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Gonna do something big for my lady in the approximation of 1 month. I'd like to take her to a jazz club or somewhere where there is live jazz and possibly food? Ideal attire is casual to dress casual and preferably on a Sunday night.. Any suggestions? Google isn't doing too much justice for me atm.
There's a place called the Jazz Café in Ayrsley and maybe one in the University area also. I've never been and can't seem to find their website on Google, but there's a few links with their addresses.
You shoulda seen it twenty years ago! There was almost nothing! Occasional sets in Freedom Park.
You're not going to hear much live smooth jazz in Charlotte except at weddings. Most of the live jazz I've heard in Charlotte is mainstream, hard playin'. There aren't many outlets for most live music in Charlotte, but the vast majority of the guys I've heard are top notch players. And YOUNG!
In the Spring, stay tuned to the Phillips Place concerts. Last summer, I saw Arturo Sandoval (a Cuban defector from the early '80's) play the best mainstream and Afro-Cuban set I've heard since Dizzy Gillespie passed on.
I am waiting for Charlotte to host a Jazz and Heritage fair out at the racetrack. There are so many incredible and majorly INFLUENTIAL jazz players from North Carolina: Pianist Thelonius Monk from Rock Mount, NC; tenor saxophonist John Coltrane from Hamlet, NC; Trumpeter Woody Shaw from Laurinburg, NC; Drummer Max Roach and dozens others. Dizzy (I think) was from Cheraw, SC.
On the West side, there's Excalibur. There are a couple clubs uptown, and keep your eyes peeled for musicians appearing at The Music Factory and the Double Door. If you want jazz in Charlotte, patronize the few clubs we have. NC has a rich history and tradition of producing monstrously great players. There's certainly a whole stable of them chompin' at the bit waiting to be heard, but we've got to create the market for them to have venues to play in.
Apologies for going a little off-topic, but I am as passionate about jazz as i am about sports.
You shoulda seen it twenty years ago! There was almost nothing! Occasional sets in Freedom Park.
You're not going to hear much live smooth jazz in Charlotte except at weddings. Most of the live jazz I've heard in Charlotte is mainstream, hard playin'. There aren't many outlets for most live music in Charlotte, but the vast majority of the guys I've heard are top notch players. And YOUNG!
In the Spring, stay tuned to the Phillips Place concerts. Last summer, I saw Arturo Sandoval (a Cuban defector from the early '80's) play the best mainstream and Afro-Cuban set I've heard since Dizzy Gillespie passed on.
I am waiting for Charlotte to host a Jazz and Heritage fair out at the racetrack. There are so many incredible and majorly INFLUENTIAL jazz players from North Carolina: Pianist Thelonius Monk from Rock Mount, NC; tenor saxophonist John Coltrane from Hamlet, NC; Trumpeter Woody Shaw from Laurinburg, NC; Drummer Max Roach and dozens others. Dizzy (I think) was from Cheraw, SC.
On the West side, there's Excalibur. There are a couple clubs uptown, and keep your eyes peeled for musicians appearing at The Music Factory and the Double Door. If you want jazz in Charlotte, patronize the few clubs we have. NC has a rich history and tradition of producing monstrously great players. There's certainly a whole stable of them chompin' at the bit waiting to be heard, but we've got to create the market for them to have venues to play in.
Apologies for going a little off-topic, but I am as passionate about jazz as i am about sports.
Great post and on point. Given Charlotte's size and demographic composition, there should be more venues and options for live jazz and live music in general. I think as the city continues to grow that'll happen organically in and around the city much like it has in larger metros like Dallas, Atlanta and Houston. Midsize metros that are known for live music offerings (Austin, Nashville, etc) are not the norm. As you mentioned, Charlotte 10 years ago is much different than Charlotte today. For instance, the craft beer market has exploded and moving up in the ranks to compete with Asheville, RDU, etc. It was rather pitiful 10-15 years ago.
I think in the next 10 years you'll see things like downtown retail and consistent live music options finally blossom in the metro...nothing on the scale of Austin but representative for an area with over 2.5 million+ MSA.
Would love for Charlotte to actually have a smooth jazz mainstream radio station, not HD or the music channels via your local cable provider. Bring some sophistication to the airwaves with artists such as Boney James, Keiko Matsui, Nims, Jeff Kashiwa...the list goes on!
As a huge smooth jazz fan...the jazz scene in Charlotte is a joke!
I thought you moved? ”Letting go does not mean you stop caring. It means you stop trying to force others to.”
To the OP there are several restaurants in Charlotte that have live jazz, mostly on the weekends. You’ll want to call them to be certain. Here are some I would suggest, in this order….
If you’re also just a jazz lover, below are two groups that sponsor local events. You’ll want to join them on twitter or facebook because their sites aren’t always up to date.
And my favorite local jazz band is 5thandyork Follow them on twitter to see where they are each week. You can catch them most weekends performing in the Ritz Carlton lobby. Very nice atmosphere, nice crowd of people. And if they’re not performing they’ll be some other act there. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte: The Lobby Lounge Restaurant There's a real nice restaurant there too called BLT Steak Charlotte, Steakhouse Charlotte, Charlotte Steak House, so another option might be for you guys to go there and then do the jazz in the lobby afterwards.
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