Jazz is music innovation and evolution, and the National Jazz Archive holds a vast collection of personal and commercial jazz artifacts, ephemera and audio that proudly protects, preserves and presents the innovation and evolution story of all forms of Great British Jazz In Great Britain.

Established in 1988 with its UK HQ on the East London and Essex borders, and in demand by journalists, authors, musicians, students, filmmakers and broadcasters as well as the generally jazz curious from across the globe, the National Jazz Archive hold 50,000 + assets spread across nearly 1500 professionally catalogued collections of significant and important UK heritage and cultural value including books, journals, posters, merchandise, instruments and unique sound recordings.

Although the NJA doesn’t hold a library of commercially released albums, every so often ones comes along that rattles cages, opens ears and shakes up the industry and working with Jazzwise magazine, we have curated the “100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World” exhibition featuring the cover art from each of these iconic, definitive and often surprising recordings.

Based in Loughton, Essex and a UK charity registered with the Charity Commission and the Fundraising Regulator, in of dedicated space, operates from approx. 200m2 in Loughton Central Library where, its store room, library and mini-museum and pop-up shop “The Jazz Hub” are accessible to the public and often free of charge!

The NJA is a 100% volunteer led not-for-profit organisation and wholly dependent on donations of in-kind support, cash, personal and commercial memorabilia, pre-loved record, CD and book collections, last will and testament bequests,  archival service and consultancy fees and from ticket sales at its programme of regular live jazz music concerts, workshops and seminars.

As the Archive continues to grow, book, record and CD donations often become duplicated so with the permissions of the donor or their estate, we’re able to sell these to raise much-needed funds to deliver our work. We’re proud - and rather excited - to demonstrate our commitment to jazz in the community by bringing The NJA’s Jazz Hub to Brick Lane as the Jazz Festival’s Cultural Partner.