to catch up on a little jazz, or a lot, just pick your spot. Any spot. The extent to which jazz has stormed the Island's live music scene is reflected in the following listings. It would have been easier to list those establishments which don't have live jazz on their entertainment schedule. A few advisories might be in order before you dash out.

* Plans are made to be broken, and musicians live random lives, so call in advance to confirm details before venturing forth into the night.

* What you wear is your own affair. Smart Casual, covering as it does a multitude of sins, will rarely let you down in the Somers Isles.

* Jamming, in the musical context, is what happens when visiting musicians sit in with a band, during or after the official performance. The potential exists for unexpected synergy and flights of the imagination.

* A `cover' charge is what you pay to gain admittance to the location of your choice.

AMBASSADORS CLUB, Reid Street, Hamilton (295-0572): Ideal clubby atmosphere for jazz at the funkier end of Reid Street. The Ambassadors is a latecomer to the 1993 jazzfest, but none the worse for waiting to see if it would catch on.

Up and running just two weeks ago, and therefore subject to change, Cyril Richardson and Friends or the Miles Manders Quartette play Fridays, 9 p.m. to midnight, and Sundays, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Probably the spot to kick off an evening in town. No cover.

CAMBRIDGE BEACHES & COTTAGES, Cambridge Beaches, Somerset (234-0331): Two venues, the Pub, small but woody, and the Dining Room, Bermuda plush. Fridays, drummer Charles Bascombe leads his combo through the classics, and Wednesdays Tempo, featuring Randy Lambert, offer their often tangential interpretations of a variety of genres. On occasion, pianist Danny Garcia and some sophisticated electronic gadgetry grace the Dining Room. No cover.

CHANCERY WINE BAR & RESTAURANT, Chancery Lane, Hamilton (295-5058): What was once the Bristol Cellar is reborn as an indoor utdoor wine bar with recorded jazz as the soundtrack for negotiations and love stories. Jazz and wine make natural companions, as do jazz and rum, jazz and scotch, jazz and ... well, you get the idea. Monday to Friday from 12 noon to 2.30 p.m., and seven nights a week 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. No cover.

CLUB 21, Ireland Island, Dockyard (234-2721): The Island's only purpose-built jazz room is rectangularly reminiscent of Ronnie Scott's storied London spot, which neither Wayne Ball nor Raymond Knight, Club 21 joint owners, have visited. Darkened space, a New Orleans-style bar, and a raised central stage opposite Robert Bassett's spirited conceptualisation of Lance Hayward. Fusion, straight-ahead, contemporary jazz, blues. International musicians monthly, locals "all the time.'' Tuesday through Sunday, 9.30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Round-trip ferry from Hamilton departs Albuoy's Point Fridays, 5.30 p.m. Jazz cruises planned this summer. Cover: varies. Jamming.

ELBOW BEACH HOTEL, Paget (236-3535): Continuing an extended residency is JACS with June Ventzos at the mike. Rumours unconfirmed at press time of her transfer, with support, to the newly-reopening next-door Nightclub (dark since 1990). Currently, JACS occupies Spazzizi's Pub, downstairs by the beach: a breeze-block and open-ceilinged semi-circular room with a long, meandering bar (it feels better than it sounds). Nightly, except Wednesdays and Sundays, 9.30 p.m. to 1 a.m. No cover. Jamming. Upstairs in the Library Lounge, local duo Twice play contemporary jazz favourites, evenings. No cover.

HUBIE'S BAR, Angle Street, Hamilton (293-9287): The most intimate spot in town, partly because it's a small space, partly because when Hubie's swings, it's SRO: squeeze-in room only. Erskine Phillips' quintet Jaz! are the best the Island has to offer in the showroom style. Fridays, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Hubie's is the place as backdrop for your night-time activities, or to run into the occasional leader of Her Majesty's Opposition. No cover.

OSCAR'S NIGHT CLUB & BERMUDA ROOF BAR, Victoria Street, Hamilton (292-0348): Surprise! The roof is underground, atop (where else?) the bar. Opened one year ago. Tony watering-hole with secondary bar and conversation nooks. Jaz crop up on Fridays, 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., following a quick cross-town dash. Legacy set for Wednesdays. No cover. Jamming.

SHUTTERS, Burnaby Street, Hamilton (292-7582): Downstairs, five nights a week, the tables come out of the cosy nook, and Indigena, who are crooner LeYoni Junos and keyboard scientist Andrew Morrison, smoke up the Island's only true piano bar in an absolutely not-to-be-missed opportunity to catch a rising Bermudian star. 8 p.m. to midnight, several nights a week. No cover. SMALLER HOTELS, Various locations: The rooms are alive with the sound of music. Among others, THE HARMONY CLUB, HORIZONS, POMPANO BEACH and THE REEFS, one or two nights a week, offer jazz in no-cover relaxed settings. Even THE CLUB has been experimenting with jazz. Artists vary, but expect to catch Tempo early in the week, Legacy from time to time, and Danny Garcia filling in his evenings between conventions.

SOUTHAMPTON PRINCESS, South Road, Southampton (238-8000): The rash of local boy irl duets has invaded the Neptune Bar, with husband and wife team Kingsley and Suzanne Swan filling a large, stolid bar with the sweet sounds of summer.

Tuesday through Sunday, 9 p.m. to midnight. No cover. Downstairs, the Empire Room, one of the Island's great jazz venues, will be bisected this fall, to re-emerge in next year's corporate facilities listing.

SPINNING WHEEL, Court Street, Hamilton (292-7799): Brand new ballroom upstairs is Island's largest indoor entertainment room. Reopened in April for 23rd season, with Gable Lounge attached, and secondary bar at far, far end of cavernous dance floor. Jazz Thursdays and Saturdays, 9 p.m. to midnight.

Schedule being arranged, international performers in negotiation. The Spinning Wheel enters a new era, and jazz is there.

Cover: $3.

SWINGING DOORS, Court Street, Hamilton (293-9267): Friendly, wide-open, darkened neighbourhood bar (and a brighter one, stage left). Jazz on Sundays, 7.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. Legacy currently in residence: first set, the band, second set an open jam, all musical comers welcome. A short hop from the Spinning Wheel if clubbing is your style. Sound system by Spanish Town International. No cover. Jamming.

VILLAGE INN RESTAURANT & BAR, Watford Bridge, Somerset (234-2449): In the bright and breezy restaurant, and audible on the wrap-around patio, the CD Experience - Darrell Fubler (keyboards) and Clarence Burrows (stand-up bass) - offer a vibrant alternative to the usual Sunday brunch scene, with a drummer called Fred, "who never misses a beat.'' No cover, but a fine codfish and potatoes lunch for $15. Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WATERLOT INN, Southampton (238-0510): Sunday brunch at one of the Island's most respectable upmarket venues swings to the accompaniment of the Dixieland Jazz Band. It's trad, Dad, and fans of New Orleans-style traditional jazz will lap up their lunch to the accompaniment of Alexander's Ragtime Band and such like. Sittings at 11.30 a.m. and 1 p.m., jazz with both. No cover, but you'd be expected to pay for your brunch. AND Various locations Island-wide (see The Royal Gazette daily fordetails) : CITY HALL in Hamilton, where the annual Bermuda Festival and the bi-annual Festival for the Performing Arts and other charities mount intermittent international and local jazz productions.

CLAYHOUSE INN, Choy Aming's flagship venue, often features jazz, local and international, among its eclectic entertainment mix. Wynton Marsalis is due September 12, to commemorate the club's 25th anniversary. The CLOCKTOWER at Dockyard has been host to a number of international jazz events, and would have been the venue for the summer festival. New, clean space of variable size, with circular tables, an ideal setting for a jazz night out.

VICTORIA PARK in Hamilton was chosen by the Corporation and the Bank of Butterfield for its year-long concert series. Last year's local artists' jazz show was attended by more than 3,000, with this year's show equally promising.

YOUR LIVING ROOM could be the hottest spot on the Island. Many musicians will gladly play at your wedding, party, or general behest. Contact the musicians of your choice direct, make them an offer they can't refuse, and don't forget to ask RG Magazine to come along. Compiled by Roger Crombie.

Oscar's, on victoria Street, is one of Hamilton's most active jazz sports, with jazz on tap two nighta a week.

RG MAGAZINE JUNE 1993