Klooks Kleek
Klooks Kleek was a jazz and rhythm 'n’ blues club on the first floor of the Railway Hotel, West Hampstead, north-west London.
[1] Named after "Klook's Clique", a 1956 album by jazz drummer Kenny Clarke (Savoy Records 12006), the club opened on 11 January 1961 with special guest Don Rendell (tenor sax) and closed nine years later on 28 January 1970 after a session by drummer Keef Hartley’s group.
The promoters—in 1962 Dick Jordan had invited childhood friend Geoff Williams to partner him at KK—also believed in making their punters part of the club, rather than just a crowd of fee-payers.
With earlier performance restrictions removed several American jazz “royalty” appeared, including saxists Ben Webster, Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins and Zoot Sims.
British artists included pianist Stan Tracey, and the man responsible for bringing the Americans to his own famous club in Soho, Ronnie Scott.
The band played a mix of Louis Jordan, soft soul, funk and even vocal versions of bebop numbers such “Parker’s Blues”.
They opened the Tuesday RnB nights on 10 September 1963 and performed a further twenty-one times, continuing to appear at this small venue even after having two No 1 chart singles.
Apart from the prodigious musical skills of the leader on keyboards and saxes, the rhythm section was Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce.
Also paying their dues at Klooks Kleek were inter alia Jon Lord of Deep Purple, playing in the Artwoods, named after Ronnie Wood's older brother and leader of the group; Purple themselves played one gig in 1969 before the big time beckoned; Bluesology had a 20-year-old called Reg Dwight, later Sir Elton Hercules John; Cream, all of whose members were familiar with KK from previous bands, played a couple of gigs before their first mega-bucks US tour and again between that one and the next; they were recorded “unofficially” on the latter gig in November 1966.
The Nice, who gave birth to Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP), were regulars in 1967 and 1968, as was Family with Roger Chapman on vocals and Ric Grech, later of Blind Faith, on bass, violin and cello in 1969 following the release of their debut album Music in a Doll's House.
The original Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green were regulars in 1969; Christine Perfect's keyboards and vocals in their later incarnation had given her first-ever professional performance at KK with Chicken Shack in 1968.
The Mac made full use of their appearances at KK by making unbooked recording raids on Decca Studios next door.
Situated next to Decca Studios, KK was a favourite drop-in before or after work for music stars, notably Tom Jones, Lulu, and Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five.
The surprise visit which passed into legend was the one made by Jimi Hendrix whose manager Chas Chandler, formerly of the Animals brought him in one night when John Mayall was topping the bill.
Columbia SX 6075 Ten Years After “Undead” live at Klooks Kleek 14/05/1968 Deram SML 1023 The Artwoods "Live at Klooks Kleek" was instigated by Mike Raven, a DJ/producer on the short-lived pirate station Radio Atlanta, which had become Radio Caroline South, by the time of the recordings in late 1964.
The Artwoods had been so successful as authentic blues purveyors on a dozen interval spots at the club that they stepped up to topping the bill nine times before moving countrywide.
