The Jazz Repertory Company and presenter Kerry Shale take you on a guided tour of the nightclubs, recording studios and radio stations of 1930s New York when jazz and swing were at their peak of popularity.

Our first stop is 52nd Street and the Onyx Club where John Kirby’s Onyx Club Boys are resident. We’ve got to get there early as the crowds are eager to see this hot little band which has just struck gold with their latest hit Rehearsin’ For A Nervous Breakdown.

From here it’s a short cab ride to the CBS radio studios to catch Artie Shaw’s Gramercy Five broadcasting hits such as Special Delivery Stomp on the Radio Hall of Fame. Artie’s hot clarinet is backed by the swinging harpsichord of Johnny Guarnieri and Al Hendrickson’s electric guitar.

One of Manhattan’s most renowned nighteries is Café Society in Greenwich Village. Here we’ll find the magnificent Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and his orchestra and Lester Young guesting on tenor sax.

We wind up the first set in West 44th Street where Fats Waller and his Rhythm are creating mayhem in the swank surroundings of the old and esteemed Yacht Club.

No visit to the Jazz hot spots of New York would be complete without a cocktail or two at the Cotton Club where Duke Ellington brought his jungle rhythms to Harlem.

For something completely different we head to the RCA Victor Studios in the Rockefeller Centre where the amiable eccentric Raymond Scott and his Quintette are laying down some future million sellers like The Penguin and Powerhouse. You might not know his name but you’ll have heard his music on countless Warner Brothers cartoons as he sold all his music to them much to the benefit of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

Louis Armstrong, the biggest jazz star of the era is in the studios of WNEW Radio in mid-town recording good ol’ good ones like Tiger Rag for The Make Believe Ballroom show. He’s appearing with Jack Teagarden, Fats Waller and a great little band, making it a perfect way to finish an evening in Manhattan.

The Jazz Repertory Company‘s fine array of classic jazz specialists along with singer Vimala Rowe will be taking you back over 80 years ago recreating all the musical excitement of a spectacular night in New York in the 1930s.

Pre-show meal at Côte

For this performance a special pre-concert, four-course set menu at Côte restaurant on Sloane Square is available. You can book a meal voucher when booking your tickets, or call the Box Office on 020 7730 4500 if you have already booked tickets.

Read more about the offer