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
Boisdale Coffee Rave
Canary Wharf
16 September 2026
The first Coffee Rave in Canary Wharf. DJ Dom Topics and saxophonist Sam Sax play a 45-minute morning set while you drink freshly brewed coffee and dance before the working day starts. No dress code, no warm-up, no excuses. Doors open 6:30am, dancefloor opens 7am.
Kings of Soul feat. Nate Simpson
Canary Wharf
16 September 2026
Nate Simpson, West End cast of Motown the Musical, Get Up Stand Up and The Lion King, brings Kings of Soul to Boisdale with a full live band. Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Al Green, Lionel Richie, George Benson, Earth Wind and Fire and The Four Tops, performed by a vocalist who has lived inside this music on stage.
Golden Voices of Lovers Rock feat Paul Dawkins & Paulette Tajah
Canary Wharf
19 September 2026
Paul Dawkins, a founding figure of British reggae since 1976 and British Black Music Award recipient, joins Paulette Tajah, now celebrating forty years in the industry, for an evening of lovers rock at Boisdale. The Zaine Band plays and John McLean hosts.
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.
The British Collective
Canary Wharf
1 October 2026
The British Collective brings Junior Giscombe, Omar and Don-E to Boisdale in one live show. The first Black British artist on Soul Train, the man Stevie Wonder cites as an influence and the producer behind "Love Makes the World Go Round", performing "Mama Used to Say", "There's Nothing Like This" and more.
Jools Holland Master Class
Canary Wharf
21 October 2026
For the first time, Boisdale Patron of Music Jools Holland brings his Master Class to Canary Wharf. An evening of stories, live music and conversation with the man who co-founded Squeeze, launched Later with Jools Holland and has been at the centre of British music for fifty years. His full band joins him, with a Q&A for the room.

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Coming up at Boisdale
Discover what's going on across our famous venues
Boisdale Coffee Rave
Canary Wharf
16 September 2026
Kings of Soul feat. Nate Simpson
Canary Wharf
16 September 2026
Golden Voices of Lovers Rock feat Paul Dawkins & Paulette Tajah
Canary Wharf
19 September 2026
Shakatak
Canary Wharf
24 September 2026
The British Collective
Canary Wharf
1 October 2026
Jools Holland Master Class
Canary Wharf
21 October 2026

Membership
The Boisdale Club exists to generally encourage the enjoyment of life with a specific focus on delicious wine, Cuban cigars, Scottish malt whisky, live music and interaction between its members.
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