By: Therese Burgo
During our last few days on campus before winter break, in the midst of finals, my friend and I were determined to find a jazz club to visit for an evening outing – a tough task, being a last-minute decision on a Friday afternoon when many jazz clubs are already booked with weekend reservations or require a pricey cover charge.
Thus: Tomi Jazz. An intimate Manhattan jazz club, serving Japanese cuisine and playing live music nightly. This club is under 21 and does not take reservations. Visitors should be prepared to pay a $10 music cover on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
If you’ve heard of Tomi Jazz, you’ll know the most “underground” part of this experience is the location, which is tucked under a barbershop on E 53rd Street. In terms of its popularity, Tomi is far from that in my opinion. Eager customers are willing to wait sometimes hours in line to get into this venue. As for my friend and I, we ended up waiting a little over an hour to get inside. This was fine by me as long as we planned on staying longer inside the club than we did waiting to get in. Thankfully, this was still possible even with the two-hour maximum, which is only in effect from Thursdays to Sundays when the club is busiest.
Once seated, we had a decent view of the musicians who were finishing up their set. The best view would be from the tables arranged in an L-shape around the musicians themselves in the front of the room, a truly up-close-and-personal musical experience, I’m sure. As spots at these tables opened up, visitors could request to be moved to them for a better view of the musicians.
A thirty-minute break followed the end of the set, after which we were pleased to enjoy a full, hour-long performance. This trio, consisting of bass, guitar, and drums, covered some classics, like Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” as well as a few jazzy renditions of Christmas songs.
As we enjoyed the music, we soaked up the decor in front of us: an assortment of empty bottles lined the bar and dried bundles of flowers hung from the glass rack above. Small, decorative lamps with fringe and many candles provided warm, dim light throughout the venue. The space was definitely tight but maintained an elegant and cozy atmosphere.
By the time we were leaving, another group of performers – this time featuring a pianist – had begun their show. The line was no shorter than it had been when we first arrived around 6:40 pm, and at this point it was a little after 10 pm. Lines apparently start as early as an hour before the club’s 5 o’clock opening time, according to the servers. If you’re looking to make your way into Tomi Jazz, the line may test your patience, but the experience inside is one of a kind.
