Where To Buy & Where To See

From time to time I get people asking "where can I get that?" or "where can we see some jazz?". So I thought I would provide a shortlist of some of the places in particular areas across the globe that I've been to or know about for jazz. I haven't spent enough time in the Southern US to give a good assessment. So if anyone knows the good hotspots in the South and Southwest please comment.
I hope you enjoy your next trip if you're in any of these cities.

Chicago
Clubs: The New Apartment Lounge attracts a wide array of artists and has a great low key vibe that everyone should enjoy. The Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western Ave.) and Velvet Lounge (http://www.velvetlounge.net/) are other great options if you want to avant garde and experimental jazz.
Stores: Dusty Groove America (http://www.dustygroove.com/) for obscure, out-there jazz albums and funky soul (old and new). Jazz Record Mart (http://www.jazzrecordmart.com/) is almost a massive supermarket of jazz in a space built for a shoe (figuratively speaking). But it's worth the time spent hunting for cool stuff.

San Francisco
Clubs: Yoshis (http://www.yoshis.com/) is the place to be for anyone looking for all styles of jazz. Just get there when they tell you to get there or you'll miss out. The audience is the quintessential jazz crowd, no noise, no phones, just listen to the music--you dig.
Stores: Amoeba (http://www.amoeba.com/) is probably one of the best s(independent or chain) in the country. A selection of everything - alternative, pop, country, classical and jazz. They also have fantastic live performances.

New York
Clubs: The Village Vanguard (http://www.villagevanguard.com/) is the grandaddy of them all. If you want the jazz experience you've dreamed about or seen in books and on TV, The Vanguard is it. The Jazz Standard (http://www.jazzstandard.net/) is another great venue for both upcoming musicians and big names. The atmosphere at the Standard can sometimes be annoying but for the most part people are there for the music.
Stores: Well, considering that there are very few music stores left in NYC, the best place for a wide selection and good prices will be J and R Music (http://www.jandr.com/).

London
Clubs: Jazz Cafe (http://www.jazzcafe.co.uk/) in Camden Town is where you need to be if you want to learn anything about Jazz in England. It is the hip place for jazz and neo-soul. The classic jazz club that still remains is Ronnie Scott's Club (http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/). Not allot needs to be said - it is the Blue Note or Birdland of London. Everyone who's anyone has to play Ronnie Scott's Club.
Stores: Believe it or not but many of the independent record stores have become underwhelming in recent years but except for Rays Jazz Shop and Soul Brother (http://www.soulbrother.com/) They each still have some goods to make your trip worth while.

Oslo
Clubs: Bla (http://www.blx.no/) is considered by many as the best jazz club in Norway. It attracts the best in European jazz and audiences are a nice mixture of both tourists and the hardcore jazz fan. It might be a little too hip for its own good but its still a nice place to hang.

Cartoon Jazz

You've heard Raymond Scott's music before even if you don't recognize his name. Some have called it "cartoon jazz," because its frantic energy and cheerful melodies made it a natural soundtrack for Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons (as adapted by the brilliant Carl Stalling) and much later Ren & Stimpy and other modern animated shows.

Born in Brooklyn in 1908 to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Scott (born Harry Warnow) was a composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, inventor and recording studio innovator.

According to Wikipedia, Scott formed the "Raymond Scott Quintette" in 1936 with Pete Pumiglio (clarinet); Bunny Berigan (trumpet, soon replaced by Dave Wade); Louis Shoobe (upright bass); Dave Harris (tenor sax); and Johnny Williams (drums). They made their first recordings in New York on February 20, 1937, for the Master Records label, owned by music publisher/impresario Irving Mills (who was also Duke Ellington's manager).

The Quintette represented Scott's attempt to revitalize Swing music through tight, busy arrangements and reduced reliance on improvisation. He called this musical style "descriptive jazz," and gave his works unusual titles like "New Year's Eve in a Haunted House," "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals" (recorded by the Kronos Quartet in 1993), and "Bumpy Weather Over Newark." While popular with the public, jazz critics disdained it as novelty music. Besides being a prominent figure in recording studios and on radio and concert stages, Scott wrote and was widely interviewed about his sometimes controversial music theories for the leading music publications of the day, including Down Beat, Metronome, and Billboard. (source: Wikipedia)

One of the best ways to enjoy Scott's cartoon jazz is to acquire Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals (reissued on CD by Basta Records), which his sideman Dave Harris recorded in 1958. Here, Harris and his band the Powerhouse Five recaptured the manic fun and rhythmic sophistication of a dozen Scott numbers.

The Vandermark 5: The Chicago Sound

The Vandermark 5 (group)


Chicago has given music everything mainly R&B, Blues and Jazz. One of the most talked about group of the last decade has been The Vandermark 5. Led by multi-sax man Ken Vandermak, this piano-less, reeds driven quintet have set a new standard for free-jazz groups in America and Europe. The band doesn't tour much in U.S. but when they do it is mainly in their home base at The Empty Bottle.

I have seen them on a few occasions in NYC at Tonic and they have been nothing short of phenomenal. V5 as many refer to them start off many of their compositions with a complex but rhythmic structure and then spiral outward. It makes for an amazing journey through the scales.

With your first listen you will immediately hear the melody but as the piece continues you hear the breakdown of each musician and his delicacies. Vandermark himself is a bit of a multi-instrumentalist--performing on sax, clarinet, bass (sometimes piano). The band are on their eighth album not including 2 albums of covers.

The Vandermark 5 is a band with a lot of muscle and talent that get better and more creative with each release. Each member of the band has his own side project so the band doesn't record on a regular basis. This I believe keeps the material fresh and original each time out. Truly one of the leading protagonist in American music today, The Vandermark 5 are worth your time and effort.

Check out a great performance I found on youtube and if you dig that than check out their most recent album A Discontinuous Line (Atavistic).

A Discontinuous Line (2006 Atavistic Records)

The Vandermark 5 (Live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMw5zHKn86A

"Damn, I'm Famous. Ain't That A Bitch!?!"

Thelonious Monk (piano, b. 1917 - d. 1982)

Those are the words of one of the most famous, inventive and eccentric composers in jazz--Thelonious Monk.

While there are at least five jazz pianists that can be considered the benchmark (the obvious being Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton) I believe Monk is one of the first artists that would be mentioned with whom to start your collection with. And for all the complexity of his music, I too would suggest Thelonious Monk as one of the first purchases for anyone just getting into jazz (other pianist would be Dave Brubeck).

The playfulness of Monk's compositions and his ability to swing from blues type ballad to uptempo bebop was nothing but sheer masterclass. It's no wonder that you see many children learning about Thelonious Monk in music classes from an early age.

Now I think its time for the adults to take notice as well. The Monk catalog is massive so I would suggest starting with two records, Brilliant Corners (OJC) which many to consider Monk at the peak of his powers. Brilliant Corners also features stellar lineup with Clark Terry, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Oscar Pettiford and Ernie Henry. The other release I would recommend is a compilation, The Essential Thelonious Monk (Columbia Records). This unfortunately only covers his long tenure with Columbia Records but its does contain the most familiar material including one of two of my favorite songs of all time "Well You Needn't" and "Epistrophy."

Once you've checked out these two releases you can pretty much go in any direction for your next Monk fix.

Here's some video proof of Monk's greatness.

"Epistrophy" (Live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2s6LZUdYaU