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San Francisco: live jazz and blues
The home of singers from John Lee Hooker to Bonnie Raitt, and famous in the sixties for its eclectic and constantly progressive live music scene, opportunities for catching some live jazz and blues in San Francisco are extensive. Jazz and blues are not just confined to the city proper: the East Bay in particular has some great jazz, blues, hip-hop and funk bands both established and upcoming. Here are three of the top picks.
Annual Blues Festival
Running for three days each September at Fort Mason in the City’s Marina District, this is the longest continuously running blues festival in the United States. Not just an invaluable chance to see legends like Etta James, Carlos Santana and Little Richard, the spot – Great Meadow – provides one of the best views of San Francisco bay in the city, and is framed by the stunning Golden Gate Bridge. The entrance to the event is situated at the junction between Marina Bowl and Laguna Street. Be sure to buy your tickets in advance: at $35, they are five dollars cheaper than tickets bought at the gate.
Purple Onion
A cellar club in the North Beach area of San Francisco at 140 Columbus Avenue between Jackson and Pacific, this intimate, eighty-person setting was a popular influence in local music and entertainment during the Beat era in the sixties. The club has hosted the likes of Woody Allen, Maya Angelou and the Smother Brothers, along with comedians such as Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, transforming Purple Onion into not only a jazz and blues bar but also a cutting edge venue for stand-up comedy. Voted the best comedy club in San Francisco in 2007, this really is a must-see.
Tonga Room
This restaurant, cocktail bar and jazz arena in Mason Street at the Fairmont Hotel takes tacky glamour to new extremes, decorated with thatched roofs, acres of plastic orchids and with a huge water lagoon in the centre of the restaurant. The Tonga Room has live music at 8pm every night, and bands play from a stage that floats out into the middle of the room and back to the shore of the lagoon during the breaks. There is even rain-fall that descends vertically from the ceiling; just be sure to remain firmly in the seating area to avoid becoming the wet-butt of the audience’s jokes.
Some of the best deals on cheap flights can be found at places like Last Minute.com, who offer flights and hotels to the states. At the time of writing, Last Minute offered return flights to Chicago for £671.38, subject to availability.
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