11 of the best jazz clubs in the world

Facebook/Piano BargePiano Barge is a floating jazz club in the Gulf of Morbihan.

What makes a jazz club? The music, of course. The atmosphere. The cultural significance.

As an art form born in African-American communities of the 19th century and expanded in
the urban melting pots of the 20th, jazz is the soundtrack of the concrete jungle.

Which makes the jazz club an essential element in any modern city's ecosystem. Here are
some of the best examples.

View As: One Page Slides

Village Vanguard, New York City

Facebook/Village Vanguard

In a city often hailed as the jazz mecca of the world, Village Vanguard is its black stone, the
ultimate place of worship, the quintessential jazz club. From the moment you descend the
steep stairway to the small basement venue, you find yourself steeped in the history of jazz.
From Bill Evans to Brad Mehldau, and from Sonny Rollins to Joe Lovano and Jason Moran,
most of the jazz greats have performed in the same dimly lit subterranean space, adding to the
aura of this place that’s a point of reference for the global jazz community.

Unlike many other historical venues — Birdland, Blue Note, the Cotton Club, etc. — the
Village Vanguard has not changed, nor has it ever stopped functioning. It’s been at the same
address (178 Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village) for 80 years, since opening in
1935. What’s even more impressive is that it’s still run by the same people: Lorraine Gordon,
the nonagenarian owner and widow of the club’s founder and original manager, Max Gordon,
is herself a New York institution.
Preservation Hall, New Orleans

Facebook/Preservation Hall

Yes, the birthplace of jazz is probably the home to hotter venues than this — such as Blue
Nile, Spotted Cat, Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse or any place where Kermit Ruffins is
playing. But there is no other place that can transport the audience through time to the very
origins of jazz. Since its opening in 1961, Preservation Hall has been so much more than a
jazz club. Home of the eponymous jazz band, devoted to the music of Jelly Roll Morton,
Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and the other heroes of New Orleans music, it is the
perennial home of the original sound of jazz, a place where the Crescent City tradition is
meant to pass on from one generation to another in the most exciting and delightful way.

Bimhuis, Amsterdam
Facebook/Bimhuis

Perched on one side of Amsterdam’s almost transparent glass-and-iron riverside

Muziekgebouw (“Music Building”), Bimhuis is arguably the best jazz club in Europe,
offering the ideal live experience.

Its acoustics are almost perfect, and so is the amphitheater-style seating that allows each
patron the best visual access to what’s happening on stage — and beyond: During a concert,
the curtains behind the band are raised, revealing the glass wall that reveals the commanding,
Renzo Piano-designed Nemo Museum. It’s a visual experience that reflects the thrilling
sounds of the international jazz masters regularly performing at the Bimhuis.

Blue Note, Tokyo

Facebook/Blue Note Tokyo

As urban settings go, few cities can rival Tokyo. It is no wonder, then, that the city is home to
a legendary New York jazz club franchise.

Sleek, high-end, luxurious and sophisticated, the Blue Note is a symbol of the globalization of
jazz aesthetics, featuring a regular who’s-who of American jazzmen along with local talent,
such as the superb Toshiko Akiyoshi.
Nublu, New York & Istanbul

Facebook/Nublu

Istanbul is often described as an Eastern New York — a melting pot of bursting creativity. It’s
only natural, then, that the two cities share a jazz club. And it’s not just any club. Established
by the ingenious Swedish-Turkish sax player Ilhan Ersahin, Nublu opened in New York’s
Lower East Side in 2002, when the area was healing from the September 11 attacks.

Soon, the place became a hub for innovative musicians, creating a sound of its own: an urban
blend of Afro-Caribbean-electro-dance-jazz-funk with a Brazilian tinge. Ten years later, the
Nublu sound would travel to Istanbul.

Tramjazz, Rome

Facebook/TramJazz Roma
The meeting point is the cable car station at the Piazza di Porta Maggiore. From there, twice a
week, the “Tramjazz” begins its journey through the streets of the Eternal City, offering a
night of delight. The vintage cable car is transformed into a cozy mobile club and restaurant
serving traditional local dishes. The middle part of the old carriage is reserved for the small
band — a duo or trio playing while the tram roams the streets of Rome. When it stops in front
of the Colosseum, the setting is one of the most dramatic any musician (or music fan) could
ask for.

Piano Barge, Vannes, France

Facebook/Piano Barge

What could be better than a mobile jazz club? How about a floating one? Located in the Gulf
of Morbihan in the small Breton city of Vannes, Piano Barge is the best jazz club to emerge
anywhere in the world these past two years. An old boat turned into a chic bistro, Piano Barge
is a dream come true for the French jazz community, as it does more than just host live
sessions: Some of its cabins are used as studios, with the goal of producing 20 to 30 new
albums a year.
Beit HaAmudim, Tel Aviv

Facebook/Beit HaAmudim

The Israeli jazz scene has been in full bloom for quite some time now, and it owes a lot to
venues like Beit HaAmudim. Located in an old house decorated with columns and painted
floors, and situated right next to the Carmel Market, this club is the meeting point of the city’s
jazz aficionados. “It’s the place where musicians hang,” says Tamuz Nissim, a Tel Aviv
native and a jazz singer who studied in Amsterdam, lived in Athens and is now based in New
York. “People go there specifically for the music. It’s really quiet — the bassists play
acoustically, no amp.”

The Crypt, Cape Town

Facebook/The Crypt
A jazz club located under a church? The aptly named Crypt is just that. It’s a labor of love for
its creators, among them the dean of St. George’s Cathedral, a jazz enthusiast whose vision
for the cathedral as the “people’s church” led him to reach out to the broader community
through the universal language of jazz. “It is very cool,” says Andrew Coote, a South African
trumpeter living in Melbourne. “It feels like you’re in an old club in Rome.”

Creative Jazz Club Aotearoa, Auckland

Facebook/Creative Jazz Club Aotearoa

We tend to forget it sometimes, but a club is actually not a place. It’s a meeting of like-
minded people, such as the community of musicians who formed Auckland’s Creative Jazz
Club. It holds its weekly meetings in the basement of the 1885 Britomart bar. Upstairs, a
youthful crowd enjoys cocktails and loud music, not suspecting that just below their feet,
some of New Zealand’s best jazz artists are playing challenging music in an intimate setting
to people lounging on sofas scattered around the band. It’s the perfect cover.
Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne

Facebook/Bennetts Lane Jazz Club

It might be bold, even strange, to claim that the world’s best jazz club is in Australia, but
many people shared this opinion (articulated in a Lonely Planet guide to Melbourne). Among
those people? Wynton Marsalis and Prince. Bennetts Lane Jazz Club shut down in June after
an epic night titled “Death of a Jazz Club.” As for its legacy, it will go on: The owners
promise to open two new clubs. In the meantime, the city’s vibrant jazz scene is scattered
among Melbourne’s other venues, notably Paris Cat and Uptown Jazz Cafe.