World-class jazz musicians quietly appear in Calgary one night a month to play concerts for a very small audience. No advertising. No articles in the news or posters on street corners. You have to know where to look.
The good news? You’re looking in the right place.
Nestled in the heart of Calgary’s historic Mount Royal neighbourhood, BuckingJam Palace opens its doors to you for an intimate listening experience of top-tier jazz.
See up-close the finest musicians on tour from Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, New York.
Hear the details: the vibration of the saxophone reed, the scratch of the brushes on the snare, the unfiltered resonance of the grand piano.
Feel the energy that only live music can create.
Know the intimacy that is live jazz.
Be one of the sixty guests we welcome into an original 1910 home that was made for music.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive concert notices or become a subscriber for only $5.00 a month and receive advance booking privileges and access to exclusive, behind-the-scenes material.
You will receive a couple of email reminders before a concert, one with directions on where to park and some specifics about our venue. We have volunteers to greet you at the door and help you feel at home. Please bring some slippers or indoors shoes to wear.
Beer and wine are available. We can’t legally obtain a liquor license (long story having to do with arcane ALCB rules about private residences and liquor sales) so we don’t sell the liquor. You can pick up tokens in the front foyer that can be exchanged for drinks, maximum of two per person. We appreciate your donation to our piano fund as a way of covering costs.
We are a listening venue. There is lots of visiting before a show and at the break, but no talking at all during the music. Other than taking pictures or short videos of the performance, please keep your phone off and out of sight.
There are two forty-five minute sets with a fifteen minute break in between. The musicians are around during the break and before and after the show to chat with.
Our shows sell-out quickly so you need to jump on tickets when they are released. One of the benefits of our paid subscription platform is first access to tickets. You can also sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and instagram for notice of concerts. We don’t offer refunds. If you have a last-minute issue that keeps you from attending, you can donate your ticket to a local musician by contacting lisa@buckingjampalace.com.
Lisa Buck, Artistic Director lisa@buckingjampalace.com
Aimee-Jo Benoit, Executive Director ed@buckingjampalace.com
Wendy Lomnes, Volunteer Coordinator bjpwendy@gmail.com
Jodi Lucas, President
Tiro Clarke, Vice-President
Céline Peterson, Secretary
Lisa Buck, Director
These are the folks responsible for curating our jazz series. Our through-line is excellence: within that, we look for a predominance of Canadian artists, gender balance, opportunities for emerging artists, and a diversity of jazz styles.
Jodi Lucas
Joanna Borromeo
Nathaniel Chiang
Tim Mah
