Inside Some of Birmingham-Area’s Most Acclaimed Jazz Venues
Compiled by Shauna Stuart | For The Birmingham Times
Emery Kidd is a Birmingham-area bassist, now in his 40’s, who once played the trumpet in the Birmingham Youth Jazz Ensemble under the tutelage of Jothan Callins and where Daniel Jose Carr and Bernard McQueen also stopped by to give tutorials.
Kidd attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts and was one of the founding members of the student jazz ensemble at ASFA and today attends Daniel Jose Carr’s jam session at True Story Brewing Co. on Tuesdays and sometimes opts to sit in.
“I’m grateful for the jazz jams because there are spaces where it doesn’t matter your age if you want to get up and hone your skills,” he told The Birmingham Times. “This is school in real time.”
In addition to True Story here are some other spaces in the Birmingham metro area where jazz lovers can find school in session.
If you have a spot that should be added here please email bwright@birminghamtimes.com with “Jazz Venues” in the subject line.
The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
1701 4th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Housed inside of Birmingham’s historic Carver Theatre for the Performing Arts, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is ushering in a new chapter.
The nonprofit music education program was established in 1978 to help preserve the history and contributions the state of Alabama made to the genre of jazz. In 1993, organizers moved the nonprofit’s headquarters into the historic Carver Theatre and established a museum filled with artifacts and photographs devoted to the state’s jazz history.
After being closed for seven years of renovations, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame museum officially reopened to the public in August 2024 with the induction of renowned bassist Ron Carter. A month later, the jazz hall resumed its free jazz lessons.
This year, the jazz hall staff introduced a new slate of programming to welcome jazz enthusiasts back into the beloved venue.
The Jazz on 4th concert series is bringing a lineup of artists into the Carver’s performance hall. This summer, the AJHOF introduced a new way to bring music to jazz enthusiasts with Jazz Happy Hour, a Thursday evening jazz pop-up concert from 5 to 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Carver Theatre, featuring the Daniel Jose Carr Quartet.
In May, the Sun Ra Arkestra took the stage in the performance hall as part of the Sun Ra Festival, a four-day celebration in honor of Sun Ra’s birthday.
Dave’s Pub
1128 20th St S, Birmingham, AL 35205
Dave’s Pub in Five Points South is home to two jazz jam sessions. On Tuesday nights from 8 to 11 p.m., keyboardist and guitarist Arturo LaCruz leads his Sol Musica jam session. Founded by LaCruz, a native of Peru, Sol Musica blends world music with improvisation and percussion of Latin jazz. Headlined by LaCruz, Sol Musica’s revolving house band includes pianist and guitarist Dave Crenshaw, saxophonist Michael Saddekni, and flutist Geni Skendo. On Thursdays, Forged Fusion hosts the jazz session from 8 to 11 p.m. Formed in 2024, the band fuses jazz, rock, and funk.
DJD theatre
Alabama School of Fine Arts, 800 19th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Housed at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, the Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre, or DJD, is named after ASFA Foundation Board member Dorothy “Dodie” Jemison Day. Award-winning jazz and classical flutist Kim Scott, a 1993 graduate of ASFA and the school’s director of student services, has played the DJD stage. The 450-foot theatre is also the home venue for the award-winning ASFA jazz ensemble and hosts “Artworks,” a performance series featuring artists from Alabama and around the nation. One of this year’s “Artworks” performers is Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame inductee Eric Essix. For the series, Essix, a recipient of the South Arts Jazz Road Tours grant, will take the stage at the DJD with Dr. Melvin Butler on saxophone, Sean Michael Ray on bass, Kelvin Wooten on keyboards, and Lil’ John Roberts on drums for the 25th anniversary of his career-defining album, “Southbound.”
Dobber’s Five Points Pub
1206 20th St S, Birmingham, AL 35205
The nights of live music at Little Italy’s Pies and Pints in Five Points South–including the Monday night jazz jam session– were almost as famous as its pizza. But the music ended when the pizza joint shuttered in 2023.
When the owners of Dobber’s wanted to revive the beloved jam session, they called Desmond Sykes, a saxophonist for bands including Conception and the Black Jacket Symphony. Sykes, who was one of the jam’s mainstay musicians, was immediately on board.
In September, he started hosting a new Monday night jam at the neighborhood watering hole. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. patrons can see revolving musicians in the jam’s house band, including Sykes, David Little on guitar, bass players Ryan Brown and Amber Frazier, and drummers Richard Freeman and Jordan Stone.
This is one of the city’s jazz jam sessions where the musicians sitting in skew a little younger — many nights, most of the musicians are under 35.
The revived jam is picking up steam as word gets out, and musicians attending the jam include alumni from area high schools as well as UAB and JSU.
Sykes says musicians also travel from other cities such as Nashville and Atlanta to sit in.
“All sorts of people come through,” says Sykes. “You never know who is going to pop in.”
East Village Arts
7611 1st Ave. North, Birmingham, AL
Located in East Lake, East Village Arts is a nod to New York’s East Village and its cultural movements that became a haven for artists. The non-profit arts collective is a membership-based co-operative of artists, musicians, and patrons, as well as a community and event space. Outfitted with a stage and church pews, the performance space hosts concerts, dance performances, and poetry featuring both local and traveling artists.
The nonprofit is also a haven for jazz culture. In addition to hosting jazz performances, part of the avant-garde space pays homage to Sun Ra and the Arkestra. EAV also houses the studio of Craig Legg, a painter and historian widely considered a librarian of Birmingham music. Legg’s designs “Trading Cards”– a series of 5×7 paintings on Masonite board — his visual ode to genres of Alabama’s music history, including a series on the History of Birmingham Jazz. His latest project— funded by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, is Birmingham’s Jazz Family Tree, a 9’x12′ collage of illustrations documenting the dozens of jazz musicians that came out of Birmingham in the 1990s.
East Village Arts was also a filming location for three documentaries about Birmingham jazz: “So You Say You Play Jazz: The Daniel Jose Carr Story,” “Tuxedo Junction, the Almost Lost Story,” and “Magic City: Birmingham According to Sun Ra.”
In May, East Village Arts held the farewell party for Create Birmingham’s three-day festival honoring the Sun Ra Arkestra in Birmingham.
Farrelly’s Southern Bar and Kitchen
5532 Grove Blvd, Hoover, AL 35226
Pianist Choko Aiken quickly made her mark as a mainstay in the Birmingham jazz scene since she moved to the city from Japan in 2013, headlining her own shows at venues around the city (including Perfect Note and Jazzi’s on 3rd) and sharing the stage with Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame inductees, including Bo Berry, Daniel Jose Carr, and the late Cleve Eaton.
In 2024, Farrelly’s Southern Bar and Kitchen approached Aiken about hosting a weekly jazz night. For nearly a year, the highly requested pianist has helmed the stage in the dining room of the popular dinner spot on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m.
With Aiken as the bandleader, diners can expect a different lineup of musicians every week. Sometimes Aiken plays solo. Other nights, she’ll request accompanying musicians. Owner George McCluney occasionally joins the show on drums and vocals, while bassist Brian Brown and saxophonist Gary Wheat take the stage regularly.
Jazzi’s on 3rd
1725 3rd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Located in Birmingham’s Theatre District, Jazzi’s on 3rd Music Gallery is a standing homage to the late Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame inductee, Henry “Hank” Blankenship, whose accomplishments include a tenure with the Birmingham Heritage Band. While Jazzi’s now operates mostly as a venue for private events, the music gallery still hosts occasional public concerts. In 2023, Jazzi’s on 3rd hosted the ceremony for Henry Blankernship’s star on the Alabama Walk of Fame. Family, city officials, and staff from the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame unveiled the star–located in front of Jazzi’s– with speeches and a proclamation from the city, followed by performances by the Birmingham Heritage Band, conducted by Bo Berry, and the Daniel Jose Carr Quartet.
Jazz on 55th
7 55th Pl N, Birmingham, AL 35212
In Woodlawn, a vibrant mural of three musicians on the trumpet, saxophone, and piano is a beacon for Jazz on 55th.The lounge, which opened last April, offers patrons a space to enjoy cigars, a full bar, and live music. Jazz on 55th’s premise isn’t straight-ahead jazz– the venue is geared more toward smooth jazz, R&B, and neo soul — but the lineup of performers features beloved local and award-winning artists, including blues and soul powerhouse Mz. Aretta, flutist Sherry Reeves, and saxophonist Michael Hamm.
Pogo Cocktail Bar
2309 1st Ave N Suite 101, Birmingham, AL 35203
Below Armour House brasserie and raw bar lies Pogo Cocktail Bar. Nestled behind a speakeasy-style entrance, the chic cocktail lounge boasts a menu of signature libations along with live jazz performances every Thursday, Friday, and (occasionally) Saturday. Pogo’s performance lineup features a mashup of local and some touring musicians, including Chad Fisher, Ronald Rodriguez, Amari Ansari, the Jacksonville State University Jazz Combo, and UAB alumni and faculty, including saxophonist Gary Wheat.
In September, Pogo was one of the host venues for Jason Mingledorf and his quartet during their tour of Alabama, supported by the South Arts Jazz Roads grant.
True Story Brewing
5510 Crestwood Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35212
www.facebook.com/truestorybrewing
Tucked into the Crestwood Shopping Center, True Story Brewing is a neighborhood watering hole known for its cold craft beer, growing selection of spirits and calendar of live music. For the past four years, the brewpub has housed trumpeter Daniel “Jose” Carr’s jazz jam session on Tuesday nights from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Carr’s session, now the longest-running jazz jam session in Birmingham, has had several homes over the past three decades. (Before True Story, the session was at B.O.S.S. Ultra Lounge on 20th Street South). The house band– Carr, bassist Bernard McQueen, drummer Timothy Huffman, and pianist Willie Jackson Jr.– start off the evening before opening up the session for other musicians to sit in. While the Tuesday jam is the mainstay jazz session, True Story also hosts rotating jazz shows featuring more local musicians, including the UAB Jazz Ensemble and Conception Jazz Fusion.
Uptown Jazz Lounge
2250-B 9th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
https://www.uptownjazzbham.com/
Rod Conwell, Patrick Chatman, Patrick Chatman II and Larry Forest opened Uptown Jazz Lounge in Birmingham’s Uptown Entertainment District in 2022. Their goal, says Conwell, was to help fill a need for midsize music lounges in Birmingham’s downtown area.
“I grew up in that environment and there were several venues in the downtown area for adults and or ‘grown folks’ as we like to say. Spots where you could go listen to local and regional musicians, have a nice drink in a safe environment, and then go home. And that suddenly went away. It was here for years and then went away,” said Conwell.
Conwell is a lover of all types of music, but in his college days, he started leaning into straight-ahead and smooth jazz.
“It just stuck with me. And the older I got, the affinity I had for that type of music grew on me,” said Conwell. “And I started to travel to various states for that type of music.”
So when the team started developing the plans for Uptown Jazz, they knew they wanted to create a welcoming space for both jazz purists and fans of smooth jazz, as well as a venue where artists steeped in both could display their craft.
Now in its third year, a slate of heavy-hitting Alabama-grown artists have graced the Uptown Jazz stage, including Sherry Reeves, the Daniel Jose Carr Quartet, PJ Spraggins, Byron Thomas, and Deidre Gaddis.
In January, Uptown Jazz was the venue for a music showcase in conjunction with the All-State Jazz Band Festival and the Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference. In attendance was Wycliffe Gordon, the award-winning trombonist and educator, whose accomplishments include a long-time tenure with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Conwell says the team at Uptown want Gordon to return for a performance. Other artists on their wish list: trumpeter Willie Bradley, Trombone Shorty, and Kim and Kayla Waters.
The team at Uptown Jazz also have one more ultimate goal: a Friday and Saturday jazz series showcase featuring three or four national artists.
Vecchia Pizzeria and Mercato
610 Preserve Pkwy Suite 100, Hoover, AL 35226
Vecchia is well-known for its Neapolitan-style brick oven pizza and Italian market with a selection of cheeses, cured meats, desserts, and bottles of wine. But the popular Hoover neighborhood eatery boasts a Friday-night lineup of live jazz on Friday nights, either on the patio or in the dining room. Some of the featured musicians include pianist Choko Aiken, bassist Aaron Goldberg, drummer Alan Shaw, the UAB Jazz Combo, and the Daniel Jose Carr Quartet.
William’s Chapel CME Church
545 64th St S. Birmingham, AL 35212
Located in Oak Ridge Park, Williams’ Chapel CME is home to the Bo Berry & Friends jam session. Trumpeter Collins “Bo” Berry, a 1985 Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame inductee and director of the Birmingham Heritage Band, leads the Sunday afternoon session from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ronald Goodwin, a tenor saxophone player and member of the Birmingham Heritage Band, developed the jam session with Berry to bring a free jazz performance to the community and reach an audience that doesn’t normally frequent nightclubs. Another mission — connect with youth musicians who don’t have the chance to go out and see jazz shows.
The audience for the Sunday afternoon sessions is small but engaged. Viewers tend to arrive about an hour into the performance and settle comfortably into the pews, some dressed in their Sunday best. Longtime jazz enthusiasts who go to shows around the city will see familiar faces. Berry and Goodwin are the mainstay musicians in the session, with Cheryl Simonetti on piano, Bernard McQueen on bass, and John Nuckols on drums. Members of the Daniel Jose Carr quartet tend to drop in, as well as musicians who regularly sit at Carr’s Tuesday jam session. Nadine Smith, a longtime vocalist for the Birmingham Heritage Band (and a proud Birmingham civil rights foot soldier), occasionally comes to watch the session and sing.
AUBURN AL
Piccolo 241 Jazz & Cocktails
The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, 241 S College St, Auburn, AL 36830
aricciacucina.com/piccolo-241-jazz-and-cocktails
Located about two and a half hours outside of Birmingham, Piccolo 241 is the jazz and cocktail lounge adjacent to the restaurant Arricia Cuina Italiana. On its website, Piccolo 241 bills itself as Auburn and Opelika’s “only true jazz lounge.”
Tucked away from the dining room, the cozy parlour, adorned with a fireplace and plush furniture, heralds itself as a beacon for jazz, a nod to the New York City jazz clubs graced by luminaries such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Dizzy Gillespie. Naturally, the venue is a stomping ground for the state’s best-known jazz artists. Saxophonist La’Roy Bodiford, who frequents Daniel Jose Carr’s jazz jam in Birmingham, hosts his own jazz session at Piccolo on Thursday nights.
Piccolo 241 hosts full shows and jam sessions with the mission to embody the listening rooms of larger cities with a more storied jazz history– on Friday and Saturday nights, the lounge is reserved for patrons 21 and up from 7:00 PM until close.
TUSCALOOSA AL
The Sanctuary on 25th
1710 25th Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Located in Tuscaloosa, the birthplace of renowned jazz singer and “Queen of the Blues” Dinah Washington, The Sanctuary on 25th is a restaurant and music club housed inside the former Conquerors’ Light Faith Center.
The name of the space pays homage to the previous venue– a former church. But music is also the “sanctuary” of owners Matt and Nikki Ray, according to their interview in the Tuscaloosa News.
The Rays designed the interior of Sanctuary to reflect the character of a house of worship. Massive wooden doors etched with crosses lead into the dining area, and some of the booths resemble church pews. Live music usually starts on Fridays with a lineup of both local and touring acts. Earlier this year, a crew of all-star clinicians and students from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz graced the Sanctuary stage as part of their February peer to peer tour in Alabama.
Brandy glided through classics like “Full Moon” and “I Wanna Be Down” while Monica had the arena vibing to favorites including “So Gone” and “Like This and Like That”. They moved through multiple sets each taking the stage as the other one exited, keeping the energy seamless and dynamic.
