07/22/07

Clueless

by jasmine12298

I have no idea what Jazz Bakery the two negative reviewers were at but the Jazz Bakery I know in the Helms complex in Culver City is simply one of the best jazz venues west of the Mississippi. I have seen everyone from McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, Stefon Harris, Brian Blade, Bill Frissell, etc. This place is all about the music. No distracting waitress hustling drinks, no people eating and/or talking just real music fans behaving maturely and enjoying wonderful Jazz. It kills me that people are actually complaining about the price? Where else can you see the above world class artists for $25-35 with no "drink minimums" or "food minimums?" If these people want sticker shock, they should go to Yoshi's in SF (a wonderful place) or anywhere in NYC for a reality check. This is NOT a "club" it is a MUSIC venue. So, show up early and have dinner @ Beacon (or the Fathers Office that is coming soon!) walk over to the Bakery and enjoy some world class music uninterupted by rude patrons and opportunistic servers. My friend and I walked up at show time, bought 2 tickets to see Marc Cary and sit in the front row. If this place were in NYC you would have 1) long lines, 2) double/triple the price and 3) more noise.

• Pros: all about the music
• Cons: not a "club" eat dinner and have drinks elswhere

02/21/07

Worst Nightmare in my life

by kasikaib

Would you like imagining a picture? There is a small, dark, dirty hall full of cheap, plastic no comfortable chairs, which are standing one by one, row by row.

Imagine that kind of flue sick singer by the name of Jazz Legend drinks wine between laud, cacophony sounds, which dump your brain without pity?Imagine grownups, which brought their kids to the performance, are drinking alcohol while listening to the noise pretend to be a music? Would you like such life experience? Pay $36, take a friend, and pay $36 more...Be overcharge twice over the phone, and over the desk clerk, pay $144!!! in total for youself anf your friend's nightmares! Go to Jazz Bakery! Enjoy!

• Pros: The place is the worse nightmare in all aspects

No frills, no fuss: just straight-no-chaser jazz for the die-hard fan.

by Contributor

In Short
The music might be really hot and cooking, but it's the old Helms Bakery that gives this club its name. When the bakery moved out, the Jazz Bakery moved in. Nestled among furniture stores and a fencing school, this nonprofit venue has become one the best spots in town for catching top jazz acts in a small setting. The roster of past performers includes such jazz heavyweights as Charlie Byrd, Diana Krall and Branford Marsalis, among others.

09/20/04

Best jazz in town

by sl77

Great venue for jazz--excellent music! It's great to have a place like this to go and hear fantastic jazz.

The previous review is a little...bizarre...the guy just didn't get it. This isn't a club; it's a concert hall. It's a wonderful alternative to having to sit in a noisy, smoky club and pay an outrageous cover charge and two drink minimum...The Jazz Bakery has an admission charge, not a cover, and that's all you pay. (For your convenience, they do offer limited drinks and snacks in the lobby.) If you want dishes/silverware clanking, smoke, and people talking, go to a club--if you want to hear some of the best players in the world at a reasonable price, where you can actually HEAR it with a respectful, attentive audience--go to the Jazz Bakery.

• Pros: Music, Value, Atmosphere

06/29/04

Good music.....and....?

by alpha_beta

The music is good. It's a shame the cover is so steep. $25 for a matinee?? $45 on the weekends. Then the band is only up for an hour and a half. Although it felt longer when sitting in plastic patio furniture. The bar if you can call it that has half a dozen beers and two hot wines. The chardonnay was not even chilled??? This place has potential to be anything, but someone with a little more drive to turn this place around will be required. Final thought; get tables, table service, a real bar and make the money there not on outrageous covers.

• Pros: parking, music
• Cons: , bar, service