Jazz in Nice
Home of the Nice Jazz Festival, Nice is a town that knows how to swing, from the most established jazz club to the tiniest hole-in-the-wall…
Nice Jazz Clubs
Le Shapko, just off Place Rossetti in Old Nice, has live jazz/blues/funk every night of the week. Originally opened by Russian sax-man Dimitri Shapko, Michel Palagonia has been at the helm for over a decade, showcasing a rotating roster of local stars, and nurturing emerging talent. And with no cover charge, Shapko is really the hub for musicians in Nice. The bands are supposed to start playing at 10:30pm (9:30pm on Sundays), but in actuality they usually start 30 minutes late (musicians!), but by the end of the night local musicians are streaming in the door for the late-night jam sessions that have make Shapko a magnet for the local music scene. 5 rue Rossetti, Tram stop Cathédrale.
Bistrot Rossetti is the latest and greatest addition to the Old Town music vibe, just down the street from Shapko, and features nightly live jazz/blues/samba etc., at a much more reasonable hour! From 7:30pm-10pm in the winter, and 8:30pm-11pm in the summer, this is a great place to listen to quality jazz and still be able to get up for work the next day. No cover charge, lovely terrace, open every night but Tuesday. 5 rue Rossetti, Tram stop Cathédrale.
Chez Manu at Cave Romagnan is an acquired taste: a hole-in-the-wall bar near the train station with a grizzled clientele by day… that turns into an eclectic jazz club from 7-10pm on Saturday nights. The bar’s long time owner, Manu, loves jazz and doesn’t hesitate to book bands in that take up half his tiny floor space, but the fiercely loyal regulars don’t mind, they just crowd in and spill out to the sidewalk. To say the decor is unpretentious is an understatement, but the drinks are cheap, the music amazing, and the locals colorful… so who cares? No cover charge. 22 rue d’Angleterre, tram stop Gare Thiers or Jean Médecin. Join their Facebook group to get the most up-to-date schedule.
Galerie Depardieu A hip New York loft-style art gallery by day, but by night, a couple of times a month, they turn into Nice’s coolest pop-up jazz club (check their website for the schedule) . 12-15€ cover charge for non-members, but join the club and then it’s just 8-10€. 6 rue du Docteur Jacques Guidoni, behind Galeries Lafayette, tram stop Opera or Massena.
In the off-season (Sept-May) Nomad Bar is a low-key local hang-out with a fantastic manouche/jazz guitar duo (sometimes trio) on the terrace on Tuesdays from 5:30pm until 8ish. They have a great happy hour deal for drinks and also provide a little plate of nibbles. 3 rue de Place Saint-Francois, tram stop Cathedrale.
Le Ketje is a fun little hole-in-the-wall type hangout deep behind the Port with a local clientele, cheap drinks and live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Blues, Jazz, Folk, World, Ska… check their Facebook page to see what’s coming up. No cover charge. 15 rue Auguste Gal, Tram stop Port Lympia.
Café Noir, just behind the Apollo Fountain at Place Massena, features live jazz on Thursdays from 7pm. It gets kind of raucous and has developed quite a following. 1 Rue Jacques Medecin, tram stop Massena.
Here’s a page with good spots for Late Night Dining after the concert.
Summer nights
Café du Palais in Old Nice features live jazz nightly on the terrace from spring through early autumn. Their house band is The Boogiemen, heavy on the old standards, but it makes for a very pleasant drink before dinner. Timing varies with the length of the days, but it’s an after-work kind of thing until the sun goes down. 1 Place Palais du Justice, tram stop Opera.
On summer Thursday nights from 8pm, just as the sun goes behind the Chateau, there are free Jazz concerts on the far side of the Nice port in conjunction with the Jazz’Art Lympia concert series Tram stop Port.
Jazz just up the coast…
In the next village of Villefranche-sur-mer, La Trinquette Jazz Club hosts high quality jazz groups on Friday, and Saturday nights in winter, and Thurs-Sunday in summer… click the link above for this month’s schedule. The music starts at 9pm (8pm on Sunday) and the 18€ cover charge goes to the musicians. 30 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, right on the Port de la Darse.
Monaco has a seaside jazz club, La Note Bleue that hosts super concerts on Fridays and Saturdays in the warmer months. Av. Princesse Grace, in the Lavroto seaside restaurant complex. During the winter, don’t miss the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival, held at the opulent Opera House, late November.
Concerts Schedules
Born out of the Nice Jazz Festival, Nice Music Live brings in top jazz musicians for shows at various concert halls around town, including the open-air Theatre de Verdure across from the seaside (tram stop Massena), the Black Box just across from tram stop Point Michel, StockFish at the Vauban tram stop, and others. Check out their monthly roster of concerts, which range from legends to up-and-comers.
To stay up to date on all concerts and who’s playing where, pick up the monthly La Strada, or the quarterly Le Jazzophone, which has the added bonus of an up-to-date online listing of all the upcoming concerts, gigs and happenings around Nice and the Cote d’Azur.
By the way, the jazz radio station in Nice is TSF Jazz at 98.1, but FIP from Paris is my favorite with an eclectic mix during the day and jazz every night, but it’s only available on the web or as a free app.
Jazz Art: Check out the highly original photopeintures© by Lio Fantini based on local musicians in some of the jazz venues mentioned above. His gallery is La Galerie Numérique in Mougins Village.
- Back up to Nice by Night page
Photo credits: Denia Ridley at Shapko by Gianni Sacco, Cave Romagnan and Nomad by Alain Morana Best of Nice, and ‘Bop 1’ photopeinture© courtesy of Lio Fantini.