Where to Watch Jazz Live
So you’re a jazz music aficionado. You have your collection of classic vinyls. Perhaps even those old CDs. Or your Coltrane, Ella or Metheny playlists on Spotify. And when you travel, one of the first things you do is Google “where to watch jazz live near me.” Surely, there will be plenty to choose from. Restaurants, bars, cafés or speakeasies featuring local or international talent that will fulfill your jazz needs. But which jazz clubs can deliver the proper live jazz experience for an aficionado like yourself?
To be sure, this can be a very subjective question, and many of us will have different answers. But at Oh! Jazz, we believe a number of elements need to be present to deliver the true experience to watch jazz live.
When traveling, it can be deceptively easy to fall into a tourist trap music venue. Whether looking for a Tango joint in Buenos Aires or a Tablao Flamenco in Madrid, it can be difficult to fall into the authentic, as opposed to the touristy destination aimed for the masses. And a jazz performance is typically not a mass event. It’s not for stadiums. And worthy venues reunite a series of characteristics that will combine the talent, atmosphere, scale and mood to deliver the true jazz experience. Here are some tips to look for when asking Google…
Music is the hero. Whether you’re seeing a Grammy Award winner or an unknown local artist, music must be the distant hero of the evening. Take the case of potentially the most iconic jazz club in the world – New York’s Blue Note. Jazz luminaries like Oscar Peterson, Artie Shaw, Ron Carter and an endless list of the genre’s top musicians have graced the stage of this small venue. Sure they serve cocktails and food, but they’re both a distant afterthought to the music. If you’re a foodie, you’re highly unlikely to enjoy their menu, but you’re there for the music. Across the world, we’ve seen many clubs with appetizing menus, but often the music becomes an enjoyable background, overpowered by the conversation across the tables which are talking business, food or social fare, paying little attention to the performers. It may make for an enjoyable evening, but it won’t captivate you with the jazz experience.
Intimate scale. We’ve enjoyed seeing the likes of Keith Jarret play Carnegie Hall or Return to Forever play the Beacon Theater. But nothing beats the experience of watching the masters, or even new talent, in a small, intimate venue. Intimate jazz clubs can create a connection between artist and audience unparalleled in any other venue. Where you can hear the sound of the guitarist’s fingertips on the strings as well as the music that comes out of the instrument. Where the facial expressions of the artists bring out the feeling of the music they’re performing. We’ve been told by our friends at Tokyo’s Body & Soul that many performers that tour Japan will play Tokyo’s Blue Note for their music fee and then stop by at Body & Soul for an opportunity to connect with the locals in an intimate setting. Jazz is not a symphony orchestra, nor a high-powered rock band, the intimacy can be a big part of the experience.
Fábrica de Arte Cubano in Havana, Cuba.
Talent Curation. Many venues pride themselves on attracting top talent. The artists topping the Billboard charts, winning the Grammys or trending on Spotify. But the best venues curate the jazz of yesterday, the jazz of today and the jazz of tomorrow. Our partners at Melbourne’s JazzLab are particularly good at showcasing upcoming talent. Bringing not only some of the most popular jazz acts, but providing a window into tomorrow’s talent. Frequenters and loyalists will trust the club with introducing them to talent that will hit the charts in the near future. The element of surprise, to see a “nobody” perform at the level of the greats, is nothing short of exhilarating. Our partners at Café Berlin in Madrid offer some awesome fusion combining virtuoso flamenco and jazz musicians that bring sounds we’ve never heard before.
Atmosphere. All the elements above bring together the right atmosphere, which is the icing on the cake and the cherry on top. An intimate jazz club, carefully curated, where the music is the distant focus will attract the type of audience whose sole concern is the performance and where cocktails and a Michelin-star meal play third or fourth fiddle. The audience’s recognition, respect and appreciation of the talent can play a role in further inspiring the artists into delivering a stellar performance or better yet an unforgettable improvisation. It creates a virtuous cycle, where the musicians get the audience fired up and the audience’s reaction further inspires the musicians. The mix can make for a magical evening.
At Oh! Jazz, we pride ourselves on carefully seeking and selecting the clubs that reunite these qualities, like the aforementioned ones, plus London’s 606 Club or Sydney’s Foundry 616. And stay tuned for many more to come!