This week is the London Jazz Festival, with several events and some of them for free. A few ones got my attention:


The ShanghaiBlues is a very nice venue, a Bar/Restaurant next to Holborn station. The atmosphere is cosy, the decoration mixes modern and oriental styles. Unfortunately, Timeout London didn’t precise that booking was required for that night, as the venue was full when we arrived. We were not the only one is that case, and some other people had to leave the venue.
I headed then to the Royal Festival Hall, waiting for Rita Ray. But as people started to leave, I have been told the show would start at 10.30pm, later than expected. Out of patience after having waited one hour, I left.
Most of the performances on this Friday where at 6pm. It was simply impossible for anyone to come at that time, as most of us finish work after 5.30pm. Then the free sessions in central London were disappointing or very late.
I can’t say the whole festival was a failure, as I just tried to go to just a few performances, but I can say my evening was pretty bad at the London Jazz Festival. Funnily, The best moment that night was to have a hot chocolate in an Italian shop of Leicester Square –nothing to do with Jazz, but nice in this freezing weather.
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