IF YOU’RE TRYING TO FIND INSPIRATION FOR A JAZZ CLUB, THERE’S NO BETTER CITY IN WHICH TO LOOK THAN PARIS. IMPRESARIO SALLY GREENE, OWNER OF ONE OF THE HIGH NOTES OF LONDON, RONNIE SCOTT’S, FLITS ACROSS THE CHANNEL TO DO JUST THAT

words: lisa grainger pictures: eric robert

THERE are few cities in Europe whose walls are as jazz-soaked as those in Paris. From its early days, at the end of the First World War, when an African-American infantry regime marched the streets bringing its vibrant ragtime sound to a war-torn population, to the glamorous evenings when Josephine Baker shimmied on stage in skirts of satin palm leaves, the city has always been alive to the bohemian sounds of jazz. This is precisely why Sally Greene is sitting in the decadent surroundings of Paris’ Hotel Costes. Greene is one of the most influential theatre names in London: the owner of the famous Old Vic, the Criterion in the heart of the West End, the Richmond Theatre, which she famously revived, and a new Islington theatre, formerly the Collins Music Hall, which she hopes to turn into a buzzing, north-London venue. She’s also the co-producer of the award-winning, multi-million-pound stage production of Billy Elliott, for which her friend Elton John composed the music, and she’s the woman who persuaded Kevin Spacey to come to London as the Old Vic’s artistic director. Now she’s in Paris to be inspired – by jazz. Greene is the new owner of Ronnie Scott’s: one of the most beloved jazz venues in the world. It’s been at the heart of London’s music scene since 1959, when the eponymous saxophonist and his friend, Pete King, announced the opening in a former taxi-cab tearoom. She closed it down in March 2006 for a major refurbishment and she’s now traversing the globe, listening to jazz, meeting stage greats, and talking to designers to gear herself up for its re-opening in June. The 46-year-old was taken to the dark, smoky, charismatic Ronnie Scott’s by her father at the age of 14. So when it came up for sale a couple of years ago (Pete King is in his late seventies and hasn’t had a Saturday night off since he got married – Ronnie Scott died in 1996), she immediately jumped at the opportunity. “I thought that it would not only be a suitable partner to the Old Vic, but such a fabulous place to re-invigorate,” she says, sinking into a plush velvet chair in the Hotel Costes, where she’s meeting the fêted French designer Jacques Garcia, 59. “Who wouldn’t want to make a great place even greater?” While the line-ups at Ronnie Scott’s have been without equal (guest acts have ranged from Al Jarreau, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Count Basie, Nina Simone, Oscar Peterson and Miles Davis to Eric Clapton and Van Morrison), the interior has been less than starry. The club’s scuffed tables, smoke-infused carpets and uncomfortable chairs have meant only dedicated music-lovers have made regular visits. And its menu – think prawn cocktail, chicken Kiev and rice – has been so forgettable even Ronnie Scott quipped: “1,000 flies can’t be wrong.” Now Greene has got the club, she intends “to turn it into the most fabulous jazz club in the world”. She wants delicious but unfussy,finger and fork food (a good sign is she owns the praised Cheyne Walk Brasserie in London). She plans to entice top jazz artists and she wants a glamorous interior – hence the meeting at Hotel Costes, designed by Garcia, whose decadent, rich French interior she hopes will transpose into Ronnie Scott’s. Garcia, who describes his style as one of elegance and richness without heaviness, and whose mantra is “the spiritual dominates the material”, hasn’t taken on a London project before. His rich excesses can be viewed in La Mamounia in Marrakesh, La Reserve in Geneva, Jean Georges in New York and Hotel Victor in Miami. “But Sally’s infectious enthusiasm won us over,” he says, “and the myth of Ronnie Scott’s itself was our inspiration.” Garcia has been to Soho’s Frith Street to take in the aural, visual and sensory vibes of Ronnie’s jazz club, and says he’s going to create something that is not just rich, but intimate: a polished, comfortable, air-conditioned club where people can relax while they enjoy the music. It will be a space that mixes all eras and styles: some Napoleonic extravagance and some neo-Gothic excess. Garcia is not an avid jazz man so he declines a night on the jazz tiles with Greene and her entourage, which includes jazzman Leo Green (son of Benny Green and a man who has worked with scores of the greats including Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Paul Weller, Robbie Williams and Van Morrison). So, we’re soon waving goodbye to the velvets, gilt pillars, sumptuous tassels and darkened rooms of Hotel Costes, and hitting the Paris jazz scene. Although the city still has a core of thriving jazz bars, we discover it is nothing like it used to be in its post-war heyday. American giants like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton were oncefixtures on the scene, alongside European stars like Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. The city now has about 10 core clubs. Owners complain about political manoeuvres to close noisy establishments and create expensive apartments in former arty areas. On top of that, parking has become increasingly difficult and public transport services often end just as the bands are warming up. And then there are the increasing taxes, which have to be passed on to audiences, either in entrance fees (€22 at the New Morning, €13 at Caveau de la Huchette), or drink prices (from €5.50 for a beer). But there is still plenty of variety in the city. At the New Morning, which has been turned from a permanent jazz club into a glossy, red-painted, warehouse-style music venue, we’re treated to some hard-core, ‘intellectual’ jazz (or, “Something that sounds like they’re warming up, rather than actually playing as a group,” as Greene puts it). At the Jazz Club Lionel Hampton, in the bar of the Meridien Hotel, we’re entertained by a Chicago Blues quartet featuring a harmonica-player in a baggy, lime-green, polyester suit that raises Greene’s eyebrows, but whom the toe-tapping audience clearly adore. Andfinally, at the Caveau de la Huchette, a Cotton-Club-style jazz band is whipping the crowd into a frenzy as they bop away – the men constantly selecting new partners from the crowd and whizzing them around the ancient stone floor. As we head back to the baroque glamour of the Hotel Costes, Sally Greene becomes increasingly excited. “You know, I’ve been to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Rome – and now Paris, and there is absolutely nothing like Ronnie Scott’s,” she grins. “There’s the Blue Note in New York, but that’s been so cleaned up it doesn’t feel jazzy anymore, and a couple of small clubs in LA. When we open in June, it’s going to be so fantastic!” Until then, she has heaps to do, including trying to lure high-profile players to perform sets – people like Jamie Foxx, Woody Allan and her friend Bill Clinton. Plus, she needs to practise on the piano she’s been having lessons on for over 10 years. “I’m still holding out hope that one day I’ll make Ronnie Scott’s,” she smiles. “But I suspect I’ll be 84 by then!” Ronnie Scott’s, 47 Frith Street, London, W1D 4HT +44 (0)20 7439 0747; www.ronniescotts.co.uk

TOP NOTES FIVE OF THE BEST JAZZY SPOTS IN PARIS

• LE DUC DES LOMBARDS 42 Rue des Lombards, 1st arrondissement, +33 1 42 33 22 88, Metro Châtelet les Halles A chilled environment decorated with instruments and photographs of the greats who have played here. It has become one of THE places for real jazz lovers. Although serious about the music form – it was thefirst club to win the Django D’Or prize for services to jazz – it attracts a chilled, less reverent crowd than other clubs.
• NEW MORNING 7 Rue des Petites Ecuries, 10th ,+33 1 45 23 51 41, M. Château d’Eau Experimental, intellectual space, which has one of the best sound systems in Paris. More like a factory interior than club, it has a real variety of musicians playing blues, rock, funk, Afro-Cuban or Brazilian.
• JAZZ CLUB LIONEL HAMPTON, Hotel Meridien, 81 Blvd Gouvion Saint Cyr, 15th, +33 1 40 68 30 42, M. Porte Maillot One of the institutions of Paris: a hotel jazz lounge which has been headlining top names from Count Basie to Fats Domino for the past 30 years, hosted by the same maître d’, Philippe Marois. Entrance is free but drinks are expensive.
• CAVEAU DE LA HUCHETTE, 5 Rue de la Huchette, 5th, +33 1 43 26 65 05, M. Saint-Michel Underground medieval cellar that was used as a torture chamber during the Revolution – and where all the jazz greats have played since 1946. Great fun as it has a dance fl oor and blues, swing, New Orleans trad jazz, bop and contemporary sounds.
• LE SUNSET, 60 rue des Lombards, +33 1 40 26 46 60, 1st, M.Chatelet The most serious club of all Paris jazz clubs – this isn’t the place to go if you want to chat, or discuss music with your neighbours. It is QUIET. But fans love it for its big-name attractions and its range of music, from funk to bebop.