... One of the reasons that we went was to go to one of the oldest and most famous jazz cafe's in Europe, the Alto Jazz Cafe. Free to get in (a rarity in Amsterdam) and open most nights (not Mondays).
The cafe is situated right in the heart of the restuarant and club district of Amsterdam and ... Read review
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Advantages: Fantastic music and atmosphere. Disadvantages: Smokey and packed.
...jazz cafe's in Europe, the Alto Jazz Cafe. Free to get in (a rarity in Amsterdam) and open most nights (not Mondays).
The cafe is situated right in the heart of the restuarant and club district of Amsterdam and is easily acessible by foot or public transport, driving there is not so easy. The address and telephone number are:
Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 115 Amsterdam Nederland
Telefoon: 020 6263249
The club ... ...at 9pm otherwise the likeliehood of getting a seat is remote. There is always at least one live band playing and on many evenings more than one. The resident saxophonist is Hans Dolpher, and whilst many of you may not of heard of him, you may have heard of his daughter, Candy Dolpher, who plays with Prince.
The Venue itself:
Dingy, and smokey would be a good start. There has not been a lick of paint there for some years. The ... more
As some of you may have seen from some of my previous reviews, my wife and I spent christmas last in Amsterdam. One of the reasons that we went was to go to one of the oldest and most famous jazz cafe's in Europe, the Alto Jazz Cafe. Free to get in (a rarity in Amsterdam) and open most nights (not Mondays).
The cafe is situated right in the heart of the restuarant and club district of Amsterdam and is easily acessible by foot or public transport, driving there is not so easy. The address and telephone number are: Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 115 Amsterdam Nederland Telefoon: 020 6263249
The club opens at 9pm and my advice is to be there at 9pm otherwise the likeliehood of getting a seat is remote. There is always at least one live band playing and on many evenings more than one. The resident saxophonist is Hans Dolpher, and whilst many of you may not of heard of him, you may have heard of his daughter, Candy Dolpher, who plays with Prince.
The Venue itself: Dingy, and smokey would be a good start. There has not been a lick of paint there for some years. The ceilings and walls are dominated by old jazz posters, and record sleeves, with photo's and memorabilia sacttered throughout. The venue is long and thin, the bottom half where the bar is has standing room and a few bar stools and is maybe 15-20 metres long, then you go up a step to the stage/seating area where there are maybe seats fo about 40 folk, against the wall and around small round tables. The stage is one of the smallest I have ever seen and getting close to the music is an understatement.
There is no smoking ban in the Netherlands and I found this quite challenging, as after a few hours my eyes were streaming with the smoke. This was helped by the copious amounts of alcohol that I consumed in the 5 hours that I was there, at very resonable prices, and the waitress/waiter comes to you, though you have to be quite bold and loud to attract their attention, Baileys and ice is the order of the day.
The Music: Jazz, jazz, and jazz. We went on Boxing day and saw a three piece outfit of Double bass (or as they called it 'contrabass'), Piano and Drums, they played 4 sets with drink breaks, and were fantastic, I have rarley seen such energy. They played some 'standards' but more interestingly they improvised a lot and just 'jammed', I was in awe, and in heaven, it was truly fantastic.
The atmosphere: True jazz lovers abound, every solo, every song got huge applause and the audience know their stuff, no polite aplause here, whooping, screaming and table thumping not only allowed but encouraged. All ages from about 18 upwards were present and there were quite 'cool' clientele (sunglasses indoors, yuk), bohemian types and a few 'anoraks', great, mixed crowd. Crowd is the operative word as I have to say, I don't think i have ever seen so many people in such a small place, yet the atmosphere was very, very friendly, people happily moving so one could get upstairs to the loo for instance. Being Amsterdam, one has to say, tobacco was not the only smoke that was circulating and it was quite easy to get stoned without smoking anything itself.
So, in conclusion, if you love jazz, this is the place to go on an Amsterdam trip, and even if you don't love jazz it's well worth a visit. I loved it, my wife loved it and we will be going back, what a great way to have spent Boxing day evening, beats watching repeats on TV, lol.
Website address below:
http://www.jazz-cafe-alto.nl/Engels.htm
I have had to put 'terrible' against standard of menu as there was not actually food served on this evening and I understand that they no longer do serve food, though that may change.
Advantages: jazz all week long Disadvantages: expensive booz
Alto is the only cafe in Amsterdam that programs jazz every night of the week. It features the creme the la creme of the local jazz scene.
Lying in the centre of town near de the famous Leidse Plein it invariably draws the attention not only of the local jazz-fans but also of their counterparts from all over the world.
The establishment is a so-called 'pijpenla', a cosy long and narrow cafe, so typical of many of Amsterdams cafe's and bars.
Disadvantage ... ...coffee!)
and they are rather expensive (a simple beer costs 4,50 guilders). The concerts, however, are free of charge.
Concerts start at 21.00 and proceed till about 2.30 in the morning.
The establisment is easily recognizable by the large altosax (hence it's name) at the front of the building.
So be there if you like jazz and you're in town! ...
milko 31.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alto
Advantages: Excellent Jazz, every night, in easy going atmosphere Disadvantages: Very smokey (if you are a non smoker)
Excellent programming in very small bar creates an intimate but easy going atmosphere.
Very cheap compared to similar places in other major world cities and often better Jazz: No entrance fee. Drinks are a bit more expensive then other bars in Amsterdam but no more then 30- 40 %.
Located centrally near the Leidseplein and open after most other bars close this is very good spot to get your last night caps and drift away on the tunes.
It is often ... ...the ideal spot to get warm again.
The audiance is a mix of hard core jazz lovers and regulars and open minded passers-by, creating an interesting and never boring mix of people.
Due to the shape of the place, long and narrow, you can set your own volume by sitting closer to the little stage or further away.
Also due to the shape and the type of audiance it is quit smokey. You love it or you hate it but it comes with the territory. ...
FF246 22.12.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Alto
Advantages: trendy and mixed crowd Disadvantages: small and crowded
The Bairro Alto is definitely the area in Lisbon with the largest number of bars and clubs per square meter. Its narrow cobblestone streets are somewhat quiet during the day, with only a few trendy shops and typical restaurants open, but when it comes to nightlife it really comes to life!
The street are almost always crowded with people wandering from bar to bar, especially at weekends (obviously) but also throughout the week. The centre of all this bustle is constantly changing, but there's always a hotspot that serves as meeting point for all the locals, and I'd say at the moment the "Clube da Esquina" (or "Corner Club") is exactly that.
There you can find a mixed crowd of people of every nationality, race, social status or sexual preference cohabiting in harmony (aaaaaaahhh...). Of course a couple of drinks probably help, but it ...
Advantages: The food, the premises, the relation quality/price Disadvantages: none
We went to this discreet restaurant with terrace, taken by friends of Lisbon and? that differentiates!
We ate in several restaurants in the previous days, some of them also in "baixa de Lisboa" and in "bairro alto"? we were disillusioned with the portuguese gastronomy?
But the restaurant Nilo, located in the charmer "baixa of Lisbon" , near the beautiful "Rossio" and "Praça da Figueira", in a street with more than 20 restaurants, is differentiated clearly of the others for having delicious Portuguese typical food with fresh and quality products to prices very in account, with an honest and effective service. They have delightful portuguese food from all regions of Portugal: codfish, Algarve´s style fried pork meat with shrimps, veal filets with Oporto wine, grilled fresh fish and beefsteaks.
And very important!!! It is ...
Advantages: stunning location, interesting people Disadvantages: Car fumes and general pollution
La Paz is famously located at 3660 metres above sea-level and is the highest capital city in the world (that even beats Lhasa, Tibet!). Furthermore, it's setting in a crater makes this one of the most impressive cities in the world to bus into- as you pass out of El Alto the road suddenly drops down from the altiplano and there are stunning views over the whole city as the bus winds down the side of the canyon before finally descending into the chaos and bustle of this fascinating city.
The best way to see La Paz is just to wander around the centre and explore for yourself. The markets are colourful, hectic and give a good slice of this largely indigenous city. In particular el mercado de los brujos, or the witches' market is chaotic and fascinating-you can buy anything from tourist souvenirs, fake DVDs to local charms such as a llama ...
flyingllamas 08.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of La Paz
