A new music venture is about to begin in Swanage, Dorset, to help cement the town’s reputation as one of the leading centres for jazz in the South of England.
Joyous Afrobeat jazz band Thokozile, led by Dorset guitarist Rob Palmer, will play the first in a planned series of monthly gigs in The Studio at The Mowlem on Saturday 25th January 2025.

The Mowlem will host new monthly jazz concerts in The Studio, starting in January 2025
Monthly concerts at The Mowlem
Other sessions booked so far for 2025 feature the Bossa Nova Trio in February, and in March, a rare chance to experience two leading British jazz musicians playing as a duo – Iain Ballamy on saxophone and pianist Gareth Williams.
If the experiment is successful, Jazz in the Studio is expected to carry on with monthly concerts at The Studio to complement the town’s impressive roster of jazz events.
The series is organised by a collaboration of Poole’s jazz club Sound Cellar and the Swanage Jazz Festival.
They have selected dates to avoid clashing with Swanage’s other jazz clubs – the monthly performances at the Isle of Purbeck Golf Club and a musical discussion group.
With the established jazz tradition in Swanage and the national reputation of the Sound Cellar, which started life in the 18th Century vaulted cellar of the Georgian Blue Boar pub in Poole, it is hoped that Jazz in the Studio will become an instant success.

Musical events have found a natural home at The Studio at The Mowlem
“A huge appetite for jazz”
Events manager of The Mowlem Paul Angel said:
“There’s a huge appetite for jazz in Swanage and at The Mowlem, and we were trying to think about keeping jazz in the town throughout the year.
“The Swanage Jazz Festival is a huge summer event for Swanage with a 30 year history, and a lot of the people involved in it are local, but to expect them to put extra gigs on though the year isn’t very realistic given the vast amount of work they have to do already.
“The Sound Cellar in Poole is well established with a large following, so we got in touch with them and suggested doing something for Swanage, and they were very keen.
“They are working in a loose partnership with the Swanage Jazz Festival, who obviously have the status in the town and can help to make sure we get the right acts in.”

The summer jazz festival in Swanage draws huge crowds to the town
“I’m really excited about these shows!”
Paul added:
“Rob Palmer, an amazing guitarist who runs Sound Cellar, had been to an event in The Studio and was familiar with the space. We have a lot of bands in the bar, but wanted this to be more of a studio setting where you sit and watch the band rather than chat and drink with a band in the background.
“The Studio can seat 80 and we would love to fill that – our Comedy Club is also starting in January 2025 and the first of those events has sold out already.
“But The Studio is such a versatile space that fits elastically with different numbers of people. We have had some talks in there with 20 people where it feels comfortable, with 40 or 50 it feels quite full, and with 80 it is absolutely buzzing without feeling cramped, so it is working well.
“I’m really excited about these shows – I love jazz and it’s really something to have Sound Cellar bringing some gigs to Swanage!”

The Veronique Joly Bossa Nova Trio play Jazz in the Studio in February 2025
Featured vocalist on BBC series
Thokozile, who kick off the new venture on Saturday 25th January 2025, play joyous, world jazz sounds influenced by South and West Africa and have become festival favourites in the UK, appearing opposite the James Taylor Quartet, Vula Viel and New Cool Collective.
They are regulars at the Swanage Jazz Festival and their self-titled debut album was released in 2024 to rave reviews and a sell out gig at the Lighthouse in Poole.
The second band to play Jazz in the Studio will be the Veronique Joly Bossa Nova Trio on Saturday 22nd February 2025.
Also regulars at Swanage Jazz Festival, the trio is fronted by Paris born singer Veronique Joly, who was the featured vocalist on the BBC series Rick Stein: French Odyssey and sings in English, French and Portuguese.
Canadian saxophonist Terry Quinney is co-leader of The Sound Of Blue Note band and has performed with UK jazz icons Nigel Price, Ian Shaw and Alan Barnes, while guitarist Rob Palmer has worked with acclaimed vibes player Roger Beaujolais and Soft Machine saxophonist Theo Travis.

World class jazz musicians Iain Ballamy and Gareth Williams are lined up for the March 2025 gig
World class musicians
The event in March sees a visit by world class jazz musicians Iain Ballamy and Gareth Williams.
Saxophonist Iain Ballamy has worked with many cutting edge figures in jazz over a 30-year career, including Bill Bruford, Django Bates, Kenny Werner, Gil Evans and Everything but the Girl.
Gareth, a professor of jazz at the Guildhall school of music, is one of the UK’s leading modern pianists and has played alongside the jazz hip hop band Us3 and renowned musicians such as George Coleman, James Moody and Claire Martin.

Sound Cellar began life in the vaults of a pub, but have played gigs at many different venues around Dorset
Concerts in underground vaults
Jazz in the Studio organiser Rob Palmer has been a music fanatic for as long as he can remember, but the inspiration for him to take up a guitar in his teens was the American jazz rock band Steely Dan, later becoming professional when he was made redundant from his day job as a printer.
Together with saxophonist Jon Lloyd he formed the Southern New Music Collective which won National Lottery funding to put on a series of creative concerts at the Russell-Cotes Museum and other venues in Bournemouth.
Rob then took over management of jazz concerts in the underground vaults of the Blue Boar pub in Poole, naming his new venture SoundCellar.
With a long list of musical contacts and the perfect acoustic venue, the venture quickly gained a reputation as something special in the world of jazz.

Rob Palmer (right) with saxophonist Jon Lloyd, on a mission to promote jazz
Encourage and promote new talent
Rob Palmer said:
“There was huge interest for a concert given by the Olatuja Project, a group featuring the bassist and composer Michael Olatuja and his wife Alicia, a classically trained singer who shot to fame when she sang at President Obama’s inauguration ceremony.
“It was the only gig where I’ve actually had to turn people away! The cellar could actually hold 80 people, but we managed to fit in 90 that night and still stay within the fire regulations!
“We have since had to move our gigs to the Grasshopper pub in Poole, but our mission is still to encourage and promote emerging talent alongside more established artists, and bring some of the best live contemporary music to people here in Dorset.
“We have joined forces with The Mowlem and with Swanage Jazz Festival in order to bring world class jazz to Swanage all year round, not for just one weekend in the summer.”

Jazzing up The Mowlem!
Livestream music events
Rob added:
“We would love to bring the jazz fans of Swanage out on a more regular basis to experience the music, which should also support Swanage Jazz Festival and highlight what Sound Cellar are doing.
“We have also made large strides in enhancing the quality of our livestream music events from the Grasshopper, hoping to reach audience members, who for a variety of reasons may be unable to attend our events in person.
“We are not thinking about that for the gigs at The Mowlem yet, though it could be something we will look at in future. We are really excited about holding regular gigs in Swanage, which has such a strong reputation for its love of jazz.
“I’ve played in The Mowlem at the jazz festival in the past and know the room which has become The Studio – it’s a nice size and has good sound quality. Our main aim is to keep live music alive and attract more world-class musicians to play for us here in Dorset.”
Further information
- Book tickets to Jazz in the Studio on The Mowlem’s website
- Find out more about SoundCellar events on its website