Sweet and smooth, a good jazz riff feels like a shot of full-bodied whiskey. It’s often an experience that goes beyond the music, too. Jazz is so entwined with art, history, and legacy that it’s an entire cultural experience served by trumpets and trombones.
Where can you go to enjoy jazz music? The answers might surprise you, especially if you’ve only ever heard of famous jazz destinations in places like NYC. Here are just a few great cities for jazz lovers in America and Europe.
New Orleans, Louisiana
The birthplace of jazz, New Orleans is a must-visit for anyone who’s seriously interested in the genre. Some of the oldest buildings in the French Quarter housed the first stages for legends like Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong.
Today, you can still visit many of these vintage venues for old-school jazz. You can also hit up riverboats, speakeasies, performance halls, and other unique and culture-soaked New Orleans destinations where jazz bands play. Don’t forget to drop by the New Orleans Jazz Museum as well! Learn your history while bebopping to your favorite jazz licks.
Chicago, Illinois
While you might think of jazz as a southern staple, its influence has blown like smoke into the Windy City, too. Chicago is home to many clubs and cabarets that honor jazz and its associated musical styles, including swing, blues, bebop, and ragtime. It even plays host to the Chicago Jazz Festival every summer!
If you can’t make it in July, don’t worry. Jazz is a staple in the Chicago music scene, so whether you’re touring the jazz lounges or tuning into jazz radio while you drive around, you can definitely get your fix here.
Montreal, Canada
Another great summertime destination, Montreal hosts the Montreal International Jazz Festival every year. It’s a staggering 10-day event with dozens of stages, hundreds of performances, and millions of visitors. The entire downtown area gets shut down just to accommodate day-and-night concerts. It’s actually been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest jazz festival in the world!
Like other great cities of jazz, however, Montreal is more than just its festivals. You can enjoy the scene year-round everywhere from casual bistros to dedicated music halls. Jazz has been seeped into the streets since the Prohibition era, so it’s easy to find.
Paris, France
New Orleans invented jazz, but Paris elevated it to an art form. The glitzy clubs of the 1920s and 1930s were a beacon to international flappers, artists, authors, socialites, and avant garde travelers from all around the world. With their patronage, Paris became known as a haven for jazz, attracting big names like Miles Davis and Chet Baker for extended tours.
The City of Love is still a major jazz destination to this day. Jazz bars are everywhere, and they range from authentically vintage music halls to hip and trendy cabarets that serve modern cocktails to accompany the extended improvisation. You’ll especially love Paris if you’re a fan of French Jazz. It’s the local sound, and it’s thriving.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Jazz Age is alive and well in Amsterdam. In fact, if you can’t make it to New Orleans, Amsterdam offers the next best thing: tributes like the Bourbon Street Blues Café with its life-sized Blues Brothers hanging out on the roof. You might also appreciate the cozy, cinema-like scenery of jazz destinations like Café Casablanca. It’s definitely a place where the aesthetic is just as vibrant as the music itself.
Other popular destinations for jazz in Amsterdam include clubs, bars, cafes, and concert halls. If you don’t mind a little extra travel, you’ll also be an hour away from the North Sea Jazz Festival in July.
Copenhagen
Make jazz come alive with a trip to Copenhagen. If you’re tired of listening to scratchy vinyl, Copenhagen is one of the top European destinations for live jazz music. The saxophones are constantly singing, especially in the historic district of downtown Copenhagen where old-school jazzhuses act like operatic theaters for jazz. They’re vintage right down to the thick red curtains that backdrop the baby grands.
Aside from the jazz houses, you can also hit up Copenhagen for the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. While not as large as Montreal’s version, it’s also a 10-day event that’ll immerse you in your favorite genre from dawn ’til dusk.
Did we leave your favorite jazz city off our list? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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