JAZZ AROUND TOWN

What's the question that I probably hear more than, "How are you doing, Keith?". It's "Where can I go and listen to some good jazz?". Most of the time this question is asked by those new to our area. They've moved here from somewhere and live out in the boonies and after getting settled in their new community, they realize that they don't know much about the cultural landscape.

Well, I thought I'd do something to help with this. Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to visit, photograph and video some of the jazz spots that have been in our area for years. But, there are some new digs in the mix.  I'll be rating these 'jazz stops' on a rating system of:  

(1) Poor, (2) Decent Set, (3) Liked It, (4) Jazzed Up, (5) JazzMaster Set!

 In addition to rating these joints for you, I'm going to share come casual photos and video of the environment and post the photo albums here on UJD and samplings on our extended networks (e.g facebook, new myspace, pinterest and so on). I'm not going to do a big 'production' with the full-camera crews and all. It's just me with my trusty little but powerful 'point and shoot' camera. The videos will be posted on our You Tube channel where you'll get the best highlights version. On UptownJazzDallas.com I'm going to post the full experience and raw clips (uncut). And, judging from some of the early footage, this is going to be nice.

In the end, it's just to help you sort it all out.  Great jazz goes on all the time here in the area. Really, every night of the week in Dallas (and, Ft. Worth). Once you get familiar with these places, go get some. You won't regret it. The people in the jazz community are great conversationalists, ethnically diverse and always fun-loving. 

As I make my 'jazz stops' around town, I'll post the photo albums immediately. The video will come when all is said and done for this little excursion. At least once I've visited the ones I know you need to know about now. They'll all be posted at the same time so you can look at them when you want. In the meantime, I've visited a few places and the slideshows and ratings are up. 

Hope this helps answer the question of "Where can I go and get some jazz, Keith?"

Keep the faith and stay 'jazzed up'

Keith Hill

Uptown Jazz Dallas

Current "Jazz Around Town" visits:

Two Corks and a Bottle - #2 Decent Set

Oak Cliff Cultural Center  Rating #4  - Jazzed Up

The Amsterdam  Rating #5 Jazz Master Set

Sandaga 813 - Rating #5 Jazz Master Set

Eddie V's (Dallas) - Rating #3 Like It