The famous jazz club has created a jazz 60 playlist to celebrate its 60th birthday.
Kicking off its 60th birthday celebrations, Ronnie Scott’s have revealed the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60 playlist – a list filled with sixty iconic jazz albums which have been selected by a panel of renowned jazz artists, broadcasters and industry professionals.
Ronnie Scott’s was originally opened in 1959 by saxophonists Ronnie Scott and Pete Kin, becoming one of the world’s best known jazz clubs. Although it originally opened its doors in a small basement at 39 Gerrard Street, it soon moved to its current location at the 47 Frith Street in 1965.
Since its beginnings, the club has presented a wide variety of acts from the biggest names in jazz as well as supporting and presenting hotly-tipped rising stars. Recent musicians to perform at Ronnie Scott’s include Chick Corea, Marcus Miller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Georgie Fame and Billy Cobham as well as up-and-coming musicians such as Nubya Garcia, Keyon Harrold and Moses Boyd.
As well as a number of special events taking place throughout the year, the celebrations have begun with the announcement of the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60 Playlist which is comprised with some of the most important and significant jazz albums from the last sixty years.
Albums to be included on the list includes The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out, Ella Fitgerald’s Ella In Berlin: Mack the Knife and Esperanza Spalding’s Emily’s D+Evolution.
Artists who have shared their personal jazz favourites include the likes of Soweto Kinch, Nubya Garcia, Courtney Pine, Pee Wee Ellis, Billy Cobham, Claire Martin, Alex Garnett, Natalie Williams, Moses Boyd, and Monty Alexander. Meanwhile, broadcasters and journalists such as Giles Peterson, Cerys Matthews, Robert Elms, Mike Hobart, Rosie Hanley, David Freeman, Jane Cornwell, Mike Vitti and Jez Nelson have also provided their top albums. Additionally, industry expert and resident Ronnie Scott’s Music Bookings Coordinator Paul Pace also shared a list of the Jazz albums which have inspired him.
The club has also created a Spotify playlist, featuring one track from each album on the list for jazz fans to listen to here.
Talking about the playlist Managing Director of Ronnie Scott’s, Simon Cooke, said:“With such an incredible array of artists to choose from, selecting the most significant jazz albums of the last 60 years was never going to be straightforward. Our 40 aficionados nominated over 800 albums which have been whittled down to a definitive list that not only reflects the jazz of the past 60 years, but looks to the future too; just as we do at Ronnie Scott’s.”
The full list of albums on the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz 60 Playlist are:
Alice Coltrane Journey in Satchidananda
Archie Shepp Attica Blues
Art Blakey Moanin’
Betty Carter The Audience with Betty Carter
Bill Evans Sunday at the Village Vanguard
Cannonball Adderley Somethin’ Else
Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um
Charles Mingus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Chick Corea Now He Sings, Now He Sobs
Courtney Pine Journey to the Urge Within
The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out
Dave Holland Extensions
Dexter Gordon Go
Ella Fitzgerald Ella In Berlin: Mack the Knife
Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch!
Esbjörn Svensson Trio Seven Days of Falling
Esperanza Spalding Emily’s D+Evolution
Frank Sinatra Sinatra at the Sands
Freddie Hubbard Red Clay
George Benson Breezin’
Gregory Porter Water
Hank Mobley Soul Station
Herbie Hancock Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage
Horace Silver Song for My Father
Jaco Pastorius Jaco Pastorius
Joe Henderson Page One
John Coltrane A Love Supreme
John Coltrane Giant Steps
Kamasi Washington The Epic
Keith Jarrett The Köln Concert
Kurt Elling The Messenger
Lee Morgan The Sidewinder
Loose Tubes Loose Tubes
The Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire
Mark Murphy Stolen Moments
Mary Lou Williams Black Christ of the Andes
Michael Brecker Tales of the Hudson
Miles Davis Kind of Blue
Miles Davis In a Silent Way
Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley
Oliver Nelson The Blues and the Abstract Truth
Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come
Oscar Peterson Trio Night Train
Pat Metheny Group Still Life (Talking)
Robert Glasper Black Radio
Roy Hargrove Earfood
Sarah Vaughan Ronnie Scott’s Presents Sarah Vaughan Live
Shirley Horn Here’s to Life
Stan Getz & João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto
Sonny Rollins The Bridge
Sons of Kemet Your Queen is a Reptile
Stan Tracey Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas’s “Under Milk Wood”
Sun Ra The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One
Tubby Hayes Tubbs in N.Y.
Wayne Shorter Speak No Evil
Weather Report Heavy Weather
Wes Montgomery The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Wynton Marsalis Black Codes (From the Underground)
Yussef Kamaal Black Focus
For more information about Ronnie Scott’s visit: https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/