Welcome to the London Jazz Meetup . This is a group for people who love jazz and live music in all its varied forms: from swing to be-bop, acid jazz to jazz-rock. If your friends are into R 'n' B or the latest in hard-house or Justin Bieber (!) and you're not, and you need to find a group in which you can feel at home, this is the group. We're about jazz music, socialising and having fun - this is not about jazz bores wearing turtle-neck jumpers! Membership is growing, so by joining you'll get a wide variety of music and get to meet some great people of all ages and backgrounds. Jazz is increasingly popular; it is still most definitely cool!

So our aim is simple. To provide an open forum for lovers of good music to meet and enjoy music in a range of venues across the city, from the large to the small and most of all to have fun. Think of it as 1800+ friends you can call upon to go to great gigs and other events with. It's mostly about going to gigs, but we have social meetups too and, with enough support from members, other things like jam sessions, picnics and cinema visits. It also offers scope for musicians - or those learning jazz music - to hook up and share their passion. So introduce yourself and share why you joined. Do check the calendar for news about events - members are always on the lookout for suggestions for the best live jazz in London...and guaranteed fun.

There is a small membership fee for this jazz meetup - the £2 helps with the running costs of the meetup website, but it's also there to encourage members to commit to contributing to the group. If you pay something, you're more likely to want to join in and get value from this - after joining up, all other meetups are free (other than paying for entry to any events, which is members' responsibility). The £2 will be refunded after you are confirmed to have attended 3 meetups (note - this requires the member to contact the organiser to confirm this).

How much is in the calendar is entirely down to the membership. Meetups like this thrive on everyone joining in and contributing once in a while, and not just waiting for the organisers to, well, organise everything. Get involved and help make this a successful meetup. Why not offer to become a 'host', so you can put gig meetups in the calendar that you want to see?

London is a fantastic city full of great music and friendly people - sign up and make the most of it !