April 30th is World Jazz Day and we give you some tips to celebrate it properly all over the world.
Rhythm and improvisation. But also misty halls hidden behind the counter of a grocery store, a glass of whiskey on the rocks, the smell of cigars, the noise of chips, and noisy colors and people of all kinds on the streets of New Orleans.
You can find this and much more in jazz music, which developed in the early nineteenth century in New Orleans thanks to the synthesis of cultures and traditions present in the city.
To celebrate World Jazz Day, here are eight jazz clubs around the world where you can immerse yourself in the rhythm and continuous surprise of jazz music.
Blue Note, Milan
A point of reference for all jazz fans of the city, and beyond. On its stage, leading artists from all over the world alternate, experimenting with every type and genre of jazz. This very elegant venue is located in the Isola district, one of the coolest areas of the city; you can dine while listening to good music, or grab a bite after the concert in one of the many restaurants nearby.
The Carlyle Hotel, New York
As you can imagine, in New York there is only the embarrassment of choice when it comes to jazz music: the genres and traditions are many and each district of the city boasts clubs with unique peculiarities. Above all, the one that arouses the most curiosity since it unites both music lovers and cinema enthusiasts is the Café at The Carlyle Hotel which offers its customers live music and cabaret every evening. Among the musicians there is often one exceptional: Woody Allen with his clarinet and the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band.
The Spotted Cat Music Club, New Orleans
Let’s move on to another jazz stronghold in the world, New Orleans. A few steps from the mythical French Quarter stands this place which is a great classic for jazz and blues lovers. The Spotted Cat Music Club is a place with a unique, festive and lively atmosphere in pure New Orleans style where live performances range from Traditional Modern Jazz, from Blues to Funk to Klezmer and much more.
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, Chicago
Speaking of prohibition and speakeasy, we cannot fail to mention the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Chicago, founded in 1907 and became a speakeasy in the 1920s, actively contributing to enriching the jazz scene during the early 1900s. Cell phones are banned here, a way to really focus on the music and also to take a pleasant step back in time of old jazz.
Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne
In the famous alleys of Melbourne, the atmosphere becomes Parisian at the Paris Cat Jazz Club: each element exudes the ancient charm that reigned in the French capital in the 1920s and 1930s. The venue is very intimate, with two separate rooms that create intimate situations perfect for listening to jazz by international artists.
Caveau de la Huchette, Paris
From Parisian atmospheres to real Paris. On the stage of the Caveau de la Huchette artists of the caliber of Sidney Bechet performed, and some scenes of the almost-Oscar-winning film La La Land were shot there .
Ronnie Scott Jazz Club, London
It is one of the most important and oldest jazz clubs in the British capital. It was founded in 1959 by the musician from which it takes its name, Ronnie Scott, and thanks to its longevity it boasts some outstanding performers: none other than Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and even Jimi Hendrix have trod its stage. This makes the atmosphere of the Ronnie Scott Jazz Club genuine, despite being one of the best known and most popular in London, both by city dwellers and tourists.
Porgy & Bess, Vienna
The venue takes its name from the moving musical work by Gershwin Porgy and Bess which, with incredible bluesy pieces that made music history, describes the life of African Americans in an imaginary place in Charleston in the early 1930s. This concert hall also includes a music shop, a gallery, a restaurant and a recording room and one of the best parts is that it is a non-profit association that seeks to combine the more traditional jazz with the contemporary one of the new currents.