The JazzLab proudly carries forward the legacy of Bennetts Lane Jazz Club. Every night, we honour the spirit, creativity, improvisation and community that made Bennetts Lane legendary.
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History
IN A LONELY PLANET travel guide to Australia, Bennetts Lane jazz club in Melbourne was described as “the world’s best jazz club.” It came as something of a shock, particularly to jazz aficionados with an eye to America or Europe. What about the New York clubs, such as Blue Note or the Village Vanguard? Or the legendary Ronnie Scott’s club in London? Surely they have better claims to being the best jazz club in the world? Look a little closer, however, and the observation is not so surprising.
If we ask the question: ‘What is a jazz club?’ Lonely Planet’s opinion starts to look eminently justified. A jazz club is more than just a place of entertainment, a pub or night club that happens to play a particular style of music. It is an important part of a city’s culture. On that measure Bennetts Lane is exceptional. Whereas the famous jazz clubs of New York principally derive their reputations from the city itself – New York’s status as the centre of jazz activity in the world or New Orleans’ reputation as the origin of the form – Bennetts Lane has acquired an international reputation in a city that is, at best, only a marginal player in the world jazz scene. There have been many fine Australian jazz players, but few would think of Melbourne as one of the genre’s epicentres.
In proportionate terms, Bennetts Lane has made a bigger contribution to the night life and culture of the city it inhabits than other jazz clubs. Put another way, without Bennetts Lane it is unlikely that jazz would have become as healthy in Melbourne as it has, whereas the New York jazz scene would almost certainly have thrived irrespective of the survival of specific venues.
Excerpt from the book “Bennetts Lane – Worlds Best Jazz Club”