Classical and Jazz: Preview - Bloomsbury Set - Monthly jazz supper club at Radisson Edwardian
Published: 13 May 2010
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
A NEW monthly jazz supper venue is to make its debut later this month at the Radisson Edwardian hotel in Bloomsbury and the supper/club format turn into a weekly event if there’s sufficient demand.
The Bloomsbury Set supper club is being launched on Saturday May 22 by Jazz FM, the jazz, blues and soul radio station, in partnership with the hotel.
“We’re aiming to re-invent the tradition of wonderful entertainment in London’s hotels,” says Richard Wheatly, chief executive of the radio station.
Up to 150 will be served a three-course meal in the hotel’s candlelit Folio Room listening to jazz musicians.
Jazz singer/pianist Ian Shaw will head up the inaugural session with the supporting set filled by Eileen Hunter. Singer/pianist Liane Carroll has been booked for Saturday June 26.
There’s nothing new to the jazz/supper format, of course.
It’s used every night at such jazz venues as Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express in Dean Street and Pizza on the Park, closing next month, and at a clutch of hotels around town. At most of these, though, you can pay to listen to the music alone if you don’t want to have a meal.
At the Bloomsbury Set, there’s an all-in price of £49.50 excluding drinks, without the option for a cheaper “music only” ticket.
Although the near £50 price looks a bit steep compared with the “music only” tickets at existing venues, it’s not so bad when you factor in the three-course meal.
In fact, it’s the quality of the food that is likely to be the key factor deciding whether the new venue is a success.
• Bloomsbury Set, Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Bloomsbury Street, WC1, 0844 771000, 7.30pm, £49.50