Matt Holborn-Celebrating Stuff Smith
Friday 26th September 2025
Tickets: £20.00 Seat at a shared Table for 4 /£15.00 Seat – No Table
Doors: 7.30pm
Show: 8:00pm-9:30pm – Single Set 75 min
Please note you can book for dinner either before or after the show.
The Hampstead Jazz Club presents London-based jazz violinist Matt Holborn. Matt leads the London Django Collective and has toured the UK and internationally, performing with many of today’s leading exponents of Django Reinhardt’s music as well as playing in musical comedian Bill Bailey’s live band.
Join Matt Holborn’s quartet in their celebration of jazz violin pioneer Stuff Smith with selections from Smith’s repertoire and new music inspired by his legacy. A tribute to Smith’s lasting influence on jazz and the violin.
Join Matt Holborn and his quartet for a concert dedicated to jazz violin legend Stuff Smith. A major figure in jazz from the 1930s onward, Smith played with greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Nat King Cole, and Ben Webster, and appeared in the iconic 1958 photo, “A Great Day in Harlem.”
This set will feature selections from Stuff Smith’s repertoire alongside original music from Matt’s upcoming album, For Stuff, inspired by Smith’s style and legacy. Expect carefully chosen pieces that highlight Smith’s innovative approach to the violin, along with new works that pay homage to his sense of swing and energy. Matt is joined by a stellar, all-star band of some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians.
Matt Holborn is a London-based jazz violinist, he leads the London Django Collective and has toured the UK and internationally, performing with many of today’s leading exponents of Django Reinhardt’s music as well as playing in musical comedian Bill Bailey’s live band. He also hosts The Jazz Violin Podcast and works as a jazz strings workshop leader with Tomorrow’s Warriors.
“celestial” and “rapturous” – “i” newspaper
“Holborn’s phrasing and husky sound synonymous with heartbreak and resignation” – Jazz Journal
LINE-UP:
Lead – Matt Holborn
Piano – Fraser Urquhart
Drums – Joe Dessauer
Bass – Simon Read
Please note, The Club is not licensed to allow access to Children under the age of 16 after 9pm, so for evening performances, please do not book tickets for children under the age of 16. Children aged 16 and above are welcome at any time.
For £20.00 Tickets:
Seats are not numbered and you will be seated at available tables. Please note tables seat 4 people, so for bookings of less than 4 people, you will be seated and share a table for 4.
For £15.00 Tickets:
This is a fully seated event. Seats are not numbered and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.
Please note the Jazz Club is situated in the basement of the Duke of Hamilton Pub and access is via a number of stairs. The nearest toilets are situated on the 1st floor of the Pub.
Showtimes
Doors: 7:30 pm | Show: 8:00 pm