Jazz it up
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Da Ninni
For lovers of all things jazz, this landmark venue in the Born has to be top of the list. Like all the best bars, it would be easy to miss Little Italy. Playing live music every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 9pm, it started out as an Italian restaurant, opened in 1988 by Vicente Gómez. Gómez realised art galleries in the area were open until late in the evening, so decided to start putting on monthly dinner concerts. Due to popular demand, these evenings soon turned into much-loved weekly events and have hosted some of the city’s best jazz performers. With the Italian cuisine as reliable as the acoustic performances, the setup “allows you to have a conversation at your table without having to shout,” Gómez explained. Without a pizza in sight, the menu is sophisticated and there's also a great range of cocktails and wines.
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Jamboree Jazz Club
Few venues boast a CV quite like that of Jamboree. For half a century, it has held two performances a day, 365 days a year. The club was born in the early Sixties as a jazz cellar and quickly became influential on Barcelona’s jazz scene, attracting the likes of Bill Coleman, Kenny Drew, Chet Baker, Lou Bennet and Ornette Coleman. Every night, Jamboree hosts jazz, Latin and blues gigs by mostly Spanish artists. The popular Monday night WTF Jam Sessions are not to be missed and pull in a lively younger crowd. “Musicians who study in Barcelona know their goal: to play at Jamboree,” said Alfons Carrascosa, saxophonist and conductor of the Big Acoustic Band, a resident jazz band at Jamboree.
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Café Vienés
If you want to feel like you’re starring in your very own high-budget film noir, then make a date with Café Vienés at the Hotel Casa Fuster. On Thursday nights, classy soirées present a soundtrack of classical jazz and swing played by top musicians—Woody Allen, Eddy Davis and the Yoshida Brothers have all graced the stage here. The interior of this Modernista building, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, lends itself beautifully to the occasion. Swanky and opulent, the Twenties decor provides the perfect backdrop to an evening of jazz.
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Harlem Jazz Club
This is the one everyone has heard of, and for good reason. A stalwart of the city’s musical history and identity, Harlem features an eclectic live music programme of top local talent showing off their jazz, blues, funk and swing styles nearly every night of the week. It may not be the oldest music venue in the city, but it's certainly one of the most prolific. Known for its alluring low lighting, reasonably priced drinks and welcoming atmosphere, the legendary club in the Gothic Quarter has hosted many a future jazz star in their formative years. Singer and composer Hernán Senra, known as ‘El Chino’, leads a blues and early jazz session every Tuesday, attracting audiences from far and wide—Rod Deville plays the double bass, with Giggs Nother on the drums, alongside ‘El Chino’ on electric guitar. Night owls can stick around after the jazz is over for late-night DJ sets that never fail to get the crowd going.
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JazzSí
Part of the Tallers de Músics music school, JazzSí Club in the Raval is an intimate addition to Barcelona’s jazz venues. For the last 25 years, it has provided up-and-coming artists and young musicians with a space to share their talent with the world. The understated club has amassed some impressive statistics with its daily programme of live jazz and flamenco: 648,000 spectators, 7,200 concerts and 36,000 musicians over a quarter of a century. Not to be missed are the jam sessions every Wednesday starting at 7.45pm, and their popular flamenco nights on Fridays and Saturdays from 8.45pm onwards.