The drummer bounces in his seat to the beat of his drums while the guitarist makes strange shapes with his mouth as if every note bubbles up inside him and escapes in its own special way. The saxophonist’s eyes are closed and his ears focused, ensuring that his timing is perfectly on point. The six-string bassist at the back carries the sound, providing the steady beat and the root notes of the chords of the tunes upon which the soloists construct their inventions, melding together rhythm and harmony in one function. Watching the band one understands what Bill Evans meant when he said, “It bugs me when people try to analyse jazz as an intellectual theorem. It’s not. It’s feeling.”
The musicians are dressed in snazzy but comfortable suits in a dimly-lit small room. They’re playing their respective instruments, but they are all one, all in the same mind-space, and all ‘in the groove’. It has been said that jazz musicians enjoy themselves more than anyone listening to them does. That may be because jazz musicians enjoy themselves more than anyone doing anything.
I wanted to see this for myself and in central Cape Town, we are lucky enough to have three fine jazz bars. Cape Town’s lively spirit blends in well with the soul of jazz, as the character and talent of the musicians who feature at these bars is a testament to. If you’re visiting Cape Town and interested in enjoying live music, look no further than these three intimate venues.
The Crypt
This iconic jazz bar is situated in the actual crypt underneath St. Georges Cathedral. This wonderful setting serves excellent food and wine in a low-lit, stone-walled room.
Co-owner Derk Blaisse explains in a Youtube video, “I dearly wanted to create a place in Cape Town where you can have a nice dinner but especially where you can have good live jazz. The jazz culture is phenomenal in Cape Town. The beauty of it is to be part of a church, to be part of the cathedral. So many musicians, they start making music in a church so it’s so natural what we do.
“Because we have in Cape Town over 60 nationalities, all these influences create a melting pot of a wonderful jazz culture. The beauty of jazz is to listen to live music, it’s just the energy that comes with a vibe when you see that band and listen to them.”
The birth of The Crypt is the realization of a dream shared by five people, all of whose love of jazz and good food drove them to open a jazz club in Cape Town. The team is led by entrepreneur Derk Blaisse, along with jazz musicians Mike Rossi, double bass player Wesley Rustin and bassist Spencer Mbadu, as well as Diane Rossi, who brings her extensive experience in arts and culture administration with her, both in South Africa and the United States.
Their dream is shared by the Dean of the St George’s Cathedral, Michael Weeder, a jazz enthusiast himself, who has a vision for Cape Town’s Cathedral as the ‘people’s church’ reaching out to diverse communities through The Crypt – and the universal language of jazz music.
To see their schedule visit the website here.
Straight No Chaser
The concept of Straight No Chaser is based on famous jazz clubs overseas, such as the Village Vanguard, Smalls Jazz Club and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. The music genres on display here tend to serve up the best of the wide variety of the respected local music scene.
This sultry venue looks to give musicians a space where they can express themselves freely and provide audiences with a listening environment that’s all about the music. The club takes their jazz seriously and so while the performers are doing their thing, attendees are expected to be respectful and interested. Due to their small size, there are two sets per night (cover is charged on a per-set basis). Booking is recommended as there is limited seating and often high demand. The club is open from Tuesday to Saturday.
To find out more visit their Facebook page here.
The Piano Bar
Located in the trendy De Waterkant area, this is the first official piano bar in the city. This moody musical revue joint gives a stage to established and up-and-coming soul, funk, blues and jazz performers every night of the week.
It is a New York-inspired music revue bar and restaurant with a strong African flavour. With a wraparound terrace that enjoys views through De Waterkant village to Devil’s Peak as well as towards the bay and a rooftop deck, there is more to the bar than simply the music. It is a casual listening type of bar, and not as earnest as the other two mentioned. Interestingly, the Piano Bar has its own bursary programme, which enables musical scholars to further their studies. They, in turn, provide their musical talents to the bar, and everyone wins. The music starts around 8pm each night, and there’s no cover charge (but there is a voluntary fee that patrons are asked to pay to support the musicians).
To find out more about the venue’s schedule visit their website here.