BEyond the Ensemble
A photo essay celebrating the community involved in The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh.
Anna Subirats, Assistant Manager, outside the Jazz Bar 1A Chamber Street
The Jazz Bar; a stand out institution in a city full of renowned art, iconic pubs and intimate clubs. Edinburgh is a city that holds so much history and now, holds so much for me and many of my nearest and dearest. Some of my fondest memories can be attributed to The Jazz Bar. After first stumbling in on a dreich Wednesday night in my first year of university, my pals and I became intoxicated - not by pints of guinness or espresso martinis - but by the pure joy that we felt from dancing without real rhythm to the sound of late night funk. Tapping our feet and drumming our thighs to the drifting notes of trumpets, saxophones and high hats, we laughed for hours around the corner booth table by the stage. For the rest of my university years I continued to frequent the Jazz Bar with the same friends and new ones, before eventually landing a job on the other side of the bar *thank you Tomas*.
Tomas Ramon-Quintana, Bartender and Flatmate
The Jazz Bar was first opened in July 2005 by founder and legend of the Scottish jazz community, Bill Kyle. Bill pioneered the Scottish jazz scene, committing his efforts to shaping and organising the foundations of what we know today. His involvement as a musician and promoter was tireless. A drum player himself, Bill played with many bands in New York, London and of course, Scotland. Most notably he helped create the jazz fusion band, ‘Head’. The group toured the UK and won accolades such as the 1971 Dunkerque Jazz Festival prize for best new band, also appearing on BBC Radio 3’s Jazz in Britain. In 2002 Bill founded one of Scotlands most active non-profit jazz promotion organisations, ‘Bridge Music’ which was pivotal in nurturing local talent and helping the Scottish Jazz Scene thrive. With a dedication to create even more opportunities, Bill opened the ‘The Bridge Jazz Bar’ on Edinburgh's South Bridge - Scotland’s first fully dedicated jazz venue hosting many Jazz legends such as Lee Konitz, Victoria Tolstoy, Buster Williams and Joe Locke as well as local musicians.
Unfortunately, The Bridge Jazz Bar had a short life. The venue was caught up in the Cowgate fires of 7/8 December 2002 - a disaster which sank many other businesses with it. However, the outstanding success of The Bridge Jazz Bar and its appeal to so many kept Bill motivated to search for another appropriate venue. In his determined fashion, he could still see the potential for a thriving jazz scene in Edinburgh, despite heavy financial loss. After 3 years of searching, Bill found the perfect location - a basement bar set into one of Edinburgh’s historical vaults below Chamber Street. It was meant to be.
Originally it was ‘Cellar No.1’ - an old live music venue which served as a hotspot for jazz in the 90s with Bill and his friends playing here regularly before it was shut down and taken over by a not-so-popular pub conglomerate. Described by Bill as ‘Bohemian and without proper ventilation’, Cellar No.1 sounded like it was straight from an avant garde film. Cigarette smoke lingering under the low ceilings as sax notes cut through the haze and jazz cats burned a hole in the ground from dancing all night long. However, the venue was not what it once was, so Bill inherited a fairly dilapidated space and a problem: how to fund the costly refurbishments…
Amazingly, and a true representation of the strength of the Scottish jazz community, seven individuals offered to help with personal loans, allowing Bill to fulfill his aspirations of bringing a dedicated jazz agenda back to the very room he once played in so regularly. With that, The Jazz Bar was born. Never a hands-off manager, Bill continued to work relentlessly to ensure the venue was a thriving hub for the community and could be seen sitting at the end of the bar nightly, often taking up a seat behind his drum kit on stage.
The Jazz Bar today. Original venue of Cellar No.1
Sadly Bill passed away on the 31st of October 2016. His legacy is a remarkable one, and his efforts to create the vibrant Scottish jazz community as we know it today are remembered fondly by those who have been touched by his work. The Jazz Bar is the ultimate representation of his dedication and enthusiasm. Nowadays the institution lives on under the care of his daughter Edith Kyle, who continues to deliver on Bill’s commitment to supporting grassroots music in Scotland.
The photos within this essay aim to celebrate a few of the people who are also committed to ensuring The Jazz Bar continues to house up and coming talent side by side established musicians, and provide memorable nights for punters like me who happen to find themselves walking down the familiar steps of 1a Chamber street. Just this August passed, the bar hosted the Russian-American trumpeter Valery Ponomarev who famously fled the USSR and joined the celebrated Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers.
Nick Mushlin, General Manager
The idea for this project came from a late-night conversation with Aki Remally (Musician and Venue Manager) and Andy Wilson (Sound Engineer) after a long shift. Myself a novice to the Scottish jazz scene, and admittedly Jazz itself, I was being educated by Aki and Andy. I listened to them reel off bands, musicians and niche knowledge about those involved in and around the scene. I was impressed by the depth of the web. From the talented performers and committed management, to the knowledgeable bartenders and sound engineers, right through to the quick witted yet nae nonsense door staff and loyal regulars. Everyone has a part to play. However, this isn’t obvious to everyone and with this in mind I wanted to create a project that celebrated these people. Unfortunately, with busy schedules, work rotas to play by and gigs to take on, it was hard to photograph everyone.
Aki Remally, Guitarist and Events Manager
When you first arrive at the Jazz Bar, whether you are a music fanatic who has just enjoyed an early evening drink in Sandy Bells around the corner, a lively student
winding your way up from the Cowgate via guthrie street, or a veteran Jazz Bar regular you will most likely be met by Kevin on the door - a recognisable face for most Edinburgh revelers. Unless you are completely out of your box, wearing tracksuit bottoms or simply being a dick, Kev will most likely step aside and let you descend the basement steps. The animated click clack of heels is a familiar noise for anyone working on the cash desk at the bottom. Upon entry into the bar itself, you will pass by the corner table at the back of the room which is more often than not, occupied by the highly talented and effortlessly cool house musicians such as Aki Remally, Jonny White, Ali Affleck, John Hunt and Graeme Mearns. Many of the regular listings at the Jazz Bar have been involved since its inception and have been long time friends with Bill and each other. For Graeme, the Jazz Bar is almost like a “private club house” for him and his fellow musicians. He does not mean to describe it as an exclusive members only clique but to give connotations of a second home. Somewhere for them to hangout and play the music they have devoted much of their lives to while supporting each other and the mission of the venue set by Bill.
Graeme Mearns, Swing/Jazz/Acoustic Musician
Continuing towards the main floor you may have to tap a few shoulders to let you by as the venue fills with a thick atmosphere almost every night. Once at the bar try a homemade ginger beer with sloe gin - a fiery drink made with flair by whoever greets you from behind the marble bar top (a favourite of my Mum and Dad). Now you have two options; a) find a seat and rock back and forth on their purposefully bouncy backs or b) take up a space on the dance floor amongst a rag tag bunch. With nothing else left to do but enjoy the high quality music you can dance away until the wee small hours of the morning. You might even cross paths with some of the infamous regulars such as Bill the poet (a man of 70 odd dancing manically at the front with anyone who has the energy to keep up).
There is a rare feeling you get when you find a community that is so great, with a purpose and a history behind it, and being part of it even for a short period feels like a privilege.
Jade Sinclair, Assistant Manager
Seamus Dailly, Bartender & Musician
These photos were taken on ilford HP5 120mm with the Mamiya 645. The project was exhibited in the New Glasgow Society community gallery in March 2023 with friends and family enjoying an excuse for a bevvy. A special thank you to Sofia, Gelatin Prints, New Glasgow Society and of course The Jazz Bar, as well as everyone else who has helped make this possible.