Winners For

Best Jazz Club

No room in town comes close to Jazz Alley—the only place you can hear multi-night stands from the likes of Branford Marsalis or McCoy Tyner. But what's made it so impressive in recent years is its tasteful inclusion of other genres in its intimate dinner club, booking jazz-friendly acts like Average White Band and Bela Fleck, among others. CHRIS...

There are a number of nice jazz rooms in Los Angeles, but none as accessible and forward-thinking as the Blue Whale. Joon Lee's dark, low-key room atop Little Tokyo's Weller Court consistently books some of the most important jazz musicians not just locally but globally — we're talking folks like John Daversa and Dwight Trible. It's an indispens...

Jazz fans in Dallas are grown folks. They have a certain refined taste in art and music that can't be found in many local music clubs. Also, they go to bed at a reasonable time on weeknights. Sandaga 813 understands this, which is why the eclectic space in Exposition Park has the feel of a low-lit urban art gallery. And when you get there at 8 p...

With its ivy-covered walls, Cezanne seems more suited to some leafy university town in the Northeast than to the sprawling, swampy Bayou City. But those willing to seek out its cozy quarters above the Black Labrador Pub near Richmond and Montrose will find a cozy spot for a date night, a superb listening room to appreciate the occult art of acou...

Once upon a time, a certain Rocks Offer stopped by Sambuca for lunch on a hot summer day. In his (or her) haste to grab a quick bite to eat before returning to the midday grind, he or she remained unaware that the restaurant held a great jewel -- until two years later, when, stopping by Sambuca on a not-so-snowy evening (Hey, Robert Frost!) this...

From quiet to loud: if you're looking for the complete opposite of The Fedora Lounge's dreamy atmosphere, you'll definitely find it here at Café 4212, where the jazz is loud and the place is almost always packed. Loud, crowded jazz, you say? Why, yes we did, but it's okay! Café 4212 has the pleasure of hosting top jazz acts, including musicia...

You wouldn't be able to tell from its nondescript strip-mall exterior, but brave your way past it and into The Fedora Lounge on any given weeknight, and you'll be privy to the sexiest of scenes: s darkened room, perfect for sneaking a quick glance (or grasp) at the sexy after-worker next to you; a quiet ambience, only magnified during the times ...

Admittedly, Red Cat has its hits and misses, but for a jazz neophyte looking to make his or her debut into the world of Fitzgerald and Armstrong, this "cafe" is a good place to start. Its relatively new Franklin Street address places Red Cat at the very beginning of downtown, and the seductively curled red cat sign directs scat enthusiasts right...

The principal venue of not-for-profit presenter Jazz St. Louis, Jazz at the Bistro shows up on just about every list of best jazz clubs compiled anywhere, from USA Today to the jazz trade magazine Down Beat. And while the RFT doesn't just go along with the journalistic pack as a matter of course, in this case, we have no choice but to agree. The...

The city's finest and best-known jazz club has played host to everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Wynton Marsallis, and artists like Ahmad Jamal still hold annual residencies.

This legendary nightspot takes its name from its cave-like decor in the basement, where giants like Duke Ellington and Theolonious Monk have performed.

Dedicated to the rhythms of Latin jazz, this bar and restaurant brings bands playing everything from straight-ahead jazz to neo-soul to bossa nova.

A tiny, well-worn club attracts some of the area's best musicians, hosts weekly jams and offers discounts to students. Don't miss the Ethiopian food.

Here at Cliff Bell's we take the word quite literally. From the lavish art deco interior, to the classic drinks, with no exception to the jazz streaming through the club, six days a week; we take pride in fact that we can enjoy the history, of one of the oldest jazz clubs in Detroit, as well as make it ourselves. Stop in and see for yourself wha...

Shady lady is Sacramento’s Urban Speakeasy Saloon. With a live music stage and 1920’s style atmosphere, it’s a unique nightlife experience. Pull up a stool at the beautiful, U-shaped bar where old-style craft cocktails are made using housemade tonics, bitters and syrups. Meet with friends to share plates of gourmet renditions of classic, comfort...

Besides boasting the best-sounding live music room in all of Cleveland, Nighttown is also one of the few places in the entire nation that still treats aging jazz legends like the icons they are. But it's not just about the old-school here; plenty of young jazz stars stop in on their way up the ladder.

The closest thing you’ll find to a New York jazz club in Austin, maybe in Texas, is the Elephant Room. This dark, low-slung basement bar downtown is the perfect venue for the great selection of musicians that fill the stage each night. The feel is almost like a cave with its long, narrow brick-lined walls, perfect for amplifying the sound from t...

It takes lots of faith and more than a little TLC to sustain jazz bookings these days — especially in out-of-the-way venues. The Woonsocket institution has made the music one of their cornerstone elements since 1977 and, because their menu is just as magnetic as their programming, audiences abound. Scott Hamilton's sumptuous tenor sax, Laszlo Ga...

Now in its fifteenth year, Dazzle has secured its spot as the premier place for jazz in Denver. But it's not just here that the club's been praised: Downbeat magazine listed it as one of the top 100 jazz clubs in the world — and with good reason. The level of talent that's brought in week after week makes it a really great venue. In the last yea...

Subterranean, dark, funky, and regularly presenting an impressive array of local and national jazz artists, the venerable Artists' Quarter has all the attributes of a great jazz club. Tucked into the basement of St. Paul's Hamm Building, the AQ boasts intimate confines, classic jazz photos and album covers decorating the walls, a decent bar, a r...