Club Eleven
Club Eleven, London Lost Music Venue, Jazz Club Eleven
Club Eleven was a nightclub located in London between 1948 and 1950. Despite being in business for only two years, the club played a significant role in the early history of British bebop, a form of modern jazz.
The club was so named because it had 11 founders – business manager Harry Morris and ten British bebop musicians. It was first opened at 41 Great Windmill Street in Soho in 1948, and had two house bands, one led by Ronnie Scott and the other by John Dankworth. Scott’s sidemen included Tony Crombie, Lennie Bush, Tommy Pollard, and Hank Shaw, while Dankworth’s included Leon Calvert, Bernie Fenton, Joe Muddell, and Laurie Morgan. When Scott toured the U.S., Don Rendell filled his spot. Denis Rose organized many of the activities at the club. In 1950 the club moved to 50 Carnaby Street, but shuttered a few months after the move as a consequence of a police raid.
Club 11 1949. Things get even more complicated when we get back to the 20s and 30’s. Ham Yard was apparently home.
In 2009 Club Eleven was named by the Brecon Jazz Festival as one of 12 venues which had made the most important contributions to jazz music in the United Kingdom.
