Hola,
Just wondering if anyone has recommendations for great Live Jazz venues around L.A.? If they serve food, even better.
Live Blues is also good (I’ll take those recs), but definitely interested in Jazz more.
I wish I could’ve seen Miles Davis perform the full Kind of Blue album live.
Vibrato is great. Herb Alperts club. Very good steaks, great bar and super Jazz. Last week Seth McFarland, gypsy kings and Chaka Kahn each had a night. Considered one of the most acoustically top rooms on the U.S. It’s at the top of Beverly Glen in Bel Air. Dave Koz also has a place in BH. Have not been.
I’d recommend the Jazz Bakery (check their website for locations & dates since they’re no longer at the Helms Bakery), Catalina Bar & Grill, and El Floridita (salsa/Latin jazz).
The best jazz in LA is usually at Catalina’s. Harvelle’s in Santa Monica and Long Beach has blues. The food at music places doesn’t have to be as good. So it isn’t.
Red White & Bluezz in Pasadena has variable jazz but better food.
for blues, besides harvelles in SM & LB. sugar creek mill in tarzana has blues followed by a jam on monday nights.i don’t think harvelles serves food (i’ve never thought to ask there). & sugar creek mill mainly serves burgers, but they get a lot of national acts.i;ve caught kim wilson there.
i DJ blues regularly on sunday nights at joes bar & grill in burbank before (but not during football season), between and after the live blues acts. tomorrow night is paulie cerra - he spent the fall touring with joe bonamassa. in general the live music goes from 8-11pm on sundays. there’s also a dance floor at joes - which is the main reason I DJ there.
viva cantina in burbank has live music but primarily local acts.
the la blues soicety has a page that lists events all over CA, and some of the local blues jams. http://lablues.org/
for live jazz:
vibrato in BH, catalina bar & grill, piano bar in hollywood, blue whale & the edison, maybe villiains in DTLA, pips on la brea, jax in glendale all serve food. but not all of them have jazz every night.
some hotels, especially in BH feature live jazz in their lounges on various nights. ten years ago we used to catch barbara morrison live regularly on friday nights at the four seasons. each of the major BH hotels list an entertainment schedule on their websites.
if you’re on the west side, the casa del mar in SM features live music including jazz depending on the night.
other places that are pasadena friendly would include colombo’s in eagle rock & the barkley in south pasadena which are neighborhood restaurants that feature local acts. when the bands are swing-friendly, you’ll typically see dancers there as well. (which is the main reason i would frequent those places)
I am hoping the West Coast Get Down will re-emerge at the Piano bar in Hollywood after Kamasi’s world tour but that might be hoping for too much. Watching those guys jam was incredible.
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions so far. 
On a side note, does anyone have recommendations for any of the upcoming jazz acts? I just finished a sampling of most of the artists coming up for Vibrato and Spaghettini Beverly Hills (Dave Koz’s place), and I only found 2 acts that fit what I was looking for (mainly instrumental, classic Miles Davis sound, sax, piano, bass, drums)… Ryan Cross and the Tony Guerror Quintet.
Any other acts that fit that style that I might’ve missed?
Thanks!
Keep an eye out for bassist Miles Mosley, he has a new album coming out and will likely be playing around to support it along with his Drum/Bass group BFI
so we’re talking a quintet playing hard bop with a muted trumpet popular showtunes,ballads etc. with a walking bass line, where you can hear the clink of martini glasses in the background, see tobacco smoke wafting in the air… you’d think you’d be able to find that in one of the birthplaces of west coast jazz - minus the tobacco smoke.
if you find a place like this, let me know.
In addition to those mentioned - The Baked Potato in Studio City
I’m not acquainted with this Sugar Creek Mill in Tarzana. I’m thinking you are referring to (Maui) Sugar Mill Saloon in that area. Bobby Brown has been known to drift in once in a while. The music varies but there is some blues played depending on the band.
For some reason, the place is a hangout for Browns’ fans during football season. Not much to cheer for, but plenty of reason to drink.
Not the best food, but The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach has some great jazz bands that perform regularly.
This doesn’t look like Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse. Things have changed.
I have seen great jazz at Kuumba jazz center where I live in Santa Cruz . Take a look here for So Cal https://www.lajazz.com/
I agree with @Thor, Vibrato is my favorite. Great sound.
Also check out Vitello’s in Studio City. I saw Sally Kellerman there recently and it’s a nice spot.
Oh, for sure! It’s not at all what it used to be, but they still DO book some pretty good jazz shows.
@secretasianman Barry, yes! I wish. Haven’t been to any live jazz places in years, but was curious what was out there now. Thanks.
A little unconventional, but quite enjoyable is the big band that plays every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Las Hadas, a Mexican restaurant in Northridge. Because it’s in the middle of the workday, the age of attendees skews older, but it’s fun. The restaurant and bar are open and you can hear talent who played with Henry Mancini, Benny Goodman, and many other well known musicians.
thanks for the correction. i have no excuse other than fatigue/brain fart.
i am from NE ohio myself. we browns fans are a long suffering lot.
there’s not much. do the math on a GOOD quintet on a friday or saturday night and you’re either paying cover or the price of the band is reflected in the food and drink.
the best bet is sunday or monday night when a lot of musicians will settle for gas money and a meal.to play a couple of sets.the geo swing band used to play at alpine village on monday nights. i liked to listen to them but we’re talking full big band. don’t know what happened to them.
i like the hard bop period of miles davis, but i’m hoping to find the next bill evans playing with the next scott lefaro in a trio. i listen to a lot of bill evans. he was always so lyrical but he could also throw in a chord substitution or a voicing that would leave me thinking: “…you son of a b—h!!!” naturally, kind of blue is my favorite miles davis album (evans wrote blue in green but davis took credit for it.).