5 Hot Spots for Jazz in Boston

Whether it’s date night, friend night, or even a solo night out, sometimes what you need is a evening of top-notch musicians playing some high quality jazz. Here are five top spots—all an easy Uber ride away—that provide just that in the Boston area.

Wally’s Café

This dark, “hole in the wall” club on the South End has been around since 1947, and features mostly student musicians from Boston-area universities. This “training ground” for future professionals is open 365 days a year and hosts musicians every single one of them. Early evenings feature jam sessions, followed by jazz, blues, funk, or Latin jazz salsa until 2 a.m. Show up early; it’s a small venue that packs up. (427 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118)

Scullers Jazz Club

If you’re looking for more seasoned acts, add Scullers to your jazz tour list. This club, often recognized by critics as the area’s best jazz club, attracts big names for its shows, which you can enjoy on their own or in a dinner-and-show combo. Scullers has played host to stars such as Tony Bennett, Lou Rawls, Shirley Horn, and more recently, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, and many more. Shows are scheduled Thursdays through Sundays and a full calendar is available on its website. (Doubletree Suites, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, MA 02134)

The Beehive

This large, popular restaurant and bar on the South End serves up nightly live music that includes jazz, blues, R&B, electronica, reggae, Latin, country, cabaret, and burlesque. Even with that wide range of genres, though, Downbeat Magazine rated it one of the “Top 100 Jazz Clubs in the World.” Located in the Boston Center for the Arts, the Beehive is known as much for its eclectic ambiance as it is for its talented performers. It even offers Sunday jazz brunches from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Kids are welcome. (541 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116)

Les Zygomates

Les Zygomates is a classy, romantic French restaurant and wine bar with seating in two sections—one in which you can enjoy the jazz bands that perform nightly Tuesday through Sunday and another in which you can’t, so be sure to ask for the right seating. The music can get too loud for conversation if you’re close to the band, but the Zygs that frequent this atmospheric bistro don’t seem to mind. (129 South Street, Boston, MA 02111)

Beat Brasserie

This Beat-Generation-inspired restaurant and bar in Harvard Square, also known as Beat Hôtel (inspired by the Parisian boarding house that attracted the writers it’s named for), is under the same ownership as The Beehive. It’s jazz-heavy, but you may also hear soul, R&B, blues, funk, and world music on any given night. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights highlight live jazz, and weekend brunch features live music from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (13 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138)