By Eleanor Mills

London has one of the best jazz scenes in the world. With the release of The Great Gatsby fast approaching, why not get in the mood with a visit to one of the capital’s best jazz clubs? If you’re planning a trip later in the year, make it November, for the London Jazz Festival.

Ronnie Scott’s, Soho

The most established of all London’s jazz clubs, Ronnie’s was set up in 1959 by Ronnie Scott who had dreamed of opening his own club after frequent trips to New York in the 1940s and 50s. Some of the biggest names in jazz have graced the stage there, including Miles Davis (above), Wynton Marsalis and even Jimi Hendrix. Ronnie’s has changed the face of British jazz and remains the quintessential jazz experience. With popular acts like legendary drummer Roy Haynes’s Fountain of Youth Band (15-16 May) and vocalist Claire Martin (29-30 May) coming up, be sure to book early.

The Vortex, Dalston

Off the beaten track, The Vortex Jazz Club has provided a platform for the most groundbreaking jazz for the last 25 years, launching the careers of many groups like Mercury prize nominees Polar Bear and Portico Quartet. Easy to get to on the London overground, the club regularly has outstanding musicians playing for very reasonable prices. Look out for a two-day residency with Oriole and Basquiat Strings (featuring the acclaimed drummer Seb Rochford, of Polar Bear) from Friday 17 to Saturday 18 May. Great burgers in the restaurant downstairs too!

Dover Street Restaurant & Bar, Mayfair

For a sophisticated jazz experience book tickets to the Dover Street Restaurant & Bar. With great blues outfits and lively big bands, Dover Street offers a fun night out. For a more traditional sound, watch out for the Sugar Ray Ford Quartet playing jive and swing classics on 3 June, or check out the Blues Engineers on 8 May or 11 June.

PizzaExpress Jazz Club, Soho

It does exactly what it says on the packet: great jazz, great pizza. This PizzaExpress venue is underground, giving the club a great ambience. Acts to see in the coming month include saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch playing with the Moses Boyd Band on Sunday 2 June and elegant jazz singer Nikki Iles with The Printmakers playing on Wednesday 5 June.

Hideaway, Streatham

One of London’s newest jazz venues, Hideaway has already made a mark on the UK jazz scene with renowned acts like the Neil Cowley Trio, Mark Lockheart, Ingrid Laubrock and Tom Cawley’s Curios playing there. The acoustics are great, food is delicious, service exceptional and, because it’s one of the capital’s best-kept jazz secrets, you’re bound to get good seats and an opportunity to meet the musicians afterwards. Make a trip down there on 16 June for Sunday lunch to see NYJO (the National Youth Jazz Orchestra).

More London jazz clubs and events

Following last week’s announcement that The O2 is the world’s most popular music venue, we asked our Visit London Facebook fans What’s Your Favourite Place in London To Hear Music?

There was a big response. Plenty of you agree The O2 is excellent, and other large venues such as HMV Hammersmith Apollo, Royal Albert Hall, The Roundhouse and The Barbican were mentioned.

Smaller venue favourites include Ronnie Scott’s in Soho, Camden’s Electric Ballroom, Vortex Jazz Club in Hackney, Union Chapel Islington and The Archduke at Waterloo.

Lots of people rate London’s buskers, music outdoors in Covent Garden, Regent’s Park (in summer!) and Trafalgar Square, and several of you professed a love for candlelit concerts at St Martin in the Fields.

So what’s your favourite place in London to hear music? Leave a comment below…

Rebeca Vallim, a singer from Rio de Janiero, tells us about the exciting Brazilian music scene in London for our World in London project.

How long have you been living in London?
Almost six years now. What I really like about living in London is all the different cultures in one place.

Where have you performed in London?
All around London, including Guanabara, Ronnie Scott’s, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Favela Chic, Pizza on the Park, Rose Theatre Kingston, On Anon, Barbican and The Green Note.

I’ve also performed at different London festivals, like Thames Festival, Carnaval del Pueblo, Summer in Holborn and Bloomsbury Festival.

What is your favourite place to perform?
It’s really hard to say!  Probably the Southbank Centre as they’re very supportive of artists, and encourage and promote Brazilian music, like with Festival Brazil this summer. The audience are great too, people aren’t busy drinking or chatting – they come to appreciate the music.

What is the Brazilian music scene like in London?
The Brazilian music scene in London is very varied, with rhythms from North to South of Brazil. It’s exciting, there’s so much happening.

You can hear all kinds of Brazilian music in London: bossa-nova, samba, maracatu, forró, samba-rock, pop, country, chorinho, samba-reggae and others…

Where do you go to listen to Brazilian music in London?
The last places I’ve been to hear Brazilian music were Guanabara for a concert by Diogo Nogueira, a great sambista of the new generation; Royal Albert Hall to see Gilberto Gil, an icon of Brazilian music; and Koko to see the great singer Maria Rita.

I also recommend the Tia Maria restaurant in Vauxhall, which has live samba and choro every Thursday.

So where can we see you perform?
I perform in a number of different bands: Rebeca Vallim & Band, Mafua de Yaya, Viramundo, Umpatacum and Maracatudo Mafua.

My next gig is Brazilian Night at Ronnie Scott’s Bar, upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho, on 9 Dec from 8pm.

Sweet Charity burst into the West End last night and this acclaimed 60’s musical is super slick. The 2010 cast has jived and jiggled it way across The Thames from The Menier Chocolate Factory to Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End.

It’s a charming old-fashioned tale about a New York girl called Charity Hope Valentine (played by Tamzin Outhwaite) and her dream of a better life. Charity is an unlucky idealist who wants to find a man to care for, who will care for her. While the first part of her goal is easier than proves healthy, it’s the second part that is more challenging. The result is that the audience care for her more by the minute.

Think tea at The Berkley with Holly Golightly followed by a night out at Ronnie Scotts with Foxy Cleopatra. Yikes.

Did I mention it’s funny? The pace of this production is super – only one musical number, set in the confined space of a broken elevator, seemed to carry on too long and lost my attention.

The performances are strong and confident, the set is effective, the costumes are glitzy, the music is brilliant and the story is sweet but never sappy. There are plenty feisty dance routines with superb choreography to keep our eyes, ears and hearts entertained. Musical numbers belted out or whispered super-sensually include 1960’s hits Hey Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now and The Rhythm of Life.

Slick, gusty performances work well to deliver the story into the hearts and laps of the audience.

Loads of fun and definitely a shakin’ night out!