Derek Long tells the story of East Side Jazz Club, which started in 1994 under the leadership of former Wanstead resident Clive Fenner and has gone on to become a well-respected venue on the London jazz scene
Once upon a time, some 30-plus years ago, there was a philosophy lecturer who decided he wanted to learn to play drums. He started playing in the 70/80s blues/rock genre, but always wanted to play jazz, so he signed up for lessons. After a lot of hard work, he had the confidence to play in public.
The next move was to find a way of playing club dates, but he had trouble getting gigs with existing bands. He took a crazy leap of faith and organised a ‘club’ of his own; a room at the Heathcote Pub in Leytonstone to play with friends and colleagues, with a hope that people might want to come and listen.
That was Wanstead resident Clive Fenner, who for many years lived in a flat above the ladies dress shop on the High Street. He started his club on a very low budget with his own drums and a piano with a German-sounding name that was actually made in China, but the musicians he brought built that gig in the Heathcote into a popular local event. Until, so the story goes, the pub decided his patrons were too interested in the music and not spending enough money at the bar! So, he moved to a larger room at The Lord Rookwood pub by Wanstead Flats, and East Side Jazz Club became a regular Tuesday night gig there for over 10 years. Many Wanstead residents, fans from the Essex fringes and beyond came to see great musicians play to a live audience.
Clive was a hustler and persuaded some of the best musicians in the field to play with him, as long as he could always be on drums. Most famously that included local superstar Kenny Wheeler, a world-class flugelhorn player.
After several years of successful gigs, The Lord Rookwood closed down in dubious circumstances; padlocked, with the piano inside, requiring a cleverly mounted expedition to rescue it. Clive eventually settled on a new venue, the Ex-Servicemen’s Club (now The Social) on Harvey Road, Leytonstone, and it has since grown to be a well-respected venue on the London jazz scene.
When Clive sadly died some four years ago from prostate cancer, a group of his friends decided the club couldn’t die with him, and East Side Jazz is now more active than ever. It will be part of the London Jazz Festival this year, booking top UK and European players, plus young musicians starting their careers, every Tuesday night. That old Chinese piano has been replaced by a beautiful Yamaha that sounds great every time it is rolled out. In 2026, the club will be hosting musicians at the top of the UK jazz list, including Tony Kofi, Zoe Rahman, John Etheridge and many others.
Getting to the club from Wanstead is very straightforward, just a single stop away on the Central Line or 100 yards from the W13 bus stop on Harvey Road.
For more information on East Side Jazz Club events, visit wnstd.com/jazz
