Jazz At Pearl’s

Is this place closed?
It’s a nice spot. Swankier than most jazz clubs I’ve been to. It’s also a bit pricier. We paid $ 25 to get in, plus you have to buy 2 drinks. And their drinks are very pricey! There were 4 of us and the total bill was around $ 220 (admission and 2 drinks per person).
The music was great and I like the fact that it’s more intimate than Jazz clubs in Chicago. You can see the stage well as all seats were close to the stage. It’s a romantic and upscale spot with great atmosphere. I would go more frequently if the drinks were more reasonable…

Decent place to see some great jazz. Make sure you read ALL of the rules regarding tickets, where to line up, etc. I think it was easier to get a driver’s license than get into this place. Still, once you’re inside the music is pretty bumpin.
You might also want to check GoldStar Events for discounted tix here, they’re often available.

Hubby and I went last night for Kim Nalley’s tribute to Nina Simone. The show was great, but let me comment on the venue itself. We bought tickets on Goldstar, so the tickets were half-​off, which was a good deal. It is right in North Beach, so beware of difficulty finding parking. There were a lot of rules that freaked us out about arriving 10 minutes before the curtain otherwise they would give away our seats and the two drink minimum that others have mentioned. I think those are the major turn-​offs. The drinks are also very, very expensive. We both got virgin «cocktails» which amounted to 2 cherry coke and 2 cherry sprite and it totaled to $ 30.
The tables are close together, but you got a good view wherever you sat. It’s small and intimate, perfect for a romantic evening of wonderful jazz. The service is neither friendly nor unfriendly, just fine. Overall, it’s pretty good with a few setbacks.

Cozy lil’ club at the crossroads of North Beach, FiDi and Chinatown.
They were just about to close at the end of this month, but the Owner/​Chanteuse, Kim Nalley announced at last night’s show that she got a reprieve on their lease, so hopefully they’ll stay open for a long while (but you never know, so go while you can).
Set against the backdrop of the City’s night beat, Kim Nalley’s rich and sassy voice transports you to another world ~ definitely go see her. She said that she’ll be performing on Tuesdays in May.
Can be kinda pricey with the cover charge and 2 drink minimum, but understandable so they can keep the joint afloat.
PS: They have a small dance floor in the back, near the bar.

So I’m going to seperate the act I saw (Lavay Smith) from the venue itself. Pearl’s is a nice little intimate club wedged in along Columbus near Broadway, right along the sidewalk so that the adventurous tourists can gawk into the windows and see the act — thereafter they surely kick themselves and ask why they don’t live in San Francisco so they can come to cool little venues like Pearl’s.
The pluses: intimate, low-​key, VERY stiff drinks (the Manhattans might have as well been called Pan-​Galactic Gargle Blasters!), playful bartender (at least the one I dealt with), reminiscent of the tiny and smokey jazz clubs of old (sans the smoke). We couldn’t have been more than 20 feet from the band and Lavay, which made it feel like they came over to my place and performed in my living room — it was pretty cool. The acoustics were good.
The cons: the chairs aren’t terribly comfortable, the table service was dog slow (I ended up going to the bar to get a glass of water), the food was pretty paltry and drinks over priced. However, considering the low cost of admission, it’s understandable they’d want to make up for that with pricier drinks — if the drinks hadn’t been so strong, I’d ding them for the prices, but just be ready for $ 10 and $ 12 cocktails. Seriously, stick with the cheese plate if you’re looking for something to nibble on, and skip the garlic shrimp completely — I kid you not, it was $ 12 for FOUR regular sized shrimp. FOUR. That’s $ 2.50 per shrimp. Not even jumbo shrimp. Just regular tiny shrimp. So eat before you go in (or after) and save some coin.
Overall, I’ll definitely go back when there’s an act there I want to see. It was a fun time, the experience was good, and it’s a nice change to overly-​loud and packed nightclubs when you want a romantic evening out to see a classy act. Pearl’s is a keeper. So long as they work on the table service and food.

**From the Chronicle 4/​3/​08** «Richard Connema was in the audience at Jazz at Pearl’s on Monday when Kim Nalley announced that the club will close at the end of April. She told them that a divorce had made keeping the club a financial impossibility, and she’s going to focus on her singing.»
What a bummer — we’ll miss you guys!
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We went to see Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers this last Friday and it was wonderful. We were seated in the very front row, and I was a little worried abut the acoustics since we were so close, but it worked out just fine. The drinks are super stiff and added to the fun atmosphere. Overall a wonderful evening!
The only real complaint that I have is that the cheese plate was God awful. We couldn’t even identify one of the cheeses. It wasn’t even as good as government cheese — you know, the kind you get on food stamps? It was like an American cheese pretending to be a Cheddar cheese and achieving the flavor of wax instead.
I should have known though. When a menu features mostly fried foods, I know to just stick with the french fries or something easy. So that was partly my fault. I’m totally down to go back again soon though!

Went to see Miss Faye Carol who was absolutely fabulous. Such radiance, energy and soul. I did not want it to be over. It’s a nice intimate venue for some good jazz music.
However, minus one star because drinks are expensive! Fernet shots were 11 dollars each. I think next time I’m going to a get a bottle of wine to share.
Will I come back? Yes. My friend and I are actually going back this Sunday.

I’ve been here twice, once to see Kim Nalley who will not disappoint!
The venue is small, and very intimate. There is a two drink minimum, which racks the bill up pretty high. I opted for a bottle of wine.
Overall, Jazz at Pearl’s is pretty expensive, go once in a while for a treat! Your experience may vary depending on the performer.

I don’t frequent jazz joints often but, this place is a gem. It’s small but, an extremely intimate setting. So romantic and so old school, I love it. Besides cocktails and other alcoholic delights, Jazz at Pearl’s also offers h’or deuvres (nothing like good food, good company and good music).
I’d absolutely recommend Jazz at Pearl’s for a romantic night out or for a ladies’ night out. You don’t have to dress up but, it’s a perfect excuse to throw on that cute lil’ outfit and those even cuter heels. Warning: You won’t get to dance and you won’t leave the venue wondering a) why can’t I hear out of my left ear; b) why the f@#$ couldn’t that a-​hole leave me alone, when does «no» mean «yes»; c) where did I put my jacket; d) where the heck is _​_​_​_​ (insert your drunk friend’s name here); e) who’s driving home. But, that’s the wonderful thing about Jazz at Pearl’s. It’s peaceful, it’s lovely, it’s classy.
No drama. *Sigh* It’ll be a beautiful evening.

Not a bad joint. They are expensive, but you get what you pay for, and I think they know that they have to bilk some tourists out of that traveling money (they’re on Columbus Ave, for Chrissakes).
We went on Valentine’s Day because the girl had wanted to see live jazz in a small, intimate club setting for some time. Well, Pearl’s fit the bill. And what a bill it was. They do have a two drink minimum per person, but that’s OK.
The music was good, the setting was fun, and you know what, sometimes you just gotta pay to play. That’s life.
I read some reviews that were outraged about the credit cards and the ticketing system, but I had no issues. The email I was sent after saving the tickets explained everything, and the bill has the total (drinks and all) ready to be signed off on when you’re ready to leave. Easy as pie. Expensive pie.

I came here the other night. It was rainy and came to support a friend who was performing. Marcus Shelby’s Orchestra. There was at least 20 people who decided to come out in the rain and listen to some jazz in North Beach.
The service was eh…
The food was blah…
The drinks were available
Marcus Shelby’s Orchestra was awesome!
I bet this place was totally jumping, but back in the days. It still a pretty nice looking place and I am sure that they have some great jazz music, but they are missing something. It needs aliitle POW!!!

I came here with a friend last year to listen to a lady covering some jazz standards.
I like the atmosphere of the place and the area around the building for its attempt to give it that authentic «jazz club» feel. For instance, you can look right out of the building from your seats and see lots of neon signs. Further, some gentlemen tried to hustle me into their strip club as I was heading to Pearl’s. Now isn’t that classy?
But as many other Unilocalers have mentioned, the cost of a show here ruins the mood for me. Ticket prices are fine, but the two drink minimum is pretty terrible considering non-​alcoholic drinks are ridiculously expensive here.
The website lists the dress code for men as «business casual.» Most of the crowd seemed to follow that, but I saw several groups wearing jeans and tennis shoes being admitted, which was annoying.

Tati K was on the mark.
Awful tourist trap and musicians deserve so much better, start is for all the amazing performers that put up with this crap.
Visits 1 & 2, Drunks at the bar so loud that you couldn’t hear the music, Larry Vukoviych was playing, staff would not do a thing.
Drunk mother and daughter from NJ gabbing all the way through every set, again staff would do nothing.
Visit 3 tried to kick us out without dessert after spending $ 220.
Visit 4. Spent $ 60 on apps and was drinking soda as I was riding my motorcycle, waiter forced me to pay for drink. 4 drinks — $ 32 and apps $ 60 alone, what a moron.
Never been back avoid at all costs, they don’t deserve to be in business.
Go to Shanghai 1930.

The greatest thing about this club is the music and caliber of performers. Everything else makes you regret you came here.
1.The worst disrespectful to jazz and its’ customers staff. They will «force-​feed» you their two-​drink minimum even if you are in the middle of Louis Armstrong performance, who just came back from the dead to play just for a minute… just for you… Instead, you will hear «What would you like for your second drink?» I don’t mind having 2 drinks, most likely I will even have 3, but this is the JAZZ club after all, so leave me along and let me enjoy my evening.
2.“No credit card issue”. Pretty well-​know jazz club in North Beach, San Francisco… I can understand some of the reasoning, but carrying all that cash on you… no thanks! Maybe it’s time to think about the customer…
3.Very rude and unprofessional management. In the middle of the performance, my «pleasant» waiter managed to spill a vodka drink on my hair, my coat and my jeans. No problem. It happens. BUT what you do about is the question. In my case, I was given two options by the manager — 1. he would give me a lemon to get vodka out of my hair, OR 2. he would give me a soda water for my coat and jeans. Now, I am not sure if it was mutually inclusive or exclusive offer, but forgive me, by that time, I didn’t listen. Needless to say, I would bring my own lemon if I’ll ever get enough courage to go back to this place again.

If you’re like me and want to hear great live jazz any night of the week, then head straight over to Pearl’s. It is without a doubt the finest jazz club in San Francisco, a city that’s hungry for spontaneous creative music but so often lost in a sea of boring electronica.
Pearl’s plays host to talented musicians from both the national and local jazz scenes, and they know how to put on a good show.
I’ve seen some great musicians at Pearl’s, from Red Holloway to John Handy to Marcus Shelby to the saxophone player who made famous the theme from The Pink Panther.
Shows do sell out quickly on the weekends, so it’s a smart move to call ahead to make a reservation if you’re planning to stop in for a show.
Monday and Wednesday nights are home to the killer big bands, so if a lot of bad-​ass brass is your thing, these are your nights.
On Tuesday nights, renowned bassist and composer Marcus Shelby fires up the place with his incredible improvisations, and is usually accompanied by A-​listers in the local jazz scene.
Friendly staff, good drinks, and great music: Props to Jazz at Pearl’s for bringing it all together for jazz lovers to enjoy.

First and foremost they get ten stars for providing a venue for LOCAL jazz musicians to perform. There really are so few places for jazz period, and most are focused on bringing the biggies to town (which I’m not complaining about because we need that too!) So, the locals end up playing restaurants and the like where the patrons are not necessarily there for the music. At Pearl’s they have a real stage, with a real sound system, and all chairs turned toward the musicians, and an audience that is there for the music. That rocks! Well, jazzes, or something like that.
The downside is that while Pearl’s is musician-​friendly, it isn’t entirely patron-​friendly. Buying tickets is this weird ritual of buying by credit card, but paying by cash, and you are given weird times for your window to arrive (7:31 — WTF?) You can get around the money weirdness by buying group tix, which prepays your seats and your drinks on your credit card, although the verbiage on the site makes it unclear whether your card really is being charged or if you should be stocking up on cash to pay when you get there (with group tix you really do pay by credit card ahead of time, as opposed to holding them in the regular process and paying by cash later). So buying tix and getting in is a little odd.
They also make it sound like there is a real risk you won’t be seated together, but I have never had this happen. Maybe they just need to rewrite their site content when they are in a happier mood.
Once inside, the drink list is decent, and the décor OK. The seats are a bit uncomfortable and some are a bit too close to the musicians. But, there is not a single seat from which you won’t see the musicians, and they draw in some incredible local talent. In particular, Marcus Shelby and his varied constellations of musicians (septet, orchestra, etc) are not to be missed!

I love love love this place, and have been going for years. I have never seen a bad show yet. Very small and cozy, good sound– my favorite place next to Yoshi’s for jazz.
Remember: cash only only only– they do have an ATM on site– I saw a reviewer here that actually ran 3 blocks away to get cash and complained about it– they have one on site people… also their web site emphatically states that it is cash only– they are only holding your tickets, and you pay when services are rendered. READ before you complain!
2 drink minimum– they will charge for 2 even if you do not drink two. even if you do not have alcoholic drinks.
Fun because if you are hungry after the show there are late night restaurants up the street on Columbus open for dinner!!!

It is as cool as it looks.

I was here this past weekend for all three 8PM shows of jazz diva, Sony Holland. Of course, I would brave torrential rain or blistering sun to hear the sexy, sultry notes this fabulous woman enchants us with — but, how nice to be able to enjoy her at the amazing new Pearl’s. What a geat experience it was!
They’ve done a nice job of spiffing things up at Pearl’s — cozy, intimate atmosphere (perhaps a bit too cozy for some people but, with Sony’s singing, there was a lot of love going around so no one seemed to mind sitting close!) — there was standing room only for all her performances and when she sang her rendition of «At Last,» there wasn’t a sound in the house but her. The staff were extremely accomodating and friendly — lovely Samantha at the door and Johnny, Fernando and Cristian serving the drinks. As for drinks, they seemed to have a decent bar menu — I liked the mango spanker with Mt. Gay
(my favorite rum from Barbados — ah, what a lovely island that is!)
mango rum and a nice friend shared a good Kenwood cabernet with us.
My only complaint, really, was that the bathroom is downstairs and the stairway wasn’t lit well enough… a bit of a climb for someone with a
handicap. Also, it would be nice if the doors opened right at 7:30 as
specified. It’s chilly in San Francisco to be waiting out front!
Other than that, we San Franciscans are lucky to have such a terrific jazz venue as Pearl’s. I just hope they have Sony Holland back on a regular basis so she doesn’t keep trapsing back to southeast Asia for three months out of every year!

Expensive.
My boyfriend was in town and he LOVES bebop jazz. I mean, we hear a bit of bebop jazz playing out of any window, and he must stop and listen for a minute. So he was excited that I live within walking distance of what could be a fantastic jazz club. We went to see the Tuesday night show featuring wonderfully talented, local bass man Marcus Shelby (this place gets 1 extra star for 2 stars only for the fact that Marcus Shelby is so good), which was advertised for $ 10 a ticket. Not bad at all.
BUT. We «purchased» our tickets online, which is really just a «hold» of the tickets for 4 bucks extra — each. Ok, I’ve paid service charges before, no biggie for the guarantee that we’ll get a seat. So we arrive for the 2^nd set and are seated after a brief wait. After a while all other parties arrive, and more than half of the tables are empty and remain empty for the rest of the set. Hm, could have saved that $ 4 service fee (note for next time, IF there will be a next time). There is a two drink minimum. They will charge an extra $ 8 for the second drink if it is not ordered, which is posted on the menu. Drinks are at least $ 10 each (not sure how much non-​alcoholic drinks cost). Our four drinks cost $ 12 each. I had fairly regular kir liquor and champagne drinks, boyfriend had rum drinks. I would say that at any other bar in town the drinks would be $ 7 – 8 MAX.
Anyway, the 90 minute set ends and we get our bill.
Drinks: $ 48
Show tickets: $ 20
Service charge: $ 8
Tax (on ALL above): $ 6.46
Recommended tips were at 15, 18, and 20%, seemingly calculated by including the cost of the show tickets plus the service charge and lord knows probably the tax too, because the recommended 15% tip was more than I actually left. Although I wanted to put down $ 4, the usual $ 1 per drink, I felt compelled to tip $ 10. (Italian boyfriend: gasps for breath.)
Total entertainment for two on a Tuesday night: $ 92.00
Now, I know jazz clubs are expensive in general, but man, they don’t have to be a rip off. Why in the world would a club charge tax on tickets that had already had a service charge placed on them? Isn’t this some kind of fraud? And recommending a tip amount based on the total cost, not just the drinks/​food? I’m pretty sure I spent about this much the last time I went to a show at Yoshi’s to see a wonderful jazz singer who rarely gets on stage anymore (he is in his 80s) and that included delicious bites of sushi, too.
It is no wonder that people have labeled jazz as elitist «high brow» culture and no wonder that more people don’t attend jazz shows to see local bands, but rather wait for big-​name stars to play. Shame that a club within walking distance of my flat is going to be walked on by the next time my jazz-​loving boyfriend visits.