Jack Kerouac’s “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose,” instructed one to write “as a jazz musician drawing breath between out-blown phrases.” I like to imagine that jazz notes fit perfectly in-between the spaces of each of our inhales and exhales. We need jazz to become whole. Cincinnati is a city so uniquely tied to music, that it seems to me there should be one day a week where everyone listens to Jazz in order to rejuvenate themselves and therefore where they live.
Schwartz Point
1901 Vine St. (at the intersection of Vine, McMicken and Main streets), Over-the-Rhine, 513-651-2236.
This is what speakeasies were like back in the day. Escape to the 1920s and on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to feel the rhythms of another era.
Blue Wisp Jazz Club
700 Race St., Downtown, 513-241-9477
Cincinnati’s premier Jazz club has moved to a new location. Come experience Jazz’s wonderful improvisational nature on a set schedule, live every night of the week.
Chez Nora
530 Main St., Covington, 859-491-8027
Fine food, drinks, live jazz and a terrace with a view. And it gets even better with half price wine and appetizers every Tuesday. Brunch from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays with live Jazz on the Terrace (weather permitting).
The Cricket Lounge at The Cincinnatian Hotel
601 Vine St., Downtown, 513-381-3000
A classy, city-centered lounge with plenty of ambiance for mixing business and pleasure. A live Jazz trio plays Friday and Saturday to bring the mood to a climax. Happy Hour is 4-7 p.m. Daily.
Dee Felice Cafe
529 Main St., Covington, 859-261-2365
Jazz, Swing and the food of the French Quarter. A credit to the notion that Cincinnati is as far as one can be North while still being South.
The Greenwich
2442 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills, 513-221-1151
Walnut Hill’s answer to Greenwich Village, the center of the bohemian culture and where noncommercial music and performance took root. The club features a combination of Jazz, Spoken Word and Hip Hop. The performance-based Village Walk supports a different local charity each month.
Sonny’s All Blues Lounge
4040 Reading Road, Paddock Hills, 513-281-0410
One of Cincinnati’s best destinations for live Blues. Blues as scheduled.
Sonny’s All Jazz Lounge
1227 California Ave., Bond Hill, 513-242-4579
Sonny’s is a retro haven for Jazz lovers. Live Jazz is on Sundays. Enjoy Jazz and R&B with local DJs.