The Boaters Sunday night gig is one of the best free gigs in London. The picture above is a memento of the night Branford Marsalis dropped by and locked horns with Derek Nash.

Boaters is a pub in the middle of Canbury Gardens in Kingston. And in October the gig will have been running for 20 years.It has been run since inception by keyboardist Simon Carter whose trademark palm grinds and elbow smashes have shared the stage with:

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Jamiroquai, Craig David, Leo Sayer, Deepest Blue, Rooster, The Divine Comedy, Atomic Kitten, Anastacia, Nik Kershaw, 10CC, Kim Wilde, Dina Carroll, Midge Ure, Elkie Brooks, Judie Tzuke, Hamish Stuart, Jimmy Ruffin and Leon Ware.

Check out EVERYONE WHO’S EVER PLAYED ON THE GIG.

This Sunday 3rd October has guitarist Nigel Price, with Vasilis Xenopoulos on saxophone, Bill Mudge on organ and drummer Dave Ohm.

Then Derek Nash on the 10th October. Then the nearest thing to a house band: Mornington Lockett on tenor sax, Simon Carter, Laurence Cottle bass and Ian Thomas at the kit. These guys hit the deck hard. People try to tell me that British jazz is introspective and wimpish. You’re kidding me.

The remaining two Sundays also have regulars: vocalist Strictly Come Dancing’s Tommy Blaize on the 24th. And expect the best “Street Life” or “One Day I’ll Fly Away” you’ll ever hear from Shakatak’s soul-ful Jacqui Hicks on the 31st, with Simon Carter, Phil Mulford on bass and Frosty Beadle drums (all four are in this photograph taken after the tidying away after the gig at Boaters).