Jazz Cafe at Music Hall

This place is definitely a good time. Whatever you're being invited to there, go ahead and go. The drinks are pretty good and the venue always has something going on. It's a nice place for listening to music, dancing and having a drink. Adult crowd so no foolishness. Go and have fun!

Tiny but a great venue for an intimate experience. My husband and I went last night to see Bettye LaVette and it was magical. We were right in the very front and the sound was amazing, the music was incredible, and we just had the best time. It reminded me a bit of the small jazz clubs in NYC that we love, like the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, etc. Small tables, a little uncomfortable, but you're right in the middle of the music.They have food but we didn't order anything besides drinks. I had the Flamenco coffee, a boozy warm bevvy perfect for a rainy night. My husband stuck the corona. Waitstaff were quick and unobtrusive given the fact they were ducking between tables during the show.Can't always speak to the quality of the performers on any given night, but if you're interested in a particular artist and you come prepared for no frills, you'll have a great time. Just come early to get a good table!

I was not impressed by my evening at the Jazz Cafe. It felt more like Amateur hour. I'm not sure if they just rent out the Jazz Cafe to anybody willing to pay for it for the night so they can earn money or if there's somebody in charge of this place and they bring in the acts. The night we went there were four acts but we only saw three of them because they had an intermission which was unnecessary and by then we all had enough and just left. There were 7 of us so the only table that could accommodate us they said was in the very back of the place. The chairs were atrocious and felt like they're on the verge of collapse, everybody was worried they were going to fall over. I tried a couple of different chairs from different tables to find one that didn't wobble so much. The lone waitress was a crab and had a personality of prison guard. When we asked for water after ordering our drinks she told us that she wasn't running waters all night and you only got water if you ordered food. What! After arriving 20 minutes before the start time they started 20 minutes late so we had to sit there on our wobbly uncomfortable chairs waiting for the show to begin. The First Act was a young girl who sang 2 Christmas carols, one a duet with somebody else that had an awful singing voice. The second one was a saxophonist and the third Act was the same fellow that could really not sing well. To add to the overall cheese effect of the place they had vendors set up in the lobby selling purses jewelry & other stuff. Also raffle tickets the MC kept pushing between every act. The intermission consisted of the headliner pulling raffle tickets trying to get people to buy more raffle tickets and hawking the stuff in the lobby. It was pretty awful. We decided we'd had enough and left, so we never did see the headliner, but based on the other acts I doubt we missed much. The cost was $10 a person to get in. And the drinks were $10 each.

It's ok place... I was able to attend a poetry slam which the event was great.The location is somewhat small inside - there's a bar but not very tentive waitress staff. The inside is very nice but once again it's small and chair aren't so comfortable -- there is also couches in the back but it so far from the stage.I'll probably go back again if another event is held at a good price but it still wouldn't be my first choice to go with i was out with the lady friends.

Nice place for an intimate jazz show or poetry, which I attended most recently. Very small, quaint setting, but it would be nice if the drink prices weren't so HIGH. I ordered an Irish Coffee and it was $8. They now serve food from Mudgie's Deli. I'm not sure how much sandwiches are there... and maybe they're pricey, too, just based on the size of them, but at the Jazz Cafe, they were about $9. I was hungry, so I gave in, but next time, I'll eat before going.

This is a very cozy venue. We went to a poetry slam that was oversold, but the waitstaff did their best to get to everyone in a timely fashion. The slam poetry was some of the best I've ever seen. 12 poets battled it out for $500 and the last two standing went a few rounds before a winner was declared. A fantastic place to spend an evening.

I love Jazz Cafe for their diversity of offerings. I've seen shows here ranging from famed funk bassist Marcus Miller ($40) to a poetry open mic night of outstanding local talent ($5) and everything in between. The biggest gripe I have is space - love the small, intimate setting, but when a show at Jazz Cafe is sold out, be prepared to be sharing a table with strangers, and make sure you use the rest room before the show starts because getting through the tightly packed room will not be easy.Drinks aren't cheap, but not terrible considering it's a music venue. They have a small food menu which is done by Mudgies, so there are a handful of sandwiches, salads, and other misc items.Beautiful venue, just gets a little cramped. They have great artistic offerings for all budgets and of all genres, so make it a point to check them out.

I had a job in the kitchen here for about 3 weeks a few summers ago. It was an interesting experience lets just say. I think if the board of health ever bothered too check this place out they would close it down in an instant. The kitchen is a nightmare!!!Every building has bugs of some kind, but this place holds the record for biggest cockroaches I have ever seen. Opening was a scary business. I would literally turn on the lights and step out of the room for a moment to let the bugs run for cover. The place was filthy and this didn't help the bug problem. Fridges full of green hotdog buns, fuzzy fruit, moldy cheese, and patchy white ground beef. I threw away most of the food the first day and sanitized the place from top to bottom. I was fighting a loosing battle on my own. I'd come in and find a mess covered pile of dishes every opening day after day. I know I sound like a put off employee or something, but I actually quit because I couldn't consciously serve this kind of food. In all fairness they lacked the customer base that would allow this place to be good. The staff was demoralized because of the lack of business.The venue itself is great and the music was always good. I give the Jazz Cafe 2 stars because of the music/venue only. Such a great place to sit back drinking to the music. Just don't eat anything here and watch your coat. You might bring home more than a head full of great jazz.

Intimate location in the Music Hall. I attended an open mic poetry event and loved the vibe. It is personal and a romantic spot. I found it to be a great addition to the Music Hall. The only downside is the cocktail pricing, but it is located downtown so it's comparable.

Apparently the folks who a bad experience missed Raul Midon. The best performance and night of my life. I was going to book a flight to catch him in Jersey. But right here, in this intimate setting, "He Set IF off". The ambiance was so refreshing. I have a video of the performance and I have never recorded anything with my phone. My hats off to you. Thank you for the Groove.Phyllis Carroll