Ready for the London Jazz Festival 2012?

Nothing says sophistication quite like listening to some smooth jazz over a Martini. November offers the opportunity for you to indulge in both when the London Jazz Festival begins on Friday 9^th November. At venues all across London, some of the biggest names in jazz will be strutting their stuff for nine days, giving you the perfect chance to take in some of the richest culture in London.

Whether it’s at the Koko Club, Hackney Empire, BBC Maida Vale studios or the 606 Club, there’s no excuse not to head out in to London and take in some quality music. The venues are sometimes as iconic as the music itself. For example, Maida Vale studios have seen many of the biggest artists in music record and perform there, including The Beatles, The Clash and The White Stripes.

If you’ve never heard of any of the jazz performers, don’t worry. Each one brings their own unique style to their performance. Whether they’re covering some classic hits or writing their own, each performance is different and provides a much more intimate feel than the average gig.

And at least one name that you will probably recognise will be performing, as Macy Gray will be here alongside the David Murray Big Band at the Barbican on the final day of the festival. As well as some of Macy’s hits they will also be performing a number of covers which you can listen to here: Macy Gray – Love Lockdown/Buck

With the Royal Academy of Arts and St. James Piccadilly just a short distance from DUKES London, you have no excuse not to go out and take in some of the finest jazz on offer anywhere in the world this November – all before heading back to DUKES Bar to sample one of our classic martinis.