Crystal Palace Jazz

The Grape and Grain in Crystal Palace is a powerhouse for jazz.  Sunday lunches are accompanied by duos from the London (mostly local) jazz scene, Sunday evenings host a residency for Hugh Simmonds and his quartet, and Monday night is Big Band night - where the Big Beer band play for listening locals.  All this jazz is free.

I went along on a Monday to the big band night, where they were hosting an 'open mic' for big band singers.  This is a quarterly event, and is so popular that the pub is always jam-packed.  As with any open mic, there can be hits and there can be misses, but this particular night had more hits than not.  One of my favourites was the landlady who threw caution to the wind with her rendition of All That Jazz, and the delightfully understated jazz voice of Sue Rivvers.  I got a couple of songs in the set, and will be performing again at The Grape and Grain's popular Sunday jazz lunch in... November!  Keep your eyes peeled for this listing!