What did Ken Colyer blue plaque do at The 100 Club?

The Story

Looking up at this iconic basement jazz venue, it's impossible to overstate the impact Ken Colyer had here at The 100 Club during the 1950s and early 1960s, where his band's Wednesday night sessions became legendary gatherings for traditional jazz enthusiasts. Colyer, who famously sailed to New Orleans to learn authentic jazz at its source, used this Oxford Street stage to recreate the raw, spiritual energy of New Orleans jazz he had experienced firsthand, making The 100 Club a vital hub for the British New Orleans jazz revival movement. His fierce dedication to musical authenticity earned him the nickname "The Guv'nor" among fellow musicians, and the packed crowds who descended the stairs to this basement venue each week were treated to what many consider the most genuine New Orleans jazz experience possible outside of Louisiana itself.