The Vortex Jazz Club

Considering Sunday evening, this superbly nicely located jazz bar was buzzing with life and getting ready for live music. All that in relaxed atmosphere (if you like jazz of course.).
There is upstair seating, which I missed out on, but I saw cosy seating downstairs and beer garden with a view to the spacious square.
In terms of the service, eehhmmm… We got a lot of: ‘OOhh. I am sorry, we don’t have.‘
I mean call me crazy demanding, but if there is a daily menu advertised on the black board just above the bar, I do except to get food… Shame, that wasn’t the case on Sunday evening. I also like getting beer from the tap and it’s a real shame if ALL beers happen to run out… And some spirits as well.
It is also a real shame when you are at a bar and the only member of staff looks uninterested and really passive. I just hope, she just had a long weekend and was really tired…
In overall, not a bad place but with so much happening around, will I ever be back? Ehhmm… Probably not really.

This is a cracker of a jazz club. One that I can’t decide whether it merits four stars or five. So I’ll make that call later and focus on its charms for now.
Housed in a strikingly modern building in Dalston very conveniently located next to the East London line, the Vortex is a small space, but more cosy than cramped. The tables are close together but take it from me as a gentleman particularly long of leg: you’re not going to suffer any anatomical ills as a result — there’s space to move. Dim lighting, with the flames of candles flickering through the half-​empty wine bottles and glasses on the tables can make this club a very romantic setting with the right music. In my case, that music was just so: the ever-​dependable, entertaining and excellent Ian Shaw, who made the evening very memorable.
The 100-​strong crowd was quiet, relatively young and very appreciative of the music. Unlike the £10 G&Ts (or was it £15?) at Ronnie Scotts, the drinks at Vortex are fairly-​priced, the staff are friendly and, as other Unilocalers have already pointed out, many of them are volunteers, which is admirable.
For what it is then, with tickets for top-​class performances at just £10 (unlike the £20 typical at Ronnie Scotts and Pizza Express Jazz Club), no requirement to consume a substantial meal if drinking alcohol (unlike 606) and reasonably-​priced drinks (unlike Ronnie Scotts et al) the Vortex is a very impressive joint.
That’s why I’m struggling with the score. For now, it’s 4.5 rounded down to 4. But as I explore London’s jazz scene more and pay repeat visits, I could very easily find myself updating that score upwards soon.

There’s nothing like a cramped jazz club to learn just how much your significant other thinks of you. Mine obviously loves me. I mean, we did have to share a table the size of a postage stamp with two strangers. And by the time the pianist started plucking the piano strings, instead of playing the keys, I think he had about all he could take. New record: half a jazz concert.
It really is a legit venue to see very talented, if a little off-​the-​radar performers. Will definitely be back, but probably not with the husband.

Wonderful place.
They had good food and reasonably priced drinks. The live music was awesome (although not jazz the night we went).
We found their events on
. They had some stuff listed at the vortex. It’s also really close to a tube station so it’s easy to get to without a car. Seating is a little bit cramped, but possible. We didn’t really have to wait. They also have outdoor seating.

room with a view
The club seemed quite nice and prices cheap compared to ronnie scotts (what isn’t?) Unfortunately although I had booked and paid over a month in advance and arrived 20 mins before the place even opened I found that my reserved seat consisted of a windowsill (seriously. complete with window).
I was fortunate. Other windowsill dwellers had travelled from far and wide (I’d only come across London) I understand that the usual procedure if If there is only standing room (or windowsill) space available then you should be informed of this beforehand and/​or the ticket is cheaper. When I put this to the person in charge I was offered no apology and told the reason was the club was too small. Well I never!

It was so nice to find a fantastic jazz club tucked in a hidden square on a snowy evening. The guy at the door was seriously nice and on the ball and when I gave him my name he was all like «oh, your mate Zara is sitting over there already!» Talk about personal service.
So, apparently I am also not into free from improvised jazz either and spent the evening texting zara about our woe and whether dumping her boyfriend in the club and going for a hot chocolate downstairs in the bar was acceptable. My very scientifically proven theory is that because women are more attuned to high pitch noises (have to hear their babies ya’know) therefore we find it much harder to digest very high pitch free form clarinet/​alto sax/​sax jazz.
Not that I am judging Vortex by that in anyway. The jazz was obviously of a very high quality and I would love to go enjoy something a little, well less energetic and high pitch!

Oooh a jazz club, dimly lit with candles crammed to the brim with little tables lovingly labeled by the promoters with name cards of everyone who bought advanced tickets. Oh how exciting and adult I felt settling down to watch tonight’s trio play. The anticipation. One small hitch, despite wanting to — I don’t think I like jazz all that much. Well, free-​form improvised jazz clarinet anyway.
Excluding the shrill Norwegian, the two Americans in the trio were excellent. My tastes in the jazz field are probably very pedestrian music-​wise but I do think the venue itself is great, and seems quite old-​school.
Winter warning — it does get a bit cold and they don’t have hot drinks to make you feel toasty (I’ve never been so obsessed with these as in the last two weeks of my life). However the downstairs bar separate from the jazz club is excellently stocked with warmers, hot chocolate and chess sets. Toilets are not so clean though.
Overall I’d say this jazz club is… ‘Nice’ (I have resisted saying that catchphrase the WHOLE evening!)

Been only a couple of times, but in both occasions the artists have been world wide quality! Cool atmosphere in this cozy venue, where volunteers help out while enjoying the music (great business idea)

There have been two times in my life when I have felt cool. The first was when I was being driven down a dirt road at 120 km/​h in the middle of Zimbabwe at 4 in the morning in an open roofed vehicle by a slightly insane park ranger. Actually, that was more freezing and terrified than cool.
The second time was at the Vortex Jazz Bar. This is a very small venue, with a capacity of 30 or so. It’s an old school jazz bar, dingy inside, lots of small tables pressed up so close against each other that you can’t really move. The benefit of this is that everyone is very close to the performer. On my visit this was Lianne Carroll, who was amazing.
Another very cool thing about this bar is that all the staff are volunteers! It warmed every socialist bone in my body to hear that.
Definitely worth checking out. Book in advance.

I am such a convert to this music thanks to the Vortex. Attentive volunteer staff, intimate, enthralling. Great views over the Square

The new Vortex downstairs bar in Dalston is a far cry, looks-​wise, from its old days on Stoke Newington Church Street. No longer the archetypal, smoky basement bar, full of rustic charm and darkened corners; it’s now boxy, minimalist, with seemingly Heal’s inspired furniture, chandeliers and nouveaix-​paisely designs, reminiscent of a café in Copenhagen. For these reasons I expected not to like it at all; as I find the kinds of usually music playing in bars that look like this excruciatingly dull.
Thankfully I was wrong.
I found the place by accident after leaving a canapé party in nearby house relatively early with a few friends. As someone who has written very positive things about electro-​house night Bastard Batty Bass, I was heartened by the sound of Miami-​bass infused electro-​funk radiating from the venue.
It was a night called Cheap Wednesdays, obviously designed for students with its flyer screaming £1 SHOTS! None of us took the barman up on his offer. I for one like my kidneys, thanks. By contrast, the crowd, which was composed half of students dressed in neon and gold; and half of 20 – 30 somethings off for their Christmas hols, were quaffing the booze like prohibition was going to start on Thursday morning. But with cocktails (their most expensive drink) coming in at £4, I could hardly begrudge them.
We sat on two huge sofas, the kind that sinks so far down at the back that you could easy lose a small child down the back of it (never mind your wallet) and perched our drink on what could have possibly been the most swanky yet badly-​designed coffee table I have ever seen. It consisted of circles that you could pull out at angles, tripping people up at random. The bar itself is very narrow, so it was an ever-​present danger.
To make up for that however was the fantastic DJ Beatnik who mixed Kwaito (a style of African music) with house, electro and early 80s electro-​funk (think Afrika Bambataa). I’ve told Mama Shamone about him. The only thing that set them back was that the sound quality of their PA system wasn’t amazing (think crunchy-​sounding bass beatsnooo!).

I’ve not been to the upstairs jazz section, but the downstairs ‘open to all’ part of the Vortex is lovely for a drink on a balmy summer night.
There’s two large sofa areas inside and lots of chairs sitting on the square outside. Cocktails are £5 each and they also do food during the day. A friend of mine also raves about their tea!
A nice relaxed place off the skanky Kingsland Road, if perhaps a bit too trendy for it’s own good.

The Vortex Jazz Club is a great alternative to Ronnie Scott’s, the venue’s acts are primarily from the contemporary jazz scene and the venue has hosted musicians such as Last Amendment, F-​IRE Collective, Derek Bailey, Kenny Wheeler, Evan Parker, John Etheridge, Tim Berne, and Django Bates.
In addition to being a world class performance venue it has recently become launched an independent record label known as the Vortex Babel Label.
The atmosphere is great for anybody wishing to hear world-​class new music but as the line-​up is always new it’s best to check out the artist on the internet first — most have myspace pages. However anybody looking for more traditional jazz should probably look elsewhere as this doesn’t really feature here.
Even if you’re not a wild jazz-​fan it’s a great place for a new experience, a date, meal or just a drink as the atmosphere is fantastic and the prices fair.

The Vortex is an odd venue to hold jazz events. Not because of the owners, who clearly know exactly what they are doing on the music front, but because of the space itself. Situated off the main drag in Dalston centre, the venue stands out considerably with it’s blue glassed frontier, lit at night.
Inside you pay downstairs, before taking the stairs to the main venue. Here you will find the tables set out with candles lit for a romantic night of closeup jazz and fine food and wine, with a view of the outside world.
It is this latter element which I find disturbing, the big glass frontage which gives a feel of to be seen, look at me. When all I want when I go out is to see the musicians and listen to the music and forget about the outside world for an evening. I also can’t help thing, a big glass window pane is not good for the sound.
Still don’t let that stop you going, because it is truly an excellent place to hear the best of jazz and we need more jazz venues, not less!