Exploring Boisdale Patron of Music Jools Holland’s passion for music
Mary Ann Haslam
Pianist, composer, founder of Squeeze, ianist, composer, founder of Squeeze, bandleader, TV presenter, Patron of Music at Boisdale... is there anything Jools Holland can't do? One thing's for certain, there is a common theme weaving through all these successful roles and which, he says, has been with him since he was very young.
"[Music] is the first and chief passion. It was really the starting point of my life and has been my life ever since. It's something I am plugged into all the time. Sometimes you're on stage doing it, sometimes you're at home playing here on this piano [pointing at a Yamaha grand piano in the corner of the room], or sometimes you'd be in the studio or sometimes you might even be at Boisdale doing it!" he once said in conversation with Boisdale founder Ranald Macdonald.

As Patron of Music since 2011, Jools presents the very best in jazz, blues and soul and rock'n'roll. He has hosted and been centre stage of many sensational events at Boisdale, plenty of which have seen big-name stars including Melanie C, Courtney Pine, Shala Arna, Horace Andy, Gabrielle, KT Tunstall and Scouting For Girls grace the stage. Though unbeknown to some, his particular passion is boogie woogie piano and that love for the style formed the basis for the spectacular annual Boogie Woogie Dinner at Boisdale Canary Wharf, which he programmes and hosts, which celebrates the classic jazz music of the era by some of the biggest names in the business.

He first learnt boogie woogie when he was eight or nine, when he heard his Uncle David on the piano.
"I went to my grandmother's one day and heard him playing this and I thought 'what is this?' It's so fantastic; you had the left hand contrasting with the right all at once and all the rhythms in it... it really was as if the chaos of the universe became ordered at that moment and I thought this is just the best thing I have ever heard. It made you want to jump around and dance," he recalled.

Today that joyful passion well and truly shines on the Bois dale stage, where the usual magic of the finest British produce, exquisite drinks and impeccable service all combine with up close and personal performances from global recording artists to create a heady concoction of a wondrous night of live music.
You can see Jools in action when he hosts September's Boisdale Music Awards 2022, which sees a cross section of genre-defining performances. When you get there, we can toast the exciting future of our highly dedicated and beloved Patron of Music.

WHAT'S ON
Discover what's going on across our famous venues
Arrested Development
Canary Wharf
27 August 2026
Grammy-winning hip-hop pioneers Arrested Development return with the anthems “Mr. Wendal”, “People Everyday” and “Tennessee”. Fusing soulful grooves, live instrumentation and uplifting rhymes, their legendary sound lights up Boisdale of Canary Wharf for an intimate night of timeless hip-hop.
The Best of Hot Chocolate: with former lead singer Kennie Simon
Canary Wharf
28 August 2026
Kennie Simon didn't audition for Hot Chocolate. He got one phone call to cover Errol Brown in Düsseldorf, and sixteen years later he was still the frontman. At Boisdale Canary Wharf he plays the songs the way they were built: You Sexy Thing, Every 1's a Winner, Emma. Dinner, drinks, real disco-funk pedigree.
Odyssey
Canary Wharf
3 September 2026
Odyssey, the New York vocal trio who scored five UK Top 10 singles between 1980 and 1982, perform live at Boisdale Canary Wharf. "Native New Yorker", "Use It Up and Wear It Out", "Going Back to My Roots" and "Inside Out" from one of the defining acts of the British disco era, led by Steven Collazo.
Heatwave
Canary Wharf
4 September 2026
Heatwave, the London-formed funk band whose hits "Boogie Nights", "Always and Forever" and "The Groove Line" were all written by Rod Temperton before he left to write "Thriller" for Michael Jackson, perform live at Boisdale. Three UK Top 15 singles from one of the most distinctive catalogues in 1970s funk and disco.
Shakatak
Canary Wharf
24 September 2026
Shakatak return to Boisdale with original members Bill Sharpe and Roger Odell. The London jazz-funk band whose 1982 gold album Night Birds entered the UK chart at number four and became the number one jazz album in Japan perform "Night Birds", "Easier Said Than Done", "Down on the Street" and more live.

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Coming up at Boisdale
Discover what's going on across our famous venues

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