WELCOME TO

THE JAZZ CENTRE UK

The Jazz Centre UK is a focal point for everything related to jazz. As well as music, we embrace dance, fashion, art and design. We are a registered charity and our aim is;

“TO PROMOTE, PRESERVE AND CELEBRATE THE CULTURE OF JAZZ IN ALL ITS FORMS”

Our ambition is to provide a national centre of excellence for jazz education, outreach and performance.

WE ARE CLOSED

Please note The Jazz Centre UK is closed until further notice due to the Coronavirus. All events are pending cancelled. Please join our mailing list or follow us on social media to stay up-to-date.

The Jazz Centre UK is situated in Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Its home is the Beecroft Art Gallery building. It is only an hour away from London on both the Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street lines. Please plan your visit if you are travelling to Southend as there is a lot to do around the town and some great places to stay.

Stop by for live music, film showings, our heritage displays, workshops, browse our shop, or sit down with a cup of coffee and browse our extensive collection of jazz books, vinyl and CDs.

The research resources at the Jazz Centre UK provide a rare opportunity for students and jazz fans to explore this amazing art form. We have extensive collections of magazines, periodicals, audio and video recordings and heritage materials dating back to the birth of jazz.

Our opening hours are 10 am - 4:30 pm, Tuesday – Saturday. Knowledgeable volunteers are on hand to assist visitors. They will happily give you a tour around the Centre and help where they can.

OUR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To actively promote the culture of jazz in all its forms.

To promote and present regular live jazz performances.

To increase opportunities for developing jazz musicians by providing workshops, masterclasses, educational programmes, talks, networking and more...

To show you jazz-on-film at our on-site cinema.

To bring you the best of Jazz Art with exhibitions in our gallery.

To provide resources to musicians and researchers via our research centre and media centre.

To preserve the heritage of Jazz in our Heritage Centre.

To provide a social centre for the celebration of jazz music and culture.

To serve you by establishing the first-ever national jazz centre for the UK.

OUR STORY

Digby Fairweather opened The Jazz Centre UK in 2016 with a dream to ensure the past, present and future of Jazz music in the UK has a sturdy foundation. With a strong band of trustees and the support of Southend Borough Council, the Centre’s first heritage exhibition opened in February at the Beecroft Art Gallery; establishing the brand and foundation of the charity.

Onward, The Jazz Centre UK has grown tremendously and has begun to fulfil this very dream. Through achieving grants with the Heritage Lottery Fund, working with local businesses, charities and public support we have managed to expand our premises year on year...

SIR MICHAEL PARKINSON

PATRON

"It's been a long time coming, but such good news - and well deserved"

VIEW OUR FULL LIST OF PATRONS

THERE IS SO MUCH TO GET INVOLVED IN

EVENTS

We have live events, regularly programmed activities, lectures and more....

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HERITAGE

We display Louis Armstrong's 'Special Trumpet', the UK National Humphrey Lyttelton collection, items from Ronnie Scott and Bix Beiderbecke to name a few.

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SHOP

We sell new and pre-owned jazz Vinyl and CDs.

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RESEARCH

We have a large collection of books, periodicals, artifacts and records

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WORKSHOPS

We hold workshops, lectures and masterclasses. See our events page to view what's coming up.

FIND OUT MORE

ALREADY VISITED US?

KEEP UP TO DATE

We recognise that it is hard to keep up with all our activities so we have some options for you. Join our mailing list for weekly updates and our quarterly newsletter, visit our blog for news and articles or follow us on social media.

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PAST NEWSLETTERS

JAZZBITE BLOG

FOLLOW @THEJAZZCENTREUK

Get a more personal insight into our activities by following us on social media. Find out what our volunteers get up to, photos about our events, collaborations, quick updates and a useful feed for our 'JazzBite' blog. If you are one of our many supporters this is a great way to see how your contribution has affected our organisation. We are active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram with the handle @thejazzcentreuk.