For two decades now one Kingston pub has been bringing world-class jazz to the Royal Borough. The Boaters Inn, in Canbury Park, has been hosting a weekly jazz night every Sunday since 1990 when it was started by two budding jazz musicians, Simon Carter and Richard Cardwell, who were both 19-year-old Kingston University students at the time.

Jazz at Boaters has welcomed plenty of renowned musicians to its stage with Jim Mullen, Barbara Thompson and Dave O’Higgins all doing their bit to get the pub swinging.

The guests play alongside the house quartet led by Carter himself, a keyboard player who has toured with Jamiroquai and now runs the club as a one-man band. He says it has never been a problem attracting big names down to Boaters.

“The people we got to come down in the early days, like Dave O’Higgins and Mornington Lockett, were the guys I was watching at The Bull’s Head and the 606 Club,” Carter explains.

“They were all up for coming down to play and still come back now. The thing about Boaters is that the artists know it is a really nice pub with a great audience and that they will be playing with some great musicians. It’s not about the money for them, it is just about them having a really good play.”

Although Carter says there are plenty of highlights to pick from over the last twenty years, there is one that particularly stands out.

“[American saxophonist] Branford Marsalis came down out of the blue one night and played the whole of the second set with us,” he says.

“Whenever he was in London he played golf with one of the jazz locals, Bill Wilson, who told him about the gig. At the night Bill came up to me and asked if he minded if Branford sat in on the gig. I thought he was joking at but sure enough Branford turned up, played with us and it was a special night.”

Jazz at Boaters quickly found a committed local audience and Carter is pleased to say the night attracted jazz fans of all ages with the emphasis having always been on “fresh, funky jazz” as opposed to a more traditional reading of the genre.

“The most noticeable thing about our audience is that we have always had an age range from 18 to 80,” he says.

“The 18-year-olds who first came still come but are now in their thirties but we have new 18-year-olds from Kingston University and other colleges doing what I used to do by going around to all the local gigs to see what is going on and following the musicians that they like to watch.”

This month jazz aficionados and interested newcomers can enjoy a great selection of gigs at The Boaters Inn.

May 2 – Nigel Price One

of the finest young guitarists on the London jazz scene today, Price has toured throughout Europe and Asia with the James Taylor Quartet and has also appeared with Pee Wee Ellis and Billy Jenkins.

May 9 – Jim Richardson Quartet

Richardson has been on the a stalwart of the British jazz scene since the 1960s, playing bass with the likes of Georgie Fame, Dextor Gordon and Chet Baker. his quartet features pianist Brian Dee and Americans Bob Martin (alto sax) and Rod Youngs (drummer).

May 16 – Derek Nash

This popular sax player returns to the Boaters Inn with the explosive and funky band, Protect The Beat. Completing the line up are Phil Mulford on bass, Frank Tontoh on drums and Simon Carter on keyboards.

May 23 – Adam Glasser Quartet

South African born Glasser is one of the UK’s leading jazz improvisers. His acclaimed first album, Free at First, was released last year.

Jazz at Boaters, The Boaters Inn, Canbury Park, Lower Ham Road, Kingston, every Sunday, 020 8541 4672/boaterslivemusic.com