Mahogany Jazz Hall

When I finally made it to Big Easy for a quick girls' getaway with my adult daughter this past weekend, one of the things we were hoping to do was to go to a cool live jazz or blues bar where it's not like a club where they are blasting the speakers up to the highest level. It'd have to be a place where we sit in our chairs fully immersing ourselves by the quality music played by some pure talents New Orleans can boast. Having this in our mind, it had to be a place away from the over-the-top Burbon Street. Upon researching it thoroughly, we found Mahogany Jazz Hall. Based on the ratings left by many others who had the same thinking as ours, this place looked solid. We are so glad that we picked this place. The interior is, of course, nothing but vintage-style. Amid cool, dark feel, framed artworks of jazz legends such as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and others are present on walls. This is not a huge place which I liked. It's a place where you can enjoy very intimate moments by admiring tunes played by unknown and yet talented musicians. The place mainly offers cocktails and absinth. They do have some non-alcoholic drinks which both my daughter and I were able to enjoy. On the menu, it explains the rule. Each person must order a drink and give a donation of $5 to the band. You can call that a "cover charge" and yet, that is not much to ask; we absolutely didn't mind it. As a matter of fact, we thought that was a reasonable ask. On the night of Saturday, Feb 1st, Gerald French Trio hit the stage at 7pm. We instantaneously became fans of this band. As we truly enjoyed the atmosphere and the kind of quality music we can enjoy with very low costs, we returned the very next day to see the 6pm act. We were able to enjoy a solo pianist named Joe Kennedy. He is a talented pianist and yet he is quite the singer as well. We remained until the next act came on stage. To our surprise, we got to see Mr. Gerald French again along with the same pianist from the last night's trio band (Paul is his first name, I think.) It had a different bass player but the main performer in the band was this extremely talented trumpeter, Roderick Paulin (hopefully I got this name right.) He was absolutely amazing. I don't know if I am describing it right but to me, it was like the sweet nostalgic trumpet sound by Fats Navarro with a little modern-time twist. This is the kind of jazz I truly enjoy and adore when I listen to it as a background music. It hit the spot. Big Easy is only a 2-hour flight away from where I reside (in the Mile High City.) Since it's hard to find this kind of quality jazz place in Denver, I might return to New Orleans just to be at this jazz hall. Maybe in a few to several months??

Fun place at the entrance to the French Quarter. There's no cover charge so be generous with band. They have lots of different local artists and the music was good. There's no food service so eat before you get there. The drinks are weak so drink before you get there. They do require you to buy a drink. Order something very basic.Great music and friendly people!

My husband and I really wanted to check out a live jazz performance. Found this place on Yelp, that was just a few blocks from our hotel. This was the perfect answer to what we were looking for - grabbing a drink before dinner, while enjoying some live jazz! Check out the website before you go. It gives you times of the performers, which can vary from 3pm, 7pm, and 9:30pm - different bands playing at different times. We originally showed up at 6:15 pm, which you can do to scope out a great front row seat, but the band won't start until the scheduled time. So my husband and I decided to stop by a little later, showed up at 7pm exactly, and luckily scored the last 2 seats in the house! It's a little showroom, where the seats are arranged facing the stage. The musicians face you, talk to you, and perform in front of you, rather than people having side conversations. The seats around the stage are probably around 30 ish, so it's a really nice, intimate setting where you can feel connected with the band. The band we saw was ____, which included a pianist, bassist, and drummer/singer. We LOVED their performance!!!!!There is a 1 drink minimum per person, which wasn't bad at all. The drinks themselves were pretty decent too, didn't feel like a waste of money at all. There is also a suggested donation of $5 for the band as tip too, which is a very small fee for such an amazing performance. Wish we could have stayed longer! Highly recommended if you're wanting to see a live performance in your time in NOLA!

What a great find! If you're in the area and can't get tickets to Preservation Hall or just want a drink with some live music this is the place. If you're able to check out the lineup before you go, a good time to stop in is right at the end of the first act, as seating is very limited. I'm so impressed at how swiftly the staff can maneuver around with drinks!

LOVED this place so much we went three times! It fills up FAST so if you want a seat get there early. They require you order a drink if you stay. The Gerald French band was so so amazing. Great jazz and musicianship. The servers were friendly and so inviting! Prices are kinda spendy but that's jazz man ;) the best part about this place? No cover.

I really like this spot. Just around the corner from the Marriott on Canal, you don't have to hit the streets of crazy town (aka Bourbon street) to get some great music and drinks. The bartenders are great but they are busy! Waits was my favorite bartender. If you are wanting to try absinthe, this is the place. They make an amazing sazerac and I liked the sparkling wine with absinthe. I can't remember what it was called. The band is a bunch of "educators" doing this thing and is awesome. I would like the bass to be louder. The seating is tough especially on a Saturday night. But that's what's great about it. I met country singer songwriter Travis Denning and his band while hanging out here.

What a great find on our visit to NOLA! The music was some of the best I heard while in town. The service was great and it was a highlight of our trip! They don't serve food, but the cocktails and music was amazing! Check it out!

Amazing venue. World class jazz and there is great energy in the club with a very convivial atmosphere. Also, I was accidentally overcharged for my drinks and reached out to the club a week later via email (I live in Chicago). They sent the difference via PayPal. It's an incredibly honest and ethical business.

Considering we were staying at the Marriott on Canal Street a couple of weeks ago while attending a conference, it made sense to stop at the Mahogany Jazz Hall -- it was right across the street on Chartres. This cozy spot comprised two small sitting areas -- one was the main area with table and narrow side table seating (narrow enough to where you could only place a cocktail) that faced the stage, and the other where the bar and lounge area was located but you could see the stage and hear the music that played from the local band playing jazz. Sipping on cocktails such as the C'est la vie Paris, Vieux Carre, and the Corpse Reviver #2, we enjoyed our time as we listened to the band playing, surrounded by portraits of famed artists like Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday on pale green and white brick walls. We even got to enjoy a little burlesque show after midnight with the band playing behind that as well. I will return to his spot when we are in New Orleans again. That's for sure!

Another great jazz blues venue off a nondescript side street. This venue was about a 5-minute walk from our hotel right off Canal St. There is a long shotgun bar but all the action is by the stage. There are tables and stadium bench seating. You will get to know your neighbors as the stage area is "cozy". Music is king here but do check out their craft cocktail menu. Since we were within walking distance of our hotel I was on the Absinthe train this evening.WEven though they were quite busy service was great!Pro tip: Arrive with a full belly as there are no food options and there is usually a one or two-drink minimum instead of a cover charge. Don't be a cheapskate tip the band y' all