Legendary live music venue The Jazz Cafe in Camden announced it was closed to business a mere two days after The Columbo Group purchased the venue from previous owners MAMA & Company. All scheduled shows have been moved, rescheduled or postponed.
The venue, which has hosted performances by the likes of Lee Scratch Perry, De La Soul, Amy Winehouse and Bobby Womack, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a night headlined by icon Grandmaster Flash and singer Mica Paris.
In a statement director Steve Ball said “Many of us here at The Columbo Group have a personal history at The Jazz Café, its early days have fed into what we do at our other venues a great deal. What makes this purchase so special is that we now have the chance to channel that history in to taking The Jazz Café forward with a huge respect for the work they’ve done and for the greats that have played there we’re looking forward to taking this venue to the next level. There are elements of all aspects of The Jazz Café that we’re going to improve on taking from the experiences of our other venues including XOYO, whilst of course respecting the lineage of what The Jazz Café has come to represent.”
The venue plans to re-open in May. When asked what the refurbishment will entail Mr Ball replied “We’ve got some exciting plans but nothing we can announce yet, thanks.”
