Town's long-running jazz club marks 50-years of 'keeping the music alive’

The longevity of a jazz club that has kept the music playing for half a century has been described as a testament to the ‘incredible’ passion of its late founder.

Marlow Jazz Club, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary in 2026, has regulars who have been attending for decades to enjoy some of the ‘top players’ on the UK jazz scene.

It was started and run for almost all of that time by lifelong Marlow resident and music aficionado Michael Eagleton, who died in September 2024.

Simon Lenton, who has taken over running the club, said its success was, “mostly down to Michael’s incredible enthusiasm for the music”.

He said: “This is typical of jazz clubs in the UK - certainly the vast majority of them - they only survive because it’s down to the hard graft of whoever is running the club.

“By and large, it usually comes down to a single person – a single person with a real passion for the music, just wanting to keep the music alive.”

To celebrate the club’s anniversary and Michael’s life, an evening of jazz music is set to take place on July 18, and an exhibition celebrating his life will be staged at Marlow Museum.

A spokesperson for Marlow Museum told the Advertiser: “We are dedicated to telling the stories of the people of Marlow.

"This is our second major exhibition, which will focus on somebody significant in the town and who was a real central figure in the jazz community.

"We’re keen to celebrate his life and the impact that he had.”

Mr Lenton, 67, described Marlow Jazz Club as, “probably the club [in the region] that puts on the ‘premium jazz’.”

He continued: “In other words, the real top players on a regular basis - there’s a standard that is very high here. We attract an audience from a decent distance around, but I’ll tell you, it’s hard work sometimes.”

Mr Lenton’s association with Marlow Jazz Club came after he and a friend put on a jazz event in the town, which was advertised as ‘Marlow’s smartest jazz club’.

He said Michael, who had been running his club for decades, then contacted him to counter the claim.

But conversation soon turned to the pair’s mutual appreciation of music, and to an offer to help run Marlow Jazz Club going forward.

Running the club for all that time has not been without its challenges which, Mr Lenton said, included having to search for a new base after the Marlow British Legion building closed in 2025.

Its most recent event took place at The Barn Club in Marlow Bottom.

There is also the constant work to drum up support for its evenings of music which, while still pulling crowds of as many as 100 people, require sustained effort.

Mr Lenton said: “You don’t need to know a lot about the music to really be able to get into it and enjoy a live experience.

“I would say within this whole area between Reading and London, you won’t see higher-quality musicians than the ones that we get here.”

More information about jazz club events and Marlow Museum can be found at marlowjazzclub.com and marlowmuseum.org

A date for the exhibition is yet to be announced.