It’s 10:30 p.m. and a pianist is working on a number with the other members of the quartet playing at Catalina’s Bar and Grill. It’s a mixed audience here. Some drink cocktails and converse with their neighbors, while others lounge quietly at the bar, tapping their feet. As one of the major lifelines of LA’s jazz scene, Catalina’s has a famed history in Los Angeles, mostly in the form of jazz legends like Dizzie Gillespie and Herbie Hancock. But more importantly, it represents LA jazz itself — dynamic, vibrant and inexplicably cool (see our LA jazz guide)
Since Benny Goodman and his big band came to Los Angeles in 1935, LA has officially been a historic jazz city. After all, this is where musicians come to follow their dreams. Take a look at the number of recording studios, agents, concerts — even the sheer following of music lovers — and you’ll see why LA offers some of the best jazz in the country. “I believe the musicianship is as high as it is in New York or Chicago,” says Scott Yanow, jazz journalist and critic. “It’s a pretty healthy city as far as jazz goes.”
Add to the mix a strong dose of diversity and you get the personality of jazz in LA. “Jazz is self-expression and individuality,” says Yanow. “The best musicians…know the rules of the music but they’re able to express themselves by bending the rules or changing them.” The jazz artists here — simply put — reflect the best aspects of LA, putting out music that matches the diversity of the city. Bebop, Latin, fusion, blues—it’s the best of all backgrounds, perfect for a city with so much diversity.
But musicians need a place to play, a fact that points to the last ingredient in LA’s bubbling jazz scene: venues. “There are a lot of clubs opening up all the time,” says “Flip” Manne, president of the Los Angeles Jazz Society. Places like Catalina’s, Jazz Bakery, Spazio, Vibrato Grill Jazz, the Baked Potato, and Charlie O’s have provided a breeding ground for superb jazz artists, as well as renowned big bands like the Clayton-Hamilton Big Band. Festivals, too, contribute to the jazz buzz. LA’s biggest, the Playboy Jazz Festival, lets aficionados mix with novice enthusiasts — but more importantly, it dishes out incredible jazz. People are inevitably attracted by what they hear. According to Yanow, “that often inspires people to go visit the clubs.”
Today, LA’s jazz scene is healthy enough to continue growing, especially when clubs and organizations like the LA Jazz Society are supporting enthusiastic youths. “We try to create new audiences with our Jazz in Schools programs,” Manne says, “and help young musicians with our Jazz Mentorship program.” Jazz Bakery offers half-price student tickets, while Catalina’s hosts “The Young Artist Jazz Series.” Although the jazz scene in LA is always changing, it will always be as lively as the music that’s created.
