Who We Are
Guildford Jazz is a not-for-profit community arts organisation bringing some of Britain’s finest jazz musicians to local audiences in an intimate and welcoming club setting.
Since our launch in 2011, we’ve welcomed over 2,000 musicians and 44,000 music lovers to more than 580 events. We’re proud to be part of the local community, with proceeds from many performances supporting a range of charities. So far, these events have raised over £190,000 for good causes.
We were thrilled to be nominated for the Jazz Venue of the Year in the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Guildford Jazz was founded by professional jazz bassist Marianne Windham, who serves as Chair. She is supported by a small, dedicated team from diverse professional backgrounds, united by a passion for live jazz and community engagement.
Marianne was awarded the Services to Jazz Award in the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards for her outstanding contribution to jazz in the UK.
Supporting Musicians and New Talent
We host a growing network of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists while also championing emerging talent. To date, we’ve delivered more than 40 workshops led by experienced educators and run regular jam sessions that give musicians of all abilities the chance to perform live.
Innovation During the Pandemic
The pandemic years posed enormous challenges, but we adapted quickly. When many organisations paused activity, we launched a series of high-quality live-streamed gigs, keeping artists performing and audiences connected from their homes. From there, we progressed to socially distanced events and have now returned to full-capacity live performances.
Looking ahead
Guildford Jazz continues to evolve. We’re exploring new venues, partnerships and ways to reach wider audiences. The 2024 and 2025 Guildford Jazz and Soul Festivals saw over 30 events in venues across the town featuring a wide range of music from international artists to talented local players, while our regular venues continue to serve our loyal community with music from some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK.
We’ve also built links with the University of Surrey, co-hosting live gigs, and have exciting new venues and collaborations lined up for the coming year.
Everyone is welcome, whatever your level of jazz knowledge. You don’t need to be a member to attend, though membership offers benefits for regular visitors. We keep ticket prices affordable and offer half-price tickets for students.
We aim to run
Between 2 and 4 regular mid-week gigs each month, both featuring some of the country’s top jazz musicians (read more about regular venues here)
Monthly jam sessions
Regular workshops
Summer charity events including Jazz in the Park in the beautiful walled garden at Loseley Park in aid of bowel cancer charity GUTS, the Wood Street Jazz Festival in support of Challengers and Jazz in the Vineyard for Cherry Trees.
An annual Christmas gig at St John’s Church, Farncombe
Occasional pop-up jazz events with organisations and venues in and around Guildford
And watch this space for the 2026 Guildford Jazz and Soul Festival….
Our story
1982: Guildford Jazz was started by Heather and Colin Tipton, when it was called Jazz at the Stoke, named after the Stoke Hotel where there were monthly gigs until 1988.
1988: The club moves to the old Civic Hall in Guildford, and then to the newly built Electric Theatre where it continues to run a successful programme of live jazz gigs until 2008.
2011: The Guildford Jazz DNA is unearthed and revived by local bass player Marianne Windham, who becomes the driving force behind (and in front) of the club (there’s a little about her story here). Marianne sets up a monthly jazz night at the Freeholders (“The Cavern”) in nearby Farncombe. until the pub changed hands in the Spring of 2014.
2012: The Electric Theatre asks Marianne to host a monthly Jazz Cafe night in the Theatre bar. We hold our first workshop with the late trumpeter Abram Wilson.
2014: The Freeholders pub is bought by a property developer and the club moves to the Pavilion at Guildford Rugby Club. Our annual charity events are initiated with our first concert in aid of Challengers in the Guildhall, and Jazz in the Park at Loseley park in aid of GUTS.
2015: Our fund-raising events for Challengers becomes annual with the first Wood Street Jazz Festival.
2019: Guildford Jazz becomes a Community Interest Company. Marianne and men without grey suits form the board, and legendary drummer Bill Bruford agrees to become the first patron of Guildford Jazz. Friends’ membership scheme is introduced
2020: The inaugural weekend-long Guildford Jazz Festival is planned….and postponed to 2021 as the country enters lockdown. A timely article here from Seb Scotney of London Jazz News about the precarious nature of the British Jazz scene.
2022: Guildford Jazz wins an Arts Council grant to run BEAT: a series of gigs and workshops designed to introduce a younger audience to the jazz scene.
2023: Following the success of the BEAT programme at the Boileroom, a follow up second series starts in the Autumn, plus some new Friday night gigs at The Stoke in addition to the regular programme at the Pavilion, plus a number of other concerts during the year at G Live, Watts Gallery, Cranleigh Arts Centre, and summer charity events at Guildford Castle, Clandon High Estates, Loseley Park and of course Wood Street Jazz Festival.
2024: Guildford Jazz runs the first ever Guildford Jazz and Soul Festival welcoming 2,500 attendees to 18 events across 16 venues in the town centre and its environs. During the year we also helped to raise nearly £40,000 for charity.
2025: Building on it’s success the previous year, Guildford Jazz helps raise over £30,000 for local charities in the first half of the year alone, at the Loseley, Wood Street and High Clandon summer festivals, followed the 2nd Guildford Jazz and Soul Festival between August and October. Guildford Jazz was nominated for Jazz Venue of the Year in the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and it’s Chair Marianne Windham was nominated for the Services To Jazz award.