If you’re anything like me, La La Land will have spiked your interest in jazz by at least 86 per cent.
The modern romantic musical sees Emma Stone’s character, Mia, tell Ryan Gosling’s character, Sebastian, that she doesn’t ‘get’ jazz. It’s a statement many of us have made, knowing full well the risk of being labelled uncultured by someone boring enough to use that term. But Sebastian is jazz-obsessed. Like, he-wants-to-open-his-own-venue jazz-obsessed. He’s into the push-and-pull of the music — the improvisational fight for power between the instruments. And if his beautifully chiselled face is to be trusted, jazz must been seen to be understood. Still sceptical? Worry not: we rounded up five places to watch jazz in Dubai and put his theory to the test.
Hard Rock Cafe
Perfect for the reluctant jazz fan: on Tuesdays, Funk Power bring funk, jazz, rock and soul together on stage for a “melodic cocktail”. Their favourite song to cover is The Beatles’ Come Together, so you’ll get a bit of rock ‘n roll thrown in for good measure. Hard Rock Cafe is one of the more casual places you can catch a whiff of jazz, so consider this ideal for a beginner’s transition into the genre. For more information, contact 04-2328900.
Q’s Bar and Lounge
We imagine only a handful of people are on a first initial basis with Quincy Jones, but at Q’s Bar and Lounge in Palazzo Versace everyone can feel like his friend for the night. The pricey haunt — minimum spend Dh250 — is the musician’s first ever bar. It opened its doors last year with the promises of extravagance. This month, it will welcome singer and pianist Shelea, who blends pop, jazz, R&B and soul, for a monthlong residency. For more information, contact qs@palazzoversace.ae or call 04-5568865.
Bistrot Bagatelle
Jazz at the Bistrot is a new weekly occurrence, with guest musicians coming through the Fairmont Hotel venue every Saturday night. The French restaurant, which arrived in Dubai by way of New York, is all about luxury Parisian dining, and the jazz is on par with that. Not for the faint of heart. For more information, contact 04-3545035 or reservation@bistrotbagatelledubai.com.
Jazz@PizzaExpress
Although this pizza joint welcomes pop, rock and indie musicians to its stage on a regular basis, it also features jazz, which makes it a perfect stepping stone into the genre. The restaurant, located between the Jumeirah Lakes Towers, opened in 2013, and has live music seven days a week. What better to accompany any live music than a hot slice of pizza? For more information, contact 04-4416342.
Blue Bar
You can’t round up jazz spots in Dubai without mentioning Blue Bar in Novetel at the World Trade Centre. The spot brands itself as “the original and only true jazz and blues venue in town” after all. We can’t vouch for that statement, but one thing’s for sure: Blue Bar is dedicated to the genre, with Veronica’s Vintage Jazz every Tuesday being a particular favourite. For more information, contact 04-3320000.
