Ever since the Gold Rush era, when rowdy miners flocked to a burgeoning array of opera houses, San Francisco has been a hot spot for music lovers. In the 1940s and ’50s, the clubs of the Fillmore District were the stomping grounds for major jazz artists, while the 1960s ushered in the psychedelic rock era with local bands like the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead playing to crowds at Fillmore West, Winterland and the Avalon Ballroom.
Today the city still offers plenty of music clubs, many of which are also available for private concerts and special events.
San Francisco’s Fillmore Street, the new home of nightspots such as Yoshi’s San Francisco Jazz Club and Rasselas Jazz Club, is once again a place to enjoy jazz entertainment.
Yoshi’s, located in the Fillmore Heritage Center and consisting of a 417-seat, two-level jazz club and an adjoining 371-seat Japanese restaurant, presents major jazz headliners, as well as entertainers in the genres of world music, blues, neo-soul and Afro-Cuban music. Both the jazz club and Japanese restaurant, which offers four private dining rooms, are available for special events and full buyouts.
The nearby Rasselas Jazz Club, a contemporary-style venue with a fireplace lounge, serves up jazz entertainment and a full menu of Ethiopian dishes. Available for buyouts, Rasselas offers full catering and can accommodate up to 400 people.
Conveniently located in the downtown theater district, Biscuits & Blues is a lively basement venue that presents top blues artists such as John Lee Hooker Jr. and Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers. The venue offers a menu of Southern comfort dishes that include yam fries, catfish, cane-galzed pork chops, fried chicken and, of course, flaky biscuits. Available for private parties, Biscuits & Blues accommodates sit-down dinners with live entertainment as well as receptions for up to 450 people.
The opulent Great American Music Hall, which has presented headliners such as Van Morrison, Santana, Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg, is a downtown venue featuring a wide variety of entertainment. With its tiered balconies and central open floor, the Music Hall is a popular place for events ranging from new product launches to parties with themes that can include Gold Rush/Barbary Coast, 1960s rock and roll, French bistro and Mardi Gras.
Once a prohibition-era speakeasy, Cafe du Nord is located in the landmark 1907 Swedish-American building on upper Market Street and presents music entertainment ranging from cabaret to bluegrass. The club comprises a main showroom with a full stage and state-of-the-art sound system and a lounge with a 40-foot mahogany bar original to the building.
Both the showroom and bar are available for private events, with full catering available. Upstairs from the Cafe du Nord is the Swedish American Hall, which offers a variety of meeting rooms with gabled ceilings and intricate woodwork.
Another of the city’s premier spots for cabaret-style entertainment is the Rrazz Room at the Hotel Nikko in downtown San Francisco. The 190-seat club presents nightly entertainment, with headliners that have included Rita Moreno, Petulia Clark, Lainie Kazan, Paula West, Mary Wilson and Andrea Marcovicchi.
The elegant venue, operated by the same team who managed the recently closed Plush Room at the York Hotel (now the Hotel Vertigo), offers a full cocktail menu along with appetizers such as kobe beef sliders and vegetarian pot stickers.
In Redwood City, the Fox Theater, a 1929 movie palace that has been restored to its former glory, is now a concert venue with sophisticated audiovisual capabilities. With an auditorium and balcony seating 1,460 people, the theater accommodates special events that can include concerts, theatrical performances, meetings and product launches.
For More Info
Biscuits & Blues 415.292.2583 www.biscuitsandblues.com
Cafe du Nord 415.861.5016 www.cafedunord.com
Great American Music Hall 415.202.9812 www.gamh.com
Fox Theater 650.369.4119 www.foxdream.com
Rasselas Jazz Club 415.346.8696 www.rasselasjazzclub.com
Rrazz Room 415.394.1189 www.therrazzroom.com
Yoshi’s San Francisco 415.655.5611 www.yoshis.com
