From Jazz to Rock to Blues clubs, the best places to hear
live music in Boston
by Andrew King
HEADLINERS AND LEGENDS—(from the top) Avalon on Lansdowne Street, The House of Blues in Harvard Square, and Scullers Jazz Club at the DoubleTree Hotel pack the houses with live performances each week. |
JAZZ
REGATTABAR, the charles hotel, one bennett st., cambridge,
617-876-7777. Jazz is serious business at this nationally
renowned bastion for top shelf acts. Really—when the music
starts, the crowd goes silent. Branford Marsalis and Joshua
Redman make regular stops here, and the annual Water Music
Festival, which is hosted by the Regattabar and plays at venues
around the city, attracts the legendary likes of David Brubeck
(who’ll be at the Berklee Performance Center on March 9 & 10) and
Herbie Hancock.
RYLES JAZZ CLUB, 212 hampshire st., cambridge,
617-876-9330. Jazz is one of the purely American music forms, but
at this popular Inman Square club, an international crowd and
innovative musicians give the scene a spicy twist. For example,
last year the club hosted a 60th birthday party for keyboard
legend Chick Corea and the upcoming performance on March 16
features the Teresa Ines Group’s Brazilian jazz.
SCULLERS JAZZ CLUB, doubletree guest suites hotel, 400
soldier’s field rd., 617-562-4111. Legendary jazz man Fred Taylor
has brought world-class credibility to this warm, dimly lit jazz
room on the second floor of the DoubleTree Hotel. Like Ryles,
Scullers is know for serving a diverse musical diet that includes
Latin, R & B and world acts, as well as traditional faves like
Roy Hargrove.
WALLY'S CAFE, 427 mass. ave., 617-424-1408. At Wally’s,
jazz really means something. You won’t find poseurs looking for
nice background music and a single malt scotch here. This tiny,
50-year-old nightspot is the last remaining club from Boston’s
jazz heyday in the 1950s. It hosts talented combos, including
lots of up-and-comers from the nearby Berklee College of Music.
There’s no cover, but there is a one-drink minimum, and very
little room to move. Yet it’s worth every wailing note of it.
DIFFERENT DRUMMERS—The array of acts that play Boston includes (from the top) Cracker at the Paradise, Bush at the Orpheum Theatre, and Enrique Iglesias, also at the Orpheum. |
ROCK/POP
AVALON, 15 lansdowne st., 617-262-2424. In the spirit of
glittering performances like those at the Hammerstein Ballroom in
New York City, Avalon has emerged in recent years as one of
largest non-stadium venues presenting rock concerts in the area.
It’s also known as one of the city’s most fashionable nightclubs,
and its sleek, expansive layout makes for a dreamy rock concert
setting, if a slightly odd one. Most shows start around 7 p.m.
and end in time for the shaggy rock fans to depart before the
hipster club-goers arrive.
FLEETCENTER, causeway st., 617-931-2000. Elton John, Billy
Joel, Madonna, U2, Britney Spears and Crosby, Stills, Nash &
Young. Acts so big they need no introduction or opening band are
the caliber of stars that concert-goers can expect to see at the
FleetCenter—which is also home to the NBA’s Celtics and NHL’s
Bruins. It may not have the charm of the old Boston Garden, but
it has already been the setting for some of the most elaborately
memorable shows this city has ever seen.
THE MIDDLE EAST, 472-480 mass. ave., cambridge,
617-931-2000. As Cambridge’s Central Square morphed from working
class to urban elite during the early ’90s, The Middle East kept
its place as the launching pad for Boston’s most talented rock
bands. Repeatedly voted best rock club by local publications like
the Boston Phoenix, this grainy, three-room haven for talent
attracts serious music fans from around the Boston area. Already
known for its support of indie-rock and punk acts, the club has
recently embraced performers from the burgeoning hip-hop scene.
ORPHEUM THEATRE, hamilton place, 617-679-0810. History has
its place in this ornate, 19th century concert hall in the middle
of downtown. The Boston Symphony played its debut concert here;
Booker T. Washington and Ralph Waldo Emerson lectured here; and,
after several renovations, the Orpheum became a vaudeville house,
even a movie theater. These days it’s dedicated to performances
by live music acts ranging from Bush (on March 12) to Enrique
Iglesias (on March 13).
PARADISE ROCK CLUB, 967 commonwealth ave., 617-562-8800.
Infamous for Drew Bledsoe’s lawsuit-inducing stage dive several
years ago, the Paradise has closed, re-opened and gone through
some changes, including a stint as a part-time dance club. But it
is back to its rock ‘n’ roll roots and better than ever. The
atmosphere is a remarkable mix of the intimate and spacious, with
an upper balcony that gives the audience the feeling that they’re
practically on top of the stage. With four bars, a
state-of-the-art sound system and a consistent line-up of
established and avant rock performers, this is one of the best
clubs around.
T. T. THE BEAR'S PLACE, 10 brookline st., cambridge,
617-492-BEAR. A friendly neighbor and kin of The Middle East,
this down-and-dirty Central Square rock club also boasts a proud
history of helping launch smaller acts into the realm of stardom,
including The Smashing Pumpkins and P. J. Harvey. The spirit here
is friendly and welcoming, teeming with open-minded music fans.
BLUSE
HOUSE OF BLUES, 96 winthrop st., harvard square, cambridge,
617-497-2229. Okay, so Boston is not exactly the Bayou, but this
soulful shrine in Harvard Square is a magnificent exception to
the rule. From Muddy Waters to James Cotton to Bela Fleck and the
Flecktones’ Victor Wooten, this is the venue for blues, funk and
roots music. The House also presents a strong lineup of reggae
acts. Along the walls are bright-colored paintings with a
reverent, Afro-centric tone, while the layout of the upstairs
concert hall feels like a Mississippi Baptist Church. Don’t miss
the popular Sunday Gospel Brunch.
INTERNATIONAL
WORLD MUSIC ORGANIZATION, various locations throughout the
boston area, 617-876-4275. The people at the non-profit World
Music organization bring some of the most talented performers
from all corners of the globe to music lovers in Boston. The
cultural reach of its mission means that artists who are popular
in their own countries but otherwise unknown here are able to
educate and entertain an entirely new audience. Upcoming acts
include traditional Irish music from Altan (March 8 & 10 at the
Somerville Theatre) and Solas (March 15 at the Sanders Theatre).
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