Photo: Natasha Large
Current Jazz Venues
last updated: Sept 20, 2017.
Below ** indicates venue websites with player lineups posted.
| **The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar - 2-4 shows/day; 7 days/Week; (cover varies) | |
| 194 Queen St West (416-598-2475); See The Rex website for player line-ups! | |
| **The Emmet Ray Bar - Live Music 7 nts/wk; Jazz Sunday & Mondays; (PWYC) | |
|
924 College St, just east of Dovercourt (416-792-4497). Trendy Bistro food! Eclectic variety of music. See Emmet Ray website for player line-ups! | |
| **Gate 403 Restaurant - Jazz, Blues, Latin & Boogie 7 days/Week; (no cover) | |
|
403 Roncesvalles, south of Dundas St West (416-588-2930)
(Free parking at Howard P.S. parking lot located on west side of Roncesvalles on Howard Park Ave.)
See Gate 403 website for player line-ups! | |
| Harlem Underground - Jazz Mondays; 8:30-11pm | |
| 745 Queen St West (416-366-4743), 2 blk west of Bathurst. See Harlem's website for more info. | |
| Weekly Mondays: Neil Brathwaite (sax) with guests | |
| The Motel - Jazz Mondays, 10:30-1am (no cover) | |
| 1235 Queen St St W; (647-381-6246) just W of Dufferin St | |
| Weekly Mondays: Nathan Hiltz solo guitar | |
| **120 Diner - Jazz Tuesdays thru Sundays, various times and cover | |
| 120 Church St, just south of Queen St East (416-792-7725). See 120 website for player line-ups! | |
| The Salty Dog Bar and Grill - Jazz Tuesdays, 7-10pm (PWYC) | |
| 1980 Queen Street East, north side @ Waverley Ave, 4 blocks east of Woodbine, just west of Kew Gardens (416-849-5064); See Salty Dog's website for player line-ups! | |
| Playing with Greg Pilo (drums) ... quartets with some of Toronto's finest (since 2010)! | |
| La Revolución - Jazz Tuesdays, 8-10:30pm (no cover) | |
| 2848 Dundas St W; (416-766-0746) | |
| Piano & Guest Duos with Peter Hill (keys) ... | |
|
The Reservoir Lounge Swing, Jump Blues & Boogie Woogie 5 nts/wk; Tue thru Sat; 7 pm or 9:45 pm (cover varies) | |
| 52 Wellington St East, west of Church (416-955-0887); Light club menu till 2 a.m.!
See Reservoir Lounge website for monthly calendar. | |
| Tranzac Club - Jazz various evenings! (PWYC) | |
| 292 Brunswick Ave, just south of Bloor (416-923-8137). See Tranzac calendar or Sept 6-12, 2017 Performance Schedule Newsletter. | |
| Whistlers Grill - Jazz Wednesdays, Sunday 'Blues', 7pm; no cover | |
| 995 Broadview Ave at Mortimer(416-421-1344). See Whistlers website for more info. | |
| Weekly Wednesdays: Weekly Jazz Trios | |
| Weekly Sunday 'Blues' | |
| **Mezzetta Restaurant & Tapas Bar - Jazz Wednesdays, 9pm ($12 cover) | |
|
681 St Clair Ave W, west of Christie (416-658-5687 See Mezzetta's website for player line-ups thru Oct-Nov. | |
| Weekly Duos. | |
| Bloom Restaurant - Jazz MonthlyThursday/Fridays, 7pm;$45 Prix Fixe Dinner-Show | |
| 2315 Bloor St West (416-767-1315). See Bloom's Website for more info on this unique Nuevo Latino cuisine restaurant. | |
| Monthly Quartets | |
|
**The Home Smith Bar - Jazz weekly Thursday, Friday and Saturdays; 7:30-10:30pm Monthly Tuesdays; 7:30-10:30pm; ($20 min food-bev) | |
| 21 Old Mill Road (416-236-2741). See Home Smith Bar website for more info, or these performance schedules for September player line-ups and October line-ups. | |
| **Jazz Bistro - Evening Shows, Tuesdays thru Sundays; (cover and show times vary) | |
|
251 Victoria St (416-363-5299)
See Jazz Bistro's website for weekly performance schedule. | |
| Reposado Tequila Bar - Jazz Wed-Thurs-Fri, after 9:30pm; PWYC | |
| 136 Ossington Ave, N of Queen St W; (416-532-6474); See Reposado's website for more info. | |
| Wed | Michael Herring and guests (bass); |
| Th-F | Tim Hamel's Reposadists (trumpet) with guests |
| **Poetry Jazz Cafe - Various Jazz Tuesdays, Thursday thru Sundays; evenings & Sunday afternoons; $10 cover or PWYC Sundays | |
|
224 Augusta Ave in Kensington Market(416-599-5299)
See full music schedule here at Poetry's website. Limited seating! | |
| **Lula Lounge - usually Jazz Thursday-Fridays; (dates & cover vary) | |
| 1585 Dundas St West, 416-588-0307. See full calendar Lula Lounge events for more info. | |
| Hirut Restaurant - Jazz Monthly Fridays, 8pm; (PWYC) | |
| 2050 Danforth Ave, one block west of Woodbine; (416-551-7560). | |
| Monthly Quintets or Quartets | |
| **The Pilot Tavern - Jazz Saturdays, 3-6pm (no cover) | |
|
22 Cumberland St, 1/2 block west of Yonge, 1 block north of Bloor (416-923-5716) See The Pilot website for more info. | |
| Weekly Quartets ... with some of Toronto's finest (since ...forever)! | |
| **May Cafe - Various evenings;(cover varies) | |
|
876 Dundas St West, west of Manning Ave (647-607-2032) See May's website for jazz their Jazz events and player details. | |
| Morgans - Jazz Sunday Trios or Duos; 2-5pm; (no cover) | |
| 1282 Danforth Ave, just east of Greenwood (416-461-3020). See Morgans' website or call them for more info. | |
| Weekly Trios/Duos returns in fall | |
| **The Local GEST - Jazz Sundays, 4:30-7:30pm (no cover) | |
| 424 Parliament St, south of Carlton (416-961-9425). See The Local's website for more info. | |
| Weekly Trios/Duos | |
| Pour Boy - Jazz Sundays, 7pm; (PWYC) | |
|
583 College St, between Clinton & Manning (647-350-7687) See Pour Boy's Website here for more info. | |
| Tim Hamel (trumpet) with guests | |
| Gallery 345 - Jazz, various performance dates & cover | |
| 345 Sorauren Ave (416-822-9781). Find the full performance schedule at the Gallery's website. | |
| see their website's link above for jazz ComingUp ... | |
| For more jazz/blues club listings, plus, see our Other Jazz Links page. | |
E-mail us at info@ComingUpStraightAhead.com
Alert apology! No further updates until Mon Oct 16 (see some Sept below)
Check our Facebook for some posts of various upcoming gigs!A few choices below to get Sept Jazzed!
Emmet Sunday Jazz: 6 & 8:30
Weekly Monday Jazz: 7 & 9:30 shows
See their website for all player line-ups comingUp!
Queen St East Salty Dog Tuesdays, 7-10pm: Greg Pilo Quartets (drums) with
Sept 26: Dave Restivo (keys), Colleen Allen (sax) and George Koller (bass)
Oct 3: Rob Piltch (guitar), Perry White (sax) and Dave Young (bass)
above pix:The Rex, Thurs-Fri Sept 21-23, 9:30: Annual Coltrane Tribute: Kirk MacDonald is joined by NYC's Ralph Bowen (saxes) with Brian Dickinson (piano), Neil Swainson (bass) and Montreal's Andre White (drums)
Rex September Fridays, 6:30: HECTOR Quartet: Chris Gale (sax), Ted Quinlan (guitar), Jeff McLeod (organ) and Chris Wallace (drums)
Find all the choices comingUP for September and October at the Rex.
Weekly Wednesdays, 9pm
Committed for several years to Wed jazz, Mezzetta is one of the original and best tapas restos in TO.
See the player line-up on Mezzetta's Aug-Sept schedule and Oct to be posted soon.
Sept 20: Dave Young (bass) and Rob Piltch (guitar)
Sept 27: Guitar Duo: Lorne Lofsky and David Occhipinti
Oct 4: Ron Davis (keys) and Mike Downes (bass)
Oct 11: Maureen Kennedy (vocals) and Ben Bishop (guitar)
Home Smith Bar @ The Old Mill:
Player line-ups for September and October, 7:30 Thursday, Friday and Sat evenings
Thur-Sat, Sept 21-23, 9pm: Russ Little Quintet (trombone) with Tom Szczesniak (piano), Michael Stuart (tenor), Scott Alexander (bass) and Brian Barlow (drums)
Check for all choices ComingUp at Jazz Bistro's website.
Next at The Pilot, Sat, Sept 23: Richard Underhill Quartet (alto) with Eric St Laurent (guitar), Jon Meyer (bass) and Chris Lamont (drums)
Sept 30: Barry Elmes Quartet (drums) with Kelly Jefferson (sax), Ted Quinlan (guitar) and Pat Collins (bass)
Oct 7: Sugar Daddies Quintet with Gord Sheard (keys), Jeff King (sax), Dave Dunlop (trumpet), Steve Conovoer (bass) and Peter Howard (drums)
Oct 14: Jeff King Quartet with Ted Quinlan (guitar), Artie Roth (bass) and Chris Wallace (drums)