[ Music Index | SF Metropolitan | MetroActive Central | Archives ]

The Beat Goes On

These Bay Area clubs regularly feature local jazz musicians By Todd Dayton Club Deluxe Haight and Ashbury. 552-6949. Cover; music Wed.-Sun. If you think of Royal Crown as the underdog cola, this place isn't for you. A dark, hipped-out bar, where cool is power and the sound is good. When Bloody Marys become the new drink in town, this place will rule an empire. Elbo Room Valencia and 17th. 552-7788. Cover for upstairs music venue. A mixed lineup, more groove-oriented than jazz. Easily as good a place to pick up someone as to hear good music. Enrico's Broadway and Kearny. 982-6223. No cover; music every night. Troublesome acoustics and loud dinner crowds distract from talented musicians in this North Beach restaurant. If you go for the music, sit close and let the band know you care, because sometimes it seems like you're the only one listening. Jack's Record Cellar Scott and Page. 431-3047. No live jazz to be heard, but some of the finest recordings belt out of the hi-fi here. Rack after rack of old jazz and blues records, and some re-releases, tucked away off lower Haight. Jazz at Pearl's Columbus and Broadway. 291-8255. No cover; two-drink minimum (per set on weekends). Expect crowds, as this North Beach club brings in not only top local players but lots of passersby. Tables on the floor allow less distraction from the street. Top-rate music and an interested audience make up for what this place lacks in atmosphere. Jazz Bistro at Les Joulins Ellis and Stockton. 397-5397. No cover. Location and faux-France decor repel most locals. This campy place is one of the reason so many tourists have such a good time in SF without ever having to leave Union Square. Nonetheless, good music is to be heard, with top local artists performing regularly. John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room Fillmore and Geary. 673-8000. Cover Wed.-Sun.; two-drink minimum on other days. This new addition to the jazz scene provides live entertainment Tue.-Sun. The venue is worthy of the club's namesake. Dancing and cocktails are also an option every night of the week. Kimball's East 5800 Shellmound St., Emeryville. 510/658-2558. Cover; good acoustics and a comfortable supper club setting provide an enjoyable atmoshphere. Frequent weekly headliners. Full-service kitchen and bar. Mecca Market and Duboce. 621-7000. No cover. Music on weeknights. Young, hip and swanky art/warehouse feel. Jazz here is more a backdrop for conversation than an attraction for audiences. Rasselas California and Divisadero. 567-5010. Usually no cover; music most nights. Overstuffed leather couches lend themselves to relaxing in this dim and cozy bar. A superb Ethiopian restaurant shares the space. Full bar, wine and beer. St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church Divisadero and Oak. 621-4054. No cover, no booze. Only one thing unifies this place with nearly any other place to hear jazz: the knowledge that jazz is divine. Founded on the principles that John Coltrane had true and deep knowledge of both God and the trials of mortal life, this church brings spirituality and music to its services. Someplace Else Geary and Fillmore. 440-2180. Never a cover; music Wed.-Sat. This tiny yet homey bar crams in two pool tables and a piece of New York including an autographed pic of Yogi Berra. Beer and wine only may keep the feistier elements away, but the owner says that's OK. Rotating lineup of local artists. Storyville Fulton and Masonic. 441-1751. Cover on weekends; music most nights. On the blue neon scale, a 9.5. Tuesday jam sessions are a draw, with bigger names on weekends. The owner is a jazzman himself, playing a few nights a week. Full bar. Yoshi's Jack London Square, Oakland. 510/238-9200. Cover; per set. The Bay Area's premier venue for jazz, attracting top names from around the world. Local greats sometimes sit in with visiting artist. Top-quality jazz, saki, sushi--who said they don't go together? [ SF Metropolitan | MetroActive Central | Archives ]