A performance at the SFJAZZ centre
Centre for jazz
Big names like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong often performed at the Fillmore jazz clubs, especially at Jimbo’s Bop City. The club became famous across the country for its jam sessions, which sometimes lasted until the morning hours. In the late 1950s, Fillmore experienced a steady decline and the lively jazz scene largely disappeared from the neighbourhood. The building that housed Bop City is now designated a heritage site. Yet fantastic clubs can still be found in San Francisco. In 2013, the SFJAZZ cultural centre – the first independent centre in the United States devoted entirely to jazz – opened its doors. The goal of the centre is to introduce visitors to jazz and the history of this music style. You can also take part in workshops and master classes here. Performances are held all week in the beautiful auditorium by famous and lesser-known jazz musicians. Tickets, names and dates can be found on the website.
Jazzing at Yoshi’s
Yoshi’s is one of the best jazz clubs in San Francisco. Yoshie Akiba from Japan opened a small sushi restaurant in Berkeley in 1972 but, due to its growing success, it had to relocate soon thereafter to a larger accommodation in Oakland. Dinner to the accompaniment of live music was introduced at the new address and Yoshi’s quickly became a world-class jazz club. In 2007, Yoshi’s opened a second restaurant in the heart of San Francisco on Fillmore Street. Both the food and jazz are of excellent quality – many say it’s the only place in the world where you can listen to world-class jazz while enjoying food deserving of a Michelin star.
