Stokes Croft music scene is vibrant. It’s creative and alive, changing and adapting with the seasons. But the Stokes Croft Jazz scene is one of a kind.

Jazz musicians gather to play spontaneously, creatively, with a little bit of chaos.

I was first introduced to the Jazz scene when I moved to Stokes Croft. I lived with an amazing keys player who invited me to watch him play at Lab Jams, a low-lit jazz space where musicians would play and we would drink pints and wish we could play. From then on, I went every Wednesday I got to know the band, and now I photograph them. Lab Jams will forever be the first place I fell in love with music.

When Summer hits, Jazz Junction begins. On the corner of Nine Tree Hill, an open Jam plays, allowing anyone to play with them. Best enjoyed with a beer in hand. It makes you realise that Jazz, and music in general, is a shared experience, musicians drift and create these melodies and rhythms, laughing through it all. This tiny part of Stokes becomes a festival, people stop for a bit and listen, dance and sing.

And right next door is Jungle Jazz at Elemental. This is a fusion of Jazz and Jungle (exactly what it says on the tin). Jazz musicians play over jungle and drum and bass. Saxophone and trumpet break through the beat, and the crowd goes mad.

This is the epitome of Stokes Croft, colourful and creative. A place where improv is a way of life rather than a skill. Here, Jazz isn’t polished, like the location itself, it’s full of personality, unexpected and inclusive.