In CL’s 2019 music issue, Tampa Bay jazz giants Mike Cornette and Bob Seymour offered a seven-day guide to seeing live jazz in Tampa Bay. While there may not be one dedicated jazz club in the Bay area, there are plenty of places to see it live. We’ve arranged the venues by their reliability as a place that books jazz on regular to semi-regular basis. Click the venue name to check out its website or get more information.

Palladium Theater 253 5th Ave. N., St. Petersburg This venues books jazz 1-3 times a week, mostly in its intimate Side Door Cabaret. Photo by Kevin Tighe
The Hideaway Café 1756 Central Ave., St. Petersburg St. Petersburg’s best listening room has live music all week and regularly hosts jazz. Photo by Jane Drooger
Donatello Italian Restaurant 232 N. Dale Mabry HWY, Tampa Home of Tampa Bay jazz matriarch Kitty Daniels who plays here 2-3 times a week. DonatelloItalianRestaurant/Facebook
The Hangar 540 1st St. S. St. Petersburg This second story venue has airport views and is home to the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association’s Monday night jam, which regularly features Tampa Bay’s best young talent. AlDowningJazz/Facebook
Independent Bar & Café 5016 N. Florida Ave., Tampa Tampa’s Independent Bar & Café has been hosting a Saturday jazz monthly since 2010. It is a can’t-miss. Photo by Bay Media
Independent Bar 1049 Central Ave., St. Petersburg A Sunday jam from trumpeter James Suggs is starting to become a sure thing for jazz fans. IndependentBarStPete/Facebook
Studio@620 620 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg Bob Devin Jones’ creatives haven has been booking more jazz concerts as of late. Check the website for details. Photo by Marlo Miller
Mandarin Hide 231 Central Ave. N., St. Petersburg A trailblazer in St. Petersburg’s craft cocktail scene, the Mandarin Hide is also home to a Wednesday night residency with guitarist Nate Najar. TheMandarinHide/Facebook
Mandarin Heights 5901 N. Florida Ave., Tampa A newcomer to Seminole Heights, Mandarin Hide’s sister Tampa restaurant is home to a Wednesday night residency with trumpeter Jackson Harpe. mandarinheights/Facebook
Timpano Italian Chophouse 1610 W. Swann Ave., Tampa Acme Jazz Garage plays at this Old Hyde Park staple every Thursday and Friday. AcmeJazzGarage/Facebook
Alfano’s Restaurant 1702 Clearwater Largo Rd. N., Clearwater Bob Seymour recommends a Friday trip to Alfano’s in Clearwater for a set from Karen Benjay (pro tip: Benjay is back at the Alfano’s Splendido Lounge on Saturday anyway). alfanosrestaurant/Facebook
Positano’s Ristorante 3309 Tampa Rd., Palm Harbor Mike Cornette suggests spending Friday with Interplay at Positano’s in Palm Harbor. Positanos/Facebook
Columbia Restaurant 2117 E. 7th Ave., Ybor City Famous for its flamenco show, the Columbia restaurant’s Ybor tapas bar also hosts the Dick Rivers Band in the Columbia Café dining room every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Courtesy of Columbia Restaurant
Carrollwood Cultural Center 4537 Lowell Rd., Tampa In the ‘burbs is where Jim Burge hosts regular jazz concerts. This is a great place to catch Dick Rumore’s Jazz Cellar Big Band. carrollwoodculturalcenter/Facebook
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood 4400 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa Booked by Mark Neuenschwander — a longtime jazz bass professor at USF and a first-call upright bass player around the area. Tuesday’s are recommended, but the place has live jazz every night. EddieVsPrimeSeafood/Facebook
The Horse & Jockey 1155 Pasadena Ave. S., South Pasadena An off the beaten path venue that guitarist Nate Najar has called one of his favorite gigs. Handjpub/Facebook
CW’s Gin Joint 633 N. Franklin St., Tampa Next door to downtown Tampa’s majestic Vault event space, CW’s offer’s jazz on many nights of the week. Call (813) 816-1446 to see who’s on. cwginjoint/Facebook
Lakeland Loft 108 S. Tennessee Ave., Lakeland The Loft features live jazz Thursday through Saturday, while Aaron Corbitt’s portraits of jazz greats such as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie line walls and serve as inspiration. Among the more renowned musicians to have taken the floor at the Loft has been pianist-keyboardist Jeff Phillips, who plays at Walt Disney World and jazz festivals around the United States; John Cortese, a respected guitarist based central Florida who plays New York City jazz clubs; and Manny Patino, a bass player that who has performed with jazz great Arturo Sandoval. — Paul Catala Courtesy of Soloman Wassef
Ruby’s Elixir 15 3rd St. N., St. Petersburg A true gem of the downtown St. Petersburg live music scene, residencies from Shawn Brown (pictured) and Hiram Hazley are the best bet for jazz fans. rubyslive/Facebook
The Chattaway 358 22nd Ave. S., St. Petersburg Sundays are for jazz at this quaint, long-running St. Pete staple. The second half of a perfect jazz afternoon that starts with the Independent Bar in the EDGE District. Cash only here. thechattaway/Facebook
Hideaway Pizza Pub 3901 6th St S., St Petersburg Hiram Hazley’s Tuesday night jam is the move if jazz fans want to visit this quirky St. Pete spot. Photo via Google Earth
Blue Parrott 85 Corey Cir., St. Pete Beach Our sources recommend this St. Pete Beach spot as a Monday night alternative to the Al Downing Jazz jam at The Hangar. Photo via Google Earth
University of South Florida School of Music Concert Hall 3755 USF Holly Dr., Tampa A 483-seat hall that’s home to USF’s many music programs and the Monday Night Jazz series. Photo courtesy of USF
Hillsborough Community College Mainstage Theatre 1411 E 11th Ave., Ybor City Utilized regularly by the Tampa Jazz Club, HCC Ybor’s Mainstage Theatre provides an alternative performing arts center. HCC Mainstage Theatre/Facebook
Jazz House Supper Club 9331 E Adamo Dr., Tampa Formerly on Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, this club is now in Brandon and plays home to the Beat Down Band and DJ Sandman. djsandman813/Instagram
Dunedin Brewery 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin Regularly home to jam bands and hip-hop, Dunedin Brewery also hosts bands that occupy the fringes of jazz (think Snarky Puppy, anything GroundUP-related) Photo by Marlo MIller
Fenway Hotel 453 Edgewater Dr., Dunedin A new addition to Dunedin, and the Tampa Bay jazz scene in general. It’s going hard by staging a summer jazz series in 2019. fenwayhotel/Facebook
Mattison’s City Grille 1 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota Tampa Bay jazz should include Sarasota, and a Sunday trip to see Debbie Keaton is the move if you’re trying to check Mattison’s out. mattisons/Facebook
Zydeco Brew Werks 1902 E. 7th Ave., Ybor City A regular stomping grounds for a few jazz acts including vintage jazz outfit Gloria West & the Gents. The beer, shrimp & grits and muffaletta are all fucking fantastic, too. Zydecobrewwerks/Facebook
The Blue Note 1510 N. Nebraska Ave.,Tampa Named for the famed jazz label, this small, just-out-of-Ybor venue typically hosts jazz on Wednesday nights. Photo by Jayne Drooger
Firehouse Cultural Center 101 1st Ave. NE., Ruskin It’s way out there, but Firehouse does a good job of bringing jazz to its neighbors. FirehouseCulturalCenter/Facebook
David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts 1010 N. Macinnes Pl., Tampa Home to the Patel Conservatory, which includes a jazz intensive taught by saxophonist Matthew Weimuller. Revered jazz vocalist Fred Johnson is the artist-in-residence at this multi-hall venue, too. StrazCenter/Facebook
Ruth Eckerd Hall and Bilheimer Capitol Theatre 1111 McMullen Booth Rd. and 405 Cleveland St. Like Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, these large and large-ish Clearwater venues occasionally book a big name in jazz (ie: Herbie Hancock, who played Ruth Eckerd Hall in February). Photo by Phil DeSimone
Mahaffey Theater 400 1st St S., St. Petersburg Like Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater this large Pinellas venue occasionally books a big name in jazz. The Hangar, however, is across the street and hosts a Monday night jam. Photo by Marlo Miller
St. Petersburg College Music Hall 6605 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg St. Petersburg College’s Music and Recording Arts program means there’s always music on campus somewhere. It lands in the music call quite often. Shit, one time we saw Chick Corea, Dave Pattitucci and Dave Weckl do a live recording of two “rehearsals” there. Photo by Chris Rodriguez
The Sacred Pepper 15405 N. Dale Mabry HWY., Tampa Out in the north Tampa burbs, this swanky spot is home to a Friday residency with pianist and singer Allon Sams (pictured). sacredpepper/Facebook
The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing 1901 N. 15th St., Ybor City Most definitely the best listening room in Ybor City, this is a perfect venue for jazz (save for the fact that you can’t get a grand piano up there). Jazz bookings, however, are sparse here, so relish the opportunity when it comes (like it did in summer 2018 when John Pizzarelli Duo played there). Photo by Anthony Martino
Credit: Photo by Brian Mahar
Intermezzo 1111 Central Ave., St. Petersburg Tampa Bay jazz greats Nate Najar and James Suggs joined D.C. bassist Tommy Cecil at Intermezzo coffee, cocktail and oyster shop in November 2018, but we’d call before heading there looking for jazz. VSPC/Instagram