Ray's Jazz Cafe

Review of Rays Jazz Shop by Andy (17th February 2006)

Rays Jazz Shop is a London institution.

For years it had its own slightly shabby premises up at the top end of Shaftesbury Avenue, and was part of the post-war Soho musical scene. All through the 90s the shop felt doomed - it was one of the last record shops to actually sell records, as CDs and DVDs began swallowing every inch of shelf space in their paths.

Happily, the revamp of Foyles book shop gave it a lifeline into the 21st century - and the result is a one of the best little cafes in the centre of London and a small, but perfectly formed Jazz shop whose stock includes nearly every kind of jazz your heart could desire.

If you want to use the free wifi (no annoying login rigmarole required) they prefer you to sit up to the shelf along by the windows, leaving the tables for people who want to talk to each other in person, which seems fair enough.

The coffee's OK, they have loads of different teas, and excellent sandwiches, muffins and cakes. It's not the cheapest place to grab a bite, but definitely one of my favourite places to meet in the centre of town.

There are regular free live performances - see http://www.foyles.co.uk/foyles/rays.asp for a list of who's appearing.