About BuckingJam Palace

The original concept for BJP was simple: host a few house concerts, charge admission and pay artists a fair performance fee, worthy of their skill and dedication to their art.

What’s a House Concert?

In 2014, BJP started hosting world-class jazz musicians at our founder’s historic 1910 Mount Royal home, in an intimate house concert format. Ten shows a year quickly began to sell out without need for advertising or promotion, thanks to enthusiastic patrons who believed in our vision and enjoyed being part of our community. Time and time again, patrons have shared that this format – which provides an opportunity for them to connect with artists during performance breaks and after shows – is what makes us unique, and is in fact one of the main reasons they keep coming back.

Fast forward to today, and BJP is registered a non-profit, charitable organization that is on the cusp of significant growth and change. As we endeavour to meet the growing demand from patrons and musicians alike, we know we need to do something different. House concerts are still a priority, but in part because demand is so high, we must begin exploring other venues to enable us to meet demand, collaborate with other organizations and expand our audience base so that more people have access to a BJP experience. All of this will help us deepen our reach in the community, better support musicians and support the long-term sustainability of BJP.

Getting “Out of the House”

Recently, we’ve experimented with hosting concerts at The King Eddy, Lougheed House and cSPACE Marda Loop, to great success, including sold-out shows to larger audiences. Each venue is unique in its own right, bringing additional excitement to each show, along with opportunities to engage with new communities and expand our horizons slightly beyond the singular focus of the jazz genre. However, this format also brings with it the challenge of additional expenses for venue and instrument rental, front of house labour, sound and technical support. But with such a strong, devoted community behind us, we know we can meet the challenge of finding ways to support these additional expenses, as we continue making our creative contribution to Calgary’s music scene. If you'd like to know how you can support this shift, feel free to check out our Support Us page.

What’s Next?

Even though some things are changing, our core remains the same. We are jazz enthusiasts. We strive to advance gender parity and diversity in jazz. We treat artists with love and respect. We champion fair pay for artists and the need to build a supportive community around them. And even though we will be out of the house sometimes, we know we need to stay true to our roots and maintain the unique, intimate, personal concert experience that we have become known for.

 So, we hope you will join us in or out of the house! Tickets sell out quickly, so you may want to consider becoming a member so you receive the benefit of 48-hour first access to tickets. You can also sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for up-to-date concert information.