I remember my father placing an ominous disk onto a stack in our living room every weekend. The notes that filled the room would change the feel of the Saturday morning, enticing me to dance with my porridge spoon in hand. In those early years, I did not know that the soulful sound of Nat King Cole’s voice was the one that made my spine tingle and my fingers tap. I did not know that Nina Simone was the voice that came from the kitchen until I became old enough to appreciate the artist as well as the sound. I think many people of my generation will have had Jazz as part of their childhood because of a particularly enthusiastic parent, or from the emergence of popular modern music to remix old favourites and head into the charts.

I spent my father’s most recent birthday at the Blues Bar in London, which you should definitely visit if you are ever in the area. This club is smaller than my kitchen. It has one bar, one small stage and a few tables, and I have never listened to music being played quite the same way as I did in this place. There was a band from New York playing and they specialised in Jazz punk-pop fusion, which I can tell you for a fact is an amazing shock to the ears. Why am I rambling about this place? Well, at Fresher’s Fair the Lippy committee was given free tickets to a new Jazz club night at Hifi in Leeds, ‘All That Jazz’, and because of the brief history I have just outlined, I was majorly excited. I was looking forward to a night out where my feet would take over, the music supplying energy to my dancing and not caring if I looked entirely foolish.

We ended up going with quite a big group of people and as someone who had never been to Hifi in Leeds before, I was pleasantly surprised. It is smaller than most of the other clubs in Leeds and has an intimate feel with seating and a stage area, much like the Blues Bar I was so heavily plugging a minute ago. When entering, the music made me fling my jacket off and want a drink to help with the dancing nerves. The staff were incredibly helpful, even when I made the mistake of ordering the worst tasting rum of my life.

With a new drink in hand, we settled into a spot on the floor and eased our way into the music. The DJ looked as though he was in his element and we realised that SwingSoc from Uni had even made an appearance for the opening night. Now after a few songs, I began to feel the mood changing. I think this was more of a personal taste matter, but the music became less of things you could dance to, but rather melodies you would want to savour while sitting down and chatting with friends. One song didn’t seem to blend with another and the presence of such amazing swing dancers was enough to make someone become very much aware of their surroundings. And yet, I do not want you to think this night is not worth a visit. The fact that even when seeing people who can clearly dance at champion level, I still grabbed my flatmate’s hand and spun her around the dance floor, speaks for itself. The place really started to fill up around 12ish and the increase only gave off a more positive affirmation that to swing your hips and flay your arms that way in public is very much acceptable.

All in all, I did leave early and was a little disappointed in the music selection. However, I have to give credit to the eclectic nature of the set, and the intimate surroundings of the club played a big part in its enjoyment. I would definitely recommend this as a night out in Leeds if you are looking for something different to the mainstream nights promoted at clubs such as Oceania and Halo – especially, if you love loud clothing, full out dance moves and a ‘dirty dancing’ dance floor.

Aurelia Greenwood