Make It 'n' Shake It! - Sunday 3rd February

Well this year is proving to be a busy one for me so far. As well as my Home Cookin' jazz session, I've also got a great night coming up on Sunday 3rd February called Make It 'n' Shake It!

Me and Mistah Brown from Tighten Up will be salvaging what's left of the weekend with a riotous mix of Stax stompers, Motown movers, heavy Hammond groovers, scorchin' ska, Southern-fried soul, hip bumpin' funk, rollickin' rhythm 'n' blues and good old rock 'n' roll for all you hipsters, flipsters, finger-poppin' mamas & jive-talkin' daddies thinking about taking tomorrow off work!

The venue comes complete with a wooden floor too - perfect for dancing. Plus there's a back garden for the smokers.

And to top it all off, it won't cost you a dime to get in!

Details as follows:

Make It 'n' Shake It! @ The Old Queen's Head (upstairs bar)
DATE: Sunday 3rd February
TIMES: 5pm - Midnight
ADDRESS: 44 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN
ADMISSION: FREE

Home Cookin' extravaganza - Sunday 10th February

As next month's Home Cookin' falls on my birthday, I've decided to pull all the stops out to put on a really exciting and unique night.

Come down and be treated to a smokin' live Hammond duo plus two of my favourite guest DJs spinning 100% real jazz on original vinyl - think uptempo hard bop, bebop, soul jazz, Latin jazz, cool jazz, funk and blues.

For one night only, I will be joined by highly respected DJs Smiler (Rude, Steppin' Out) and Mary Boogaloo (The Blue Bar) - all the way from Rome. Both of these DJs have played for me a number of times at Right On! and are always hugely popular.

And as if this wasn't enough, there is an exclusive live set from the amazing Andy Fairclough-Larry Clack Duo with their fantastic blend of 60s-influenced soul jazz, hard bop and funk. Both the Hammond organist and drummer have made a real name for themselves on the jazz scene with their bands The Root Source (Freestyle Records) and The Organism. At Home Cookin' they will be tailoring a mix of Organism originals plus choice covers of 60s club classics to get your feet moving and your fingers snappin'.

You can check out some of the Organism's material on their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/theorganismuk

As usual, the whole session takes place in the Lounge bar at the back of Filthy MacNasty's which has just the right atmosphere for a jazz night. There is space to dance as well as room to just sit back and relax over a drink or some delicious pie and mash. And this night always attracts a really friendly crowd of dancers and jazz lovers, so you can be assured of great company too.

To top it all off, admission to the night is still absolutely FREE - and drinks are at pub prices too, so there really is no excuse not to come down.

Being a Sunday, the night kicks off at 5.30pm and runs until 10.30pm - so get down early! The band will be on at 7.30pm.

I may also be holding an after-party this month; please drop me an email to paul@right-on.org if you would be interested in attending.

Full details as follows:

Home Cookin' @ Filthy MacNasty's (Lounge bar)
Dates: Sunday 10th February 2008
Time: 5.30pm - 10.30pm
Admission: FREE
Address: 68 Amwell Street, London EC1R 1UU
Tubes: Angel / King's Cross

DJ Jean-Paul @ Ronnie Scott's - Fri 25 January

Some very exciting news - I've been invited to guest DJ upstairs at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho. Needless to say, this is something of a dream come true for me! It's a weekly night called Walking In Rhythm which has a music policy very similar to Right On! - i.e. the best of vintage black music. This gives me a rare opportunity to play a mixed set like those I play at Right On! I'll be bringing along a bit of everything: jazz, soul, rhythm & blues, doo wop, funk, ska, calypso, reggae, boogaloo, mambo, samba and more - all on original vinyl.

The session is held in the smart upstairs bar at Ronnie Scott's which was given a complete facelift when the club was refurbished a year or so back.

For those who don't know, Ronnie Scott's is probably the UK's most important and famous modern jazz venue. It opened in Gerrard Street in 1959 and moved to its current premises opposite Bar Italia in Frith Street in 1965. Like Ronnie Scott's, Bar Italia is also still going strong and is the perfect place for a late night cappuccino after Ronnie Scott's kicks out at 3am.

This is going to be a night to remember, and until I find a perfect new venue for Right On!, this should be a fix for anyone who has been missing it as much as I have. It's only a fiver to get in too - or free if you get there early enough - so being skint shouldn't be a problem either. And who knows, if I draw a big enough crowd maybe they'll invite me back!

The details are as follows:

Walking In Rhythm @ Ronnie Scott's (upstairs bar)
Date: Friday 25th January
Time: 7pm - 3am
Admission: FREE before 9pm / £5 before 11pm / £8 after 11pm
Address: 47 Frith Street, London, W1D 4HT
Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road

Home Cookin' - 2nd Sunday of every month

Thanks to the success of the launch night on the 9th December 2007, my Home Cookin' jazz session at Filthy MacNasty's is now going to run monthly on the 2nd Sunday of every month starting from Sunday 13th January.

We had a great night in December and I was really pleased with the appreciative crowd. The session takes place in the Lounge bar at the back of Filthy MacNasty's which has just the right atmosphere. There is space to dance as well as space to just sit back and relax over a drink or some delicious pie and mash. We got a really friendly and mixed crowd last time and everyone there had come especially for the session, so no need to worry about troublesome drunks etc.

I know that you will all be tired and skint after Xmas and New Year's Eve celebrations... but the good news is that admission to this night is going to remain absolutely FREE! Drinks are at pub prices too, so you've no excuse not to come down to hear some great music and socialise with like minded souls.

The night now kicks off at the earlier time of 5.30pm and finishes at 10.30pm (in time to catch the tube home)

As ever, the music policy is uptempo bebop, hard bop, soul jazz, Latin jazz, cool, funk and blues - all played on vinyl LPs, EPs and 45s.

Other than Shiftless Shuffle run by the Jazzcotech Dancers, there's no other regular jazz session like this on in London at the moment, so please come down and show your support if you can.

We also plan to showcase some great guest DJs and possibly live music in the coming months - so watch this space!

Home Cookin' @ Filthy MacNasty's (Lounge Bar)
Dates: Sunday 13th Jan, 10th Feb, 9th Mar, etc.
Time: 5.30pm - 10.30pm
Admission: FREE
Address: 68 Amwell Street, London EC1R 1UU
Tubes: King's Cross / Angel

Steve Fishwick CD launch - Thu 24 January

Here's a gig well worth catching:

The Osian Roberts/Steve Fishwick Quintet launch their new album "On The Up and Up" on Thursday 24th January 2008 at the lovely Spice of Life basement club in Soho.

Young Steve Fishwick is one of the UK's top hard bop trumpeters and has played with legends like Hammond maestro Mike Carr. I'm a big fan of this guy and can't recommend him enough. It's great to see talented young musicians like this keeping the spirit of the 50s/60s Blue Note sound alive. And Steve even dresses the part!

You can check the group out and listen to some of their music on MySpace here: www.myspace.com/robertsfishwickquintet

The night runs from 8pm-11pm and costs £8 to get in (£6 conc.)

The Spice of Life, 6 Moor Street, Cambridge Circus, W1D 5NA