Live Piano Music Venues - Where Are They? ...

I'd like to put together a master list of venues where you can go to hear live piano music (and/or play).

I'll start off with some Piano Bars:

Keys - in Key West, Florida
Rotating live pianist, often down from NY.
Waitstaff sings (they are also often down from NY, usually off-broadway performers).

Don't Tell Mamma - NY
I haven't been to this one, but the folks at Keys spoke highly of it.

Manhattan Inn
A new old-timey piano bar on Manhattan Avenue (in Brooklyn) opened by Brooke Baxter and Rolyn Hu

Hi Frank,

I have been thinking of starting something like this, so I'm glad you did it! It's really important for people (especially musicians) to patronize places that feature live music. Whenever you're visiting a restaurant, hotel, club, bar, whatever, that offers live piano music it is CRUCIAL to compliment management on their music policy. After three and a half decades in the biz I can assure you that this makes a huge difference.

So here are my first entries:

Waldorf Astoria, New York City, Peacock Alley
My pal Emilee Floor plays Tues-Sat from 9-12. She is GREAT. Stop by and tell her I said hello.

Schlosshotel Lerbach, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
A 5-star European castle with a Michelin 3-star restaurant featuring solo piano music (Robin Meloy Goldsby) Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:30 - 8:30. Robin plays in the main hall of the castle, so you can visit for the price of a coffee or a glass of wine.
Sunday lunch with solo piano (Robin Meloy Goldsby) music from 12:30-14:30

Reservations: 49-(0)2206-866513


Additional posts on the way!

Great idea. Once place to go for reference.

Michael's on East - Sarasota, Florida
Great Hall of Fame restaurant with a piano bar in the center.
The regular performer is Joe Micals, originally from NYC area.

If in Sydney on a Thursday night, head to the AB Hotel Glebe. One band per night. Starts approximately 9:20pm.
Jazz fusion might be the best way to capture the diverse range.

If you are in New York City, one of the best places to hear Jazz and great piano play is at Smalls, 183 West 10th Street, they have a website to see talent appearing, www.smallsjazzclub.com

I ran across this list of bars and restaurants with traditional jazz in the SF Bay Area. Not all of it is just piano.

In my neighborhood, the local piano dive is The Alley, 3325 Grand Avenue
(between Elwood Ave & Lake Park Ave)
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 444-8505
Rod Dibble is the pianist. I have never gone there, as bars are not my thing.

My brother plays Dixieland here
http://www.kozlaks.com/

for Sunday brunch, Minneapolis Saint Paul area. I'm not sure what the current instrumentation is, but it's live music, professionally done.

What a Great Idea! I wish there was such a place near me, but I haven't found one.

Here is one I heard about in Seattle, Washington.

Walt Wagner at the Canlis restaurant. Google his name, and lots of hits come up. Try listening to Cry me a River here:

http://www.waltwagner.com/Merchant2...uct_Code=79313&Category_Code=Current

Hop

Lexington, Kentucky has its very own dueling piano bar:

The Penguin Dueling Piano Bar

http://www.penguinpianobar.com/

And according to the website, they have a branch in Columbia, Missouri, too.

Vintage Piano Lounge
110 West Main Street
Turlock, CA 95380

(209) 668-4680

Cleveland
http://www.nighttowncleveland.com/

Bloomington, Indiana, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
http://www.music.indiana.edu/events/
...fyi that many university schoolsofmusic offer wonderful weekly/monthly performances

Denver: El Chapultepec, jazz/blues, close to Coors Field
http://denver.citysearch.com/profile/1823085/denver_co/el_chapultepec.html

San Diego: Croce's, in the Gaslamp District
www.croces.com

Ensenada, Mexico: Bodegan del Artes
http://www.mexicomatters.info/bajagourmet/01_bodegondelarteensenada.php
...if your travel plans include a trip to Ensenada, holler

Grand idea of a post. These cities are where I have lived. Lived for 28 years in Denver before moving to Ensenada in 2006. El Chapultepec is a dive bar, but, serves world class jazz.

Thanks bajadock, nice job on the list.

I hope we can keep this going.

I'm sure there are lots of good places to catch live piano music, we'd like to find them all :-)

Best,

Frank B.
Piano World

OOPS, "Bodegon" is now 3er Piso(third floor) located just south of Cruiseport, 1 block west of Costero, next to Hotel Corona. They moved end of November 2009. Will report on the new venue soon. Should be good with the ocean view.

And add..
La Jolla(north side of San Diego): Clay's has lots of music and an ocean view.
http://www.clayslajolla.com/clays-lajolla.html for the music schedule

Early evenings
Mayflower Renaissance Hotel Lobby
1127 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC

rustyfingers, do tell, was it cocktail style? any singing?

Cocktail style. The pianist is there most evenings that I've been here. Piano only. He was playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow as I sprinted through the lobby for my dinner date tonight.

Will try to have a drink and hang out tomorrow evening.

Here are some pianos I've run into recently!

Pittsburgh: Oxford Center, downtown. Gorgeous Steinway B that is played in the lobby every day at lunch

Duesseldorf Airport: Nice Yamaha grand played every day during cocktail hour

Atlanta Airport: Yamaha grand in the food court. No one was playing it when I passed through, but there was a tuner there working on it, which is a good sign.

Excelsior Hotel, Cologne, Germany, music daily during cocktail hour

Thanks Robin,

I actually stopped and played the Yamaha in the Atlanta airport when we came through there on the way back from the NAMM show.
It's pretty well maintained.

They have a sign that essentially says they would prefer to limit the
playing to people who actually know how to play. They let me play it anyway.

It's now a Kawai RX-2. I played on it last September while waiting for my flight back to USA.

You are talking about the one next to the round coffee bar, right?

I played the Atlanta grand a few years back, before they put up a sign ! It was also before the tuner came. Conveniently located near the bar, it helped pass the time until they could get the plane cranked.

Nordstrom's Department Store, Gardens Mall, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
(ground floor, next to the escalator)

I kid you not

In the far East Bay of the San Francisco area I play piano at Scottie's restaurant every Friday and Saturday from 6:30-8:30. It's transitioning from its old name of Shutters Brasserie, so go to www.shuttersbrasserie.com for more info.

Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Rock Fire Grille has solo piano and dueling on occasion
www.rockfiregrille.com
Mangiamos! Features solo jazz piano
www.thegilmorecollection.com/mangiamoletseat.html

Public libraries are an excellent place to hear piano concerts. I've done a few there myself.

Many, many libraries have a music room or 'community' room where quite often, there is a piano.

There's a really nice Steinway at the Pacific Beach library here in sunny San Diego.

Right up my alley, eweiss—books AND music.

I love that so many of the venues listed here are so unusual.

Glad to hear that! I thought they were getting rid of all of their pianists.

NORDSTROM PIANISTS

Wolfsburg, Germany: The Ritz Carlton at the VW Autostadt. Sunday Brunch. Beautiful Schimmel Grand.

Note: This is a 5 star hotel catering to people picking up their new cars directly from the VW plant. It's a spectacular hotel. I saw two grands in the hotel, but as far as I could tell, only one is being used, and only ONCE a week. The hotel seems to be doing well---it was full on a Monday night in February. Seems a shame to have those gorgeous pianos there with no one playing them.

I remember going to Nordstrom when I visited LA 7 years ago - I knew it was a high-scale department store, but large piano beside the elevator kind of department store? I wish we had those in Canada.

Most 5 star hotels and up scale restaurants in Asia have a piano or piano bar. In Cebu, Philippines I have been to many hotels with a piano in the lobby and for the price of a drink or a cup of coffee you can spend the evening. Here in Thailand most decent hotels have live entertainment and most of it is piano with or without a singer.

The Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, PA has great jazz piano and combos nearly every Friday and Saturday. You have to check their schedule to see who's playing what, but some fine folks have played there. Usually only a $5 cover.

Sarasota Florida Piano Bars ...

New York New York
1934 Hillview Street
Sarasota, FL 34239

First Street Chophouse
1296 First Street, Sarasota.
http://firststreetchophouse.com/default.aspx


2 Marina Plaza
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-365-4232
http://www.marinajacks.com

And in Fort Collins, Colorado ...

The Times Square Dueling Piano Bar & Grill
2631 College Ave
970-282-PIANO

This is a great thread and a great list!

Has anyone been to the pianobar in Lutz FL?

Benedetto's.

Hop

What about cruise ship piano players?

On the Grand Princess, a couple of years ago, I heard a young man from the Phillipines who played fairly well and sang very well (reminded me of Johnny Mathis). Arny G (aloyo) sings crooner-type ballads and accompanies himself on the piano. Lots of fun.

He's currently on an Alaskan run (I think on the Sapphire, a Princess ship). Sadly, that's too cold for me.

I'm looking for other cruise venues where really good lounge piano players are billed. I'm more interested in finding a a really good player than a singer/player.

Hop

Here's one pretty far out of the way. If you go to Grand Cayman Islands in the Caribbean stay at the Westin. They have a very nice big open lobby area (I didn't even need to buy a drink, totally free) and they had a pianist (actually a different guy each night) a few nights in a row there. It was classical and really nice. This was on my honeymoon 10 years ago but I always remember it, and hopefully they still do it.

Any suggestions for Boston area?

In Toronto (and surrounding area)

The Rex Jazz and Blues Club
The Homesmith Bar at the Old Mill Inn
The Reservoir Lounge
The Trane Studio
Azure Lounge in the Hotel Intercontinental
Gate 403
Nawlins
The Pantages Hotel Lounge
Chalkers Pub
Momo's Bistro
Ten Feet Tall
Manhattans (in Guelph, Ontario)
The Corktown (in Hamilton, Ontario - Wed. night jazz)

Look up the Regatta Bar. Not sure if they're still aroung but I played there a couple of years ago and they had a beautiful Steinway D or B (can't remember)

Thanks AJF!

Just came across this one while planning a trip to Minneapolis, MN:

The Shout House
http://www.theshouthouse.com/

Dueling Rock n Roll pianos.

They apparently also have locations in Glendale, AZ and San Diego, CA.

I saw dueling pianos in Treasure Island, FL at Wahoo's

whahoosontheisland.com

They were entertaining and comical. They played and sang primarily from the 50s to present pop tunes, and were enjoyable. They played on digital pianos hidden inside the case of baby grands. On some weekday nights, they had a piano player inside the bar who played and sang the same palette of tunes, also on a digital. He had very loud electronic drum accompaniment, which I don't prefer, but the crowd there really enjoyed what he did. Outside, on one night, I heard still another player (digital again, and not a very good one) play and sing Sinatra tunes. I liked his piano accompaniment; his electronic drums and more were less obtrusive than the ones inside.


I haven't yet been able to find locally the preferred combination of a really good player, using a really good and well-tuned grand, playing (and not, or only rarely) singing, with nice arrangements and improvisation.

If I get to Seattle again, I'll try the Canlis restaurant:

Walt Wagner at the Canlis restaurant. Google his name, and lots of hits come up. Try listening to Cry me a River here:

http://www.waltwagner.com/Merchant2/merc...ry_Code=Current

Hop

A place I have enjoyed:

http://www.redheadpianobar.com/

16 W. Ontario St
(between State and Dearborn)
Chicago, IL 60654
312.640.1000

Don't know about piano music, but my son's guitar teacher just did a gig there a few weeks ago. He said the venue seats about 250. Here are the details:

Regattabar
www.regattabarjazz.com
1 Bennett Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-5707
(617) 661-5000

Has anybody been to the "Shout House" down in San Diego? We dropped in there one evening, and even though the music wasn't particularly my style, I was super impressed at the level of interaction these dueling piano showmen had with the crowd. A bit heavy handed on all the canned signature riffs, and five too many glissandos for me, but the pianos were front and center, and the place was jumping. Kudos to those guys.

I'm in Southern Oregon - there used to be a lot of live jazz here, and there are a couple of new jazz societies that are bringing it back to life. Pretty cool stuff. If you happen to come through Medford, give me a shout out and I'll point you in their direction.

Can anybody tell me of any live piano venues happening in Eugene or Portland Oregon?

If you ever happen to be in Vienna, Austria, there is a cute little museum called Haus der Musik, which has a nice piano in the lobby. People like to improvise on it for long periods of time, or just play stuff. Not exactly a live music venue, but I thought it was cool

I saw that place the other day when I was driving in downtown! I am totally going there for my 21st birthday.

Will be in Vienna in June, 2011 for our European Piano & Music Tour...
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1474102.html

Here is a pretty fun weekly jazz night in Washington DC:

http://www.westminsterdc.org/jazz/ - Jazz every Friday evening, usually with a good pianist

and Blues every Monday night: http://www.westminsterdc.org/blues/ - also usually has a pianist.

$5 cover, and great southern food in the basement.

From now on airline passengers from all over the world can relax before takeoff of from
International Terminal 3 at Changi Airport Singapore a Schimmel grand piano K 230.

Braunschweig, 18th of November, 2010. –

Besides pure functionality and aesthetics, the 1988
awarded Changi Airport Singapore follows the philosophy to connect people in ways that will
enhance their lives.

Terminal 3, which opened in 2008, underlines this claim once more and brings it to a new level.
From now on airline passengers can relax and encounter a Schimmel concert grand K 230 in
the center of Terminal 3.

The grand piano can be used by piano players freely or airline
passengers can simply recover from their travel strain with the wholesome sounds of the
Schimmel grand piano in the background.

Brandy's in NYC.

Carino's Italian Caffe
9524 Blind Pass Rd
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 360-8502

Great smooth jazz piano live every Friday & Saturday night.
Some of the best Northern Italian food anywhere around.

The pianist plays wonderful original arrangements, and has a nice soothing singing voice to boot.

And believe me, the food alone is worth the visit (as is the decor and the service).

Thanks! St. Pete Beach, here I come!

Hop

Hop, you won't regret it.

I had the veal parmigiana, Kathy had the veal piccota (sp?).
Amazing, melted in you mouth. Fresh salad and bread were to die for.

The pianist went to Julliard but is very humble, and very talented. He claimed he isn't a "piano player", would that I could play like he does.
If you do actually go there (reservations are a good idea, ask for a table near the piano), please mention Piano World to the waiter, and the piano player, he has our business card :-)

And by all means, let us know what you think of your evening.

Will do. I normally vacation at a beach near there at a timeshare during Memorial day week, but I'll see if I can get there sooner.

Hop

I have stayed in the Hyatt in Muscat several times and this is very special hotel, the location right on the beach and decor in the main areas are quite startling. This Hyatt is more on the level of a Ritz Carlton than a normal Hyatt and they have the two most amazing grand pianos I have ever seen - one in the main foyer and one in cocktail lounge. The one in the cocktail lounge is all glass (or at lease a simulated plastic glass) through which all the inside is visble and the can also project light. The one in the foyer is indescrbable and I wish I had taken a picture. It has gold leaf inlays and is shaped like a wave where the main body of the grand sweeps to the ground rather than have a third leg on the back. They are played every day by professionals - and here is the bad news. They were TERRIBLE players. What a waste!
Mike

Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor sports a Hamburg model "C".

Karls Cabin has dueling pianos on their schedule quite often. Located on the west side of Plymouth, MI.

I do a lot of traveling, so this list is a great idea!

I thought it may be a good idea to put all of these on a map, so here we go, Live Piano Venues!

Now I think that I have this setup so that anybody can edit the map and add more places. You should just be able to click on "Edit." The first person to try it out please let me know if it lets you do this. You'll probably need a google account to sign in, but nearly everyone in the world probably has one of those! Also, because this will be a public map, please act accordingly (I know I don't have to tell any of you that, but thought I'd mention it )

I think I added all of the ones listed on this thread, but if they've changed you may want to go back and edit them. You can also go in and add descriptions for each place to let people know what's going on there (a lot of them have reviews/comments already that mention some of these things).

Please let me know if this works!

Very cool TBrown, thanks for doing this.

It does look like I could edit the map, didn't try yet but I see the edit button.

Glad that at least the Edit button shows up! It's the first public google map I've made, so not real sure how this will work out.

You could potentially use it as a "Where are the Piano World Forums Members located" map as well, however it may get pretty crowded! It may be fun to see if any members were located nearby though.

-Tim

I added "Forli Ristorante & Bar" in Alamo, CA (East Bay area) to the map. It's where my piano teacher performs every Friday and Saturday night, with his wife (who sings). The address is 3160 Danville Blvd., Alamo, CA 94507. Website: Forli Restaurante

Well, my wife Carole and I went there last Saturday night. I had mixed emotions about the experience.



We both had the linguine with crab and shrimp, in a light white sauce. It was good (especially the crab), although somewhat pricey. We also liked the portobello mushroom appetizer.




The fellow that played the piano when we were there was an older gentleman called Gino. He was very pleasant and gracious to all. He sang in a very soft voice, for part of most of the tunes he played. He was highly skilled, but there were times during the evening when he chatted with a guy sitting on the stool next to him on the bar while he played. It was like he was on automatic pilot at those times.



I did that. I was surprised the see that the piano was digital, shaped like a small grand. I didn't get up to see the brand of the instrument, but it sounded much better than most digitals, and Gino played it only as a piano (no other funny sounds). Sometimes he used a drum backing while he played, which to me detracted somewhat from the piano.



On the plus side, I thought Gino was very talented on the "piano", and played a variety of standards with what I considered to be fairly typical cocktail style, well executed. The service was excellent, and the food was quite good also.

On the less positive side, one of the (very) old timers sitting at the bar around the piano insisted on singing some very old unfamiliar standards (1920s and maybe earlier), and he just didn't have the ability to do it. At a table near us, a large group of about 12 people were seated even though they were wearing T shirts and cutoffs, with the women exposing bare midriffs. I know this is a beach town, but please, not at a fine restaurant. I also thought that $80 for two, without any drinks (only water) or desert was somewhat steep for what we got. (But we don't go out a great deal, so I may very well be off base here. Plus, Gino needs to be paid. We could have chosen less pricey items on the menu.)


Bottom line: In recent years, I haven't found a better bar piano / restaurant piano establishment to visit, although I am constantly looking for them. If the restaurant in New Port Richey (Trio's) was still in operation with their piano player, I would choose that one. But for now, this is the best I have found not counting cruise ships.

Thanks for telling us about it.

Hop

Thanks for the feedback Hop.

I should have mentioned it was pricey, we thought so too.

If we just want a good meal, we usually go to Cody's or Outback.

But we liked the atmosphere and our waiter, thought the food was very good and the piano player did a good job.

I still need to get down to Sarasota to catch my piano teacher in action.
If you like jazz piano running from smooth to traditional, Mike is one talented guy.
I've just started taking lessons with him, and I'm already excited. Can't wait for my next lesson (when I get back from our European piano tour).

Not that it makes any difference to his abilities, but I do find it interesting that he plays so well, yet he's completely blind. He had four or five CDs out, very enjoyable listening.

Any way, here are the places and times he plays, if anyone gets a chance to check him and the restaurants out, please let me know. I can't vouch for the food, but I can tell you it's fun hearing Mike play.

From Mike Markaverich...

"Thursdays and Fridays I'm at Caragiulos Restaurant, 69 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, from 5 to 8 PM (except Thursday June 23) and Saturdays and Sundays I'm at Euphemia Haye Restaurant, 5540 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, (upstairs in the Haye Loft) starting at 7:30 PM until they tell me to wrap things up. On Saturdays that's usually between 11 and 11:30 PM, and it's usually a little earlier on Sunday nights. It depends on business".

Thanks again for the recommendation. It's the best I've seen in the area so far. Price is not the most important consideration for me (although it is in the top three).




If I remember correctly, Mike Markaverich is the piano player on earlier posts to this forum from Nick's Piano Showroom. In that earlier post, I think he actually was playing the HG 178 that I ultimately purchased. If that's your teacher, I'd be interested in hearing about his approach and your progress. I didn't yet find it on your website, but you can find him here on Nick's site (look for videos on the right side of the webpage):

http://www.nickspiano.com/


Hop

Season's 52 - PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens.

Season's 52

There is a piano player most nights at their very nice bar. Good restaurant and nice location.

Rossi's in Big Pine, CA. At least as of a couple of years ago. The food is overpriced and less than mediocre, just about anybody could make better Italian at home. The piano is an old, beat up, house painted upright, probably a Baldwin. the guy playing it looks like he was a enforcer for Sonny Barger and had just been released from San Quentin.

He's pretty good, though. An excellent sight reader, he played everythiong from the Addams Family Theme to the Moonlight Sonata.

When we left I threw five bucks in the tip jar, trying not to make eye contact.

In Kansas City t the Westin Crown Centre, I think on the third floor, maybe the second, is an old Yamaha grand. Ivory keys, I think, some of the keys are bare. It's pretty beat up, but I enjoyed playing it while waiting for a train last year. The action was pretty good. Some guy and his kids stopped by to give me a tip!

Soka University Performing Arts Center. This is a brand new $73 million arts center designed by Yashusida Toyota of the Disney Hall in Los Angeles. The grand -opening is tonight with pianist Horacio Gutierrez playing Rachmaninoff piano concerto no 2 - 8 pm.

Soka University
http://www.soka.edu/about_soka/our_campus/Soka-Performing-Arts-Center.aspx

Los Angeles Times article about acoustics!
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-soka-preview-notebook-20110917,0,6213304.story

Hello everyone
Live piano music at Kingsmill Resort Conference Center; The Bray Bistro in Williamsburg,Virginia. I play every Friday for a scrumptious seafood buffet from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Nice view of the James River from the dining area. Sunday Brunch buffet from 11:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. with live piano music from some of my friends.Really close to some fun and historical locations. Come on by if you're in town!

Regards,

Paulette Amory

New Orleans, LA:

Fritzel's Jazz Pub
733 Bourbon St

The house band is there most nights. Who all is playing varies from night to night. There's always a drummer and bass player, and either a clarinet, trumpet, banjo or maybe 2 of them, and most nights Richard Scott is on piano. The whole band is great....but of course the pianist is what makes it for me. They play old timey traditional jazz. Tip him and ask nicely and Richard will play a ragtime solo for you :-) They have a full bar and are cigar-friendly, if that matters to anyone (it's of utmost importance to me LOL).

Pat O'brien's
718 St Peter (just off Bourbon St)

This place is a must-see for tourists. Their signature drink, the hurricane, is a must-try. Pat O's has a big open courtyard with a gorgeous fountain. Off to the side of the courtyard is an enclosed piano bar. I've actually only been there once, and it's been over 10 years ago. My memory is foggy (too many hurricanes? LOL), they play pop and cocktail-lounge type stuff. I remember hearing "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. Writing this reminds me that I should check it out on my next trip down.

I go to New Orleans fairly often, but I'm only recently had any inkling to see live piano music. Any other suggestions appreciated. I'll post up if I find some other places as well.

Thanks gahdzila, good timing.

Kathy and I are hoping to get to New Orleans the end of the month.
Our friend concert pianist Jeffrey Biegel is playing with the LSO.

We've never been to New Orleans, you can't visit without making time to hear some good jazz.

Here's one in Prague--had a great night there with my two Czech friends in July. The pianist played old movie themes.

Try the "salty pancakes"

Kavárna Slavia
Café & Restaurant Slavia, a.s.
Smetanovo nábřeží 1012/2
Praha 1
110 00
IČ: 25776053
DIČ: CZ-25776053
Telephone: +420 224 218 493
Fax: +420 224 216 244
WWW: http://www.cafeslavia.cz
Email: info@cafeslavia.cz
Opening times
mo - fr: 8:00 - 24:00
sa - su: 9:00 - 24:00


http://www.cafeslavia.cz/index.php?id_page=uvod&id_rest=slavia&id_lang=en

The Skylon Tower revolving restaurant in Niagara Falls, ON, Canada has a pianist at dinner.

http://www.skylon.com/revolvingdining.html

Anyone know of any live piano venues near Detroit?

Not in Detroit, but I had dinner at The Rusty Scupper in Baltimore tonight.
http://www.selectrestaurants.com/rusty/about.php
They have a pianist playing jazz standards at the bar.
I arrived a little late, so only caught the tail end.

402 Key Highway
Inner Harbor Marina
Baltimore, MD 21230
tel (410) 727-3678 fax (410) 234-1084
info@rustyscupper.com

And in Old Town Alexandria, a piano bar with open mic nights. A hoot.

http://www.morrisonhouse.com/mrr-dining
The Grille
Morrison House Hotel
116 South Alfred Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Reservations:(866) 834-6628
Hotel:(703) 838-8000
Fax:(703) 684-6283

Not exactly a venue, pianist Bob Milne is sheduled to perform in Brooksville FL on Feb. 11. He plays mostly popular music (ragtime is his specialty, but also boogie woogie, blues, show tunes, pop tunes) and some classical (Bach, Mozart).

This is part of a subscription series, so individual tickets are not sold, but if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll try to get free tickets for them.

Hop

Hop,

Sounds like fun.
Kathy and I would love to go if possible.

I'm in Largo, she's in St. Pete, so not too far away (about 1-1/2 hour I think).

I'll try to get two of the tickets; I'll let you know. I think the distribution date is in early January, so I can let you know one way or the other well before the performance date.

Hop

Looks like tickets are scarce but available. Please PM for details and to make arrangements.

Hop

Guide to Puget Sound Piano Bars

Get the full reviews at:

http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/01/11/guide-to-puget-sound-piano-bars/

Whether it’s raucous dueling pianos and outrageous fun, or elegant surroundings and quiet jazz, piano bars in the Puget Sound are a great way to let your hair down after a long day at work.

88 Keys Dueling Piano Restaurant and Bar
315 2nd Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98104
206.839.1300
www.ilove88keys.com

Piano Bash
505 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.454.6862
www.pianobash.com

Open Thursday – Saturday, 6:00pm – 2:00am, Piano Bash is high octane fun


John Howie Steak & Piano Bar
11111 Northeast 8th Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.440.0880
www.johnhowiesteak.com

Chef/restaurateur John Howie serves up custom-aged USDA Prime steak, American Style Kobe and Japanese Waygu beef, as well as fresh seasonal fish, seafood and chops. The


Chopstix
2820 B Oakes Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
425.259.9013
www.chopstixpianobar.com

Chopstix is located in Everett. They are open Thursday through Saturday 5:00 pm – 2:00am, and Sundays from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. What’s most fun is when they have Dueling Pianos


Vito’s
927 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
206.397.4053
www.vitosseattle.com

Vito’s is an iconic restaurant and lounge located on First Hill. Opened in 1953, it has a history rich in cocktail culture, and family-style Italian cuisine. Vito’s lounge offers live jazz, blues and lounge singers almost every night of the week.



Get the full reviews at:

http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/01/11/guide-to-puget-sound-piano-bars/

The Sunday Brunch at Cafe Fleuri at the Langham Hotel in Boston has a Jazz Trio on Sundays that includes a pianist. Fun but expensive place for families. Come hungry as the buffet includes sushi, appetizers, breakfast with omelette station, carving station, pasta station, and the famous chocolate fountain and chocolate bar. Some of the music this weekend included the Mission Impossible Theme plus lots of jazz standards (Song for My Father, All of Me, ...) Lots of birthdays being celebrated. Piano is a keyboard rather than acoustic.

They also do the chocolate bar on Saturdays, but I'm not sure about the live music.

Cafe Fleuri
Lanham Hotel
250 Franklin Street
Boston, MA 02110,
USA T +1 (617) 451 1900 F +1 (617) 423 2844


http://boston.langhamhotels.com/restaurants/best_boston_restaurants.htm

Okay, I gotta admit I haven't read this entire thread, but I've perused it a couple times and left frustrated. There's gotta be a better way of compiling all this info into a more user friendly (i.e., searchable by locale) format??? Any computer experts got a suggestion(s)? I'd be willing to put some time into a project if it would be something very useful to people and with strong suggestions and support!

Chris's jazz cafe in Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Trumpets jazz club on montclair new jersey
Blue note in new york
birdland in new york

This is a great thread, looks like an excellent resource to study. I am very interested in finding out about good piano venues.

Ask, and ye shall receive. TBROWN put Live Piano Venue map together, linked on the previous page:

Frank,

Have you compiled these wonderful suggestions into a single spreadsheet? It would be something great to refer to when I'm traveling.

This week is the grand opening of the first theater specifically built for jazz in the world, the SF Jazz Center, corner of Franklin and Fell in San Francisco. The Steinway D has arrived, and the Yamaha CFX and other pianos are due soon.

SF Jazz website.

Wow, how cool is that? !!
McCoy Tyner? Color me jealous.

Thanks for posting.

In the gigantic atrium of an office building in NYC(on 53rd Street between Madison and Park Ave. and next to Mason's Tennis Mart)the stride pianist Chuck Folds plays on weekdays from around noon-3pm It's completely free and he is sensational. He is also a walking encyclopedia of jazz history which he is very glad to share.
http://www.amazon.ca/Hitting-His-Stride-Chuck-Folds/dp/B0000031L7

Just down the street from us in Duluth (NE Atlanta) is a great intimate venue for live music. Eddie Owens Presents at Red Clay Theater. The focus tends to be on singer/songwriters, but many are piano-centered now that we have a Hailun grand in there. Tickets are affordable, and they are attracting great musicians.

For example, this Saturday, March 16, you can see Jimmy Webb at the piano. The seats are comfortable and I love the staff at the venue, too.

There is a recently opened piano bar in Pécs, Hungary in case anyone ever wanders around here. The owner is an English pianist, they have regular classical and jazz evenings too. No website, just a facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pianoborozo?fref=ts

I'll check it out soon, will be reporting back.

And for something entirely different...hear the 1927 Wurlitzer Theater Organ played daily at the Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ.
This 400+ seat venue is a treat for everyone. Kids love it. Open 7 days a week, but check the hours.

http://www.organstoppizza.com/

I tuned today at the Sheba Piano Lounge at 1419 Fillmore Street in San Francisco, about halfway between the Fillmore Auditorium and Yoshi's San Francisco.

Here's where Sue and I are right now:

The Diamond Belle Saloon
699 Main Avenue
Durango, CO

Live ragtime piano Mon through Sat, 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm. Please don't shoot the piano player (gunfights) Mon, Wed, & Fri @ 7:00 pm.

Howard

This place in NY has a new baby grand, and last I heard on Craigs List they are looking for someone to play for cocktail happy hours:

http://vinumcafe.com/

http://vinumcafe.com/entertainment/

Wine/Piano Bar: http://vinumcafe.com/Bar.htm

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Classic piano bar with periodic guest entertainers - Vanessies: (http://www.vanessiesantafe.com/entertainment.php)
Jazz venue w/piano - El Meson: (http://www.elmeson-santafe.com/entertainment-schedule.php)

Bobby G's, Berkeley, California. Tuesday open mic with a featured artist each week. This week Laura Klein will be at the piano.

Pier 23 continues to have great ragtime and roots music pianists from 6 - 9 most nights of the week.

New Piano Jazz bar in New York's West Village. Here's a NY Times article about it. Small (very) and unamplified (which is really nice!). Solos, duos and trios - no room for drums. Saw the much underappreciated Anthony Wonsey there last night, with Dezron Douglas on bass.

Davenport's in Chicago:

http://davenportspianobar.com/

A Piano Marathon happens regularly in the lobby of the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake Illinois. Every year there is the National Piano Conference. The video link is a sample of the lobby entertainment on Liberty the custom Baldwin Flag Piano. Mike Potts and Tom Steffens perform


https://youtu.be/qOkGxx8BQQI

nationalpianoconference.org

The National Piano Conference at Raue Center is a great source for Live Piano Music throughout the year. Here is a video sample of Live Piano in the Raue Lobby during a recent conference piano marathon

There is a Yamaha grand piano in the lobby of Mercy Hospital, Fore River.
175 Fore River Pkwy
Portland, ME 04101

I will be there playing it the next couple of days as my Kathy is going in for the first of two complete knee replacements.

I'm happy they have a piano I can play (it even has a card on top saying to play it), it will take my mind off worrying about Kathy :-)

What a Great Idea for this sujet,and thanks a lot for these sharing infos.....

Just about any place in New Orleans that has live music.

There is a nice satin black K Kawai ~5'8" near United baggage claim #13 and the closest elevator in the Minneapolis airport (code MSP). It is in great condition, ready for a concert on full stick, and has an adjustable bench. I played Chopin Mazurkas there yesterday and today. Yesterday, someone left a pile of pennies on the music desk. Hmmm???

In the Sacramento, CA region, I know of the following pianos:


In Woodland, CA there is:

- "Guinevere's Cafe and Bistro". A new Italian place with a vertical Schafer piano (tuned by me). I play there pretty often and they have had an open mic.

- "Common Grounds Woodland". A coffee place with a vertical Cable piano (tuned by me). I play there most Wednesdays in the morning and they have an open mic once in a while.

In Sacramento, CA there is:

- "Biba". An Italian restaurant and bar with three pianists covering Wednesday-Saturday. A nice grand.

- "Arthur Henry's Supper Club and Ruby Room". A new small place with a small stage and a digital piano. Live music sometimes.

- "Sheraton Hotel". They have a Yamaha grand. I heard they used to have someone play it but I don't think they do now.

- "The Back Door". A bar with a grand in Old Sacramento. The piano is not played and has not been serviced for a while. Recently they had a popular lounge singer on weekends but he did not use the piano.

- "Coconut Grove". A bar with a nice Kawai grand, also in Old Sacramento. The piano used to be in the front of the bar but is now in the back and I don't think it gets played.

- "Sammy's Astro Club". A bar in West Sacramento with a grand covered with a 'piano bar' top. It was a popular place in the 80's but the piano is not played now.

In Davis, CA there is:

- "Our House". A restaurant with a Kawai grand piano (tuned by me). They have a jazz trio Thursdays and often a solo pianist Saturdays.

- "Palm Court Hotel". They have a Stodart grand (tuned by me), but don't feature any music. This piano will probably not be around much longer due to upcoming renovations.

Wow, great list, thanks Charles!

If you are ever on Mackinaw Island, MI, they have a Baby Grand at the Mission Point Hotel that you can play.

In New York City, there's SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL PIANOS,

Here's a place in Cusco, Peru:

http://www.piscopianocusco.com/

There is one in the train station in Venice, Italy. Piano is in tough shape, located by widows looking out to where you get the water bus.

Also one in the bar on the island of Certosa (Venice).
The restaurant is called Il Certosino.
Food is excellent as is the service. Old upright piano in the bar is actually in pretty good shape.
Not much to see on the island, but worth the trip if you have a vapperetto pass (water bus).
We had lunch there, under a giant umbrella, could see both sides of the island from our table.
Waiter spoke good English and he had a great personality.

If you are visiting South New Zealand and would like to pop down to the city of Timaru, you could have the opportunity to play the world's longest piano, built by Adrian Mann; which is situated in St. Mary's Church, Church Street, Timaru. Adrian and other artists hold concerts in the church periodically. Adrian began building the piano about 11 years ago, when he was around 16 years old; and has made a fantastic job of it. It has been on countrywide tours occasionally. It is now housed in the church, and Adrian welcomes visitors to play his piano. Adrian may be contacted via his website: www.alexanderpiano.yolasite.com

Studio City, CA:

La Loggia restaurant 11814 Ventura Blvd. has an Ehrbar grand. They used to have a pianist, but now it isn't played except rarely by customers. Lunch time is often quite slow there.

Blue Note - Taipei
***** 5 star experience.