The nomadic Hidden Jazz Club series’ new location in Amsterdam has been a big hit, proving to be just as popular as its two London locations.
The club was first founded and hosted in 2017 by married couple and musicians Theo Jackson, 40, and Janine Jackson, 38, who wanted to create a more intimate listening experience to jazz for fellow musicians and jazz fanatics.
The first performance took place at Pop Brixton in 2017, and since then they have toured in a number of cities and at various venues, while also setting up permanently at the Stone Nest in Soho and at Hoxton Hall in Shoreditch.
In November 2025, Theo and Janine started hosting shows in Amsterdam at a few different venues before Posthoornkerk became the primary location for their pop-up jazz show.
Theo said: “A community grew up around the music almost entirely by word of mouth. People who came on their own now come with friends, and strangers end up chatting at the bar after the show.”
Jas Kayser, a London-based drummer, currently on a three-year tour with Lenny Kravitz, has been a dedicated musician at the hidden jazz club for eight years.
The musical talent at shows varies from your everyday jazz musician to Grammy winners such as Ife Ogunjobi, the trumpet player for Ezra Collective, who makes frequent appearances.
She said: “Something I love about playing jazz and improvising is just the spontaneity of it and stepping into the unknown and seeing what’s going to happen with the people that you’re playing with.
“And that’s the reason I love doing Hidden Jazz Club.”
Theo and Janine wanted to create a space where musicians could mingle with the crowds and for there to be a space where the audience and musicians can fully immerse themselves in the music and let everything else melt away.
Kayser added: “It’s a form of expression, it’s entertainment, we’re there to connect with everybody in the room, the band, the audience.”
The aim behind the club isn’t to make money, it’s to bring people and musicians together to experience jazz in a different environment compared to more highbrow jazz venues across the world.
Theo said: “Jazz is intimate, alive, and a bit unpredictable – it thrives in smaller, cozier spaces where the music breathes, and the crowd feels like family.”
Tickets sold on the door or on the website range from £20-£30 as the couple want the Hidden Jazz Club to be accessible to everyone.
Theo said: “It’s a careful balance between keeping the door open to as many people as possible and making sure the project can keep going.”
Due to high demand for the Amsterdam shows new dates have been released after the completely sold-out shows in September.
Jas said: “It’s incredible to see him develop it there as well, as it’s still running amazingly in London.”
Tickets are available through the website: https://www.hiddenjazzclub.com/copy-of-tickets
Featured image credit: Monika Jakubowska
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