems electrified, hanging on each improvised riff. This is Ronnie Scott's in its element - a sultry jazz haven casting its spell on another enthralled audience. The music and drinks flow late into the night.

This is the energy I felt during my first visit to Ronnie's last year, when I was lucky enough to catch one of London's hottest new jazz acts live. It was an electric experience, and just one small taste of the thrilling jazz renaissance electrifying the city.

A New Era: Jazz Meets the Modern Genres

Jazz is undergoing an electrifying rebirth in London, led by a new generation of talented young musicians fusing the genre with fresh influences from grime, hip-hop, Afrobeat, dub, and beyond. Their high-energy shows are drawing diverse crowds and global recognition, bringing jazz back into the musical mainstream after years dismissed as stuffy and inaccessible.

I still remember the first time I stumbled into a bustling downstairs jazz club on a Friday night, lured in by the vibrant sounds spilling onto the street. Inside was a whole new world - young musicians jamming on stage, fusing jazz with electronic beats and hip-hop vocals while the crowd danced and cheered. This was jazz? It was nothing like the polished but static performances I'd seen before. The atmosphere was infectiously joyful and free.

The Craft: Pioneers and their Innovations

This new jazz sound throbs with rhythmic intensity, incorporating danceable beats and club sounds rather than the swing or bossa nova of jazz tradition. "Playing intensely with two drummers for an hour and a half... that requires real stamina," says tuba player Theon Cross, known for his work with Shabaka Hutchings' Sons of Kemet. Cross and his peers are drawing on the musical heritage of the African and Caribbean diaspora, imbuing their jazz with the sounds of their heritage.

At the forefront of this movement are acts like saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, whose cosmic jazz trio The Comet Is Coming are "a blast of jazz from another world" (The Guardian) and whose shows are "90 minutes of breathless improvisations" (Evening Standard). I was transfixed seeing Hutchings perform live, the boundless creativity and technical mastery flowing from his saxophone in waves of sound that resonated through the venue.

Saxophonist Nubya Garcia, mixing jazz with neo-soul and electronic music, is another pioneer blazing trails. Drummer Moses Boyd fuses intricate jazz rhythms with dancefloor-ready beats on solo tracks like "Rye Lane Shuffle," while Ezra Collective bring an ecstatic, party-starting energy to their jazz-influenced live shows.

The Roots: Community and Collaboration

This renaissance emerged organically from underground clubs and DIY jam sessions, nurtured by key groups like Tomorrow’s Warriors, Steam Down, and Jazz Re:freshed. "Community is a better word than scene," says pianist Joe Armon-Jones of Ezra Collective. The communal ethos has been crucial, with musicians constantly collaborating and guesting on each other's projects.

I've chatted with some of these musicians after their gigs, and their passion for community-building and artistic exchange is palpable. There's a sense of joint mission that's inspiring to behold. Promoters worked to bring these young talents to new crowds who wouldn't normally attend jazz gigs. Their contemporary sound and style helped overturn the perception of jazz as uncool and exclusionary. "Let’s say it is a hoodie now. Isn’t that more current, and honest?” asks Moses Boyd.

Now the artists leading this movement are reaping greater exposure, with major label deals, prime festival bookings, and global tours. But to sustain this momentum, the infrastructure and support system that nurtured them must remain intact.

The Road Ahead: The Globalization of London's Jazz

"It’s growing, and young and old people can join," stresses Armon-Jones. The jazz revival has awoken the genre in London, but its future lies in continuing to evolve with fresh influences and nurture emerging talents. If those new voices are given room to be heard, London may well be on its way to becoming the jazz capital of the world.

The electric energy I've witnessed first-hand at the city's bustling new jazz nights convinces me this renaissance has legs. But it will require the continued thriving of the community that spawned it. If so, the world may soon look to London as the hot new global home of jazz innovation. I for one can't wait to see what comes next from this remarkable creative movement.