By Brion O'Connor
The beauty of dinner music, however you define it, is that it combines our intrinsic cultural needs, feeding two separate but equal appetites. The following spots are certain to get your toes tapping and tickle your taste buds.
All That Jazz
Nearly 60 years young, Wally's Café features live music every day of the year. Like a free-form solo, this club attracts an eccentric crowd from all walks of life and the best of the gifted jazz and blues students from the nearby Berklee College of Music looking to hone their chops. And there's no cover charge. The fare at Bob's Southern Bistro ranges from southern to Creole to Cajun and so does the jazz. Both are first-rate and served up in generous portions. Formerly known as Bob the Chef's, the bistro features live music, Thursday through Saturday evening and during Sunday brunch . At the Doubletree Hotel, Scullers Jazz Club offers a delicious three-course meal, preferred seating overlooking the Charles River, and some of the finest jazz talent anywhere, including artists like Bobby Short and Harry Connick Jr. It only seats 200, so make reservations early. Across the Charles, Ryles Jazz Club boasts not only terrific jazz, but also tantalizing world beat, rhythm and blues, and Latin offerings in two rooms on separate floors, as well as lip-smacking barbecue. The club is also home to the fabulous Ryles Jazz Orchestra, which backs many of the marquee names who visit. Looking for something outside the city? Head north to The Roost Jazz Café for a sultry Manhattan-style nightclub in the heart of an old millyard, or west to the Acton Jazz Café where Sunday is Acton 's Jazz Jam night.
Quite a Medley
For the ultimate in musical variety, hit up the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton . At this cool little Western Massachusetts venue, you can hear folk music one night, and grunge rock the next — acts range from The Commander Cody Band and Roomful of Blues to Livingston Taylor and Cheryl Wheeler . For yet more musical diversity, visit Johnny's D's Uptown . This landmark has built a stellar reputation on a diverse lineup that includes some of the best foot-stomping rockabilly, blues, ska, and zydeco to be found on the East Coast. There's decent food too, especially if you prefer vegetarian. It's also home to one of the longest-running open blues jams in Boston , taking place every Sunday afternoon. The Paradise Lounge , once a dance club at the front of the Paradise Rock Club, is a quiet escape — relatively speaking — for an after-work crowd looking to relax with reasonably priced fare, a good beer and some acoustic tunes. Local paintings and comfy furniture fit the bill to a tee.
Barbecue and Blues
If you like blues with your ribs, chicken or pulled pork, the Sit 'n Bull Pub in Maynard serves them up right, with a super beer selection to boot. Another eclectic oasis is Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner in Worcester , which can lay claim to not only the best jukebox in town, but also a quarter century of bringing in a wide array of first-rate rock shows. In Springfield the name of Theodore's Booze & Blues BBQ sums it up — there's tasty barbecue every day of the week, and boisterous blues every Friday and Saturday. Further west, hidden in the Berkshires, Club Helsinki has a tantalizing menu highlighted by old-world favorites and spicy international dishes, plus musical offerings for almost every taste, with artists ranging from Burning Spear to John Scofield stopping by to play.
Traditional Touch
You can get your fill of reasonably priced and well-prepared fare at The Burren, but the real draws are the music, the libations and the animated conversation. Traditional Irish music seven nights a week, and the bands — such as Black 47 — are top-notch. South of Beantown, Bad Abbots mixes great Celtic music (Thursday–Saturday) with the best-televised soccer from Europe.
RESOURCES:
Acton Jazz Café; 452 Great Road , Acton ; 978.263.6161; actonjazzcafe.com
Bad Abbots; 1546 Hancock St. , Quincy ; 617.774-.1434; badabbots.com
Bob's Southern Bistro; 604 Columbus Ave. , Boston ; 617.536.6204; bobthechefs.com
The Burren; 247 Elm St. , near Davis Square , Somerville ; 617.776.6896; burren.com
Club Helsinki ; 284 Main St . Great Barrington ; 413.528.3394; clubhelsinkiweb.com
Iron Horse Music Hall ; 20 Center St. , Northampton ; 413.584.0610; iheg.com
Johnny's D's Uptown; 17 Holland St. , Davis Square , Somerville ; 617.776.2004; johnnyds.com
The Paradise Lounge; 967 Commonwealth Ave. , Boston ; 617.562.8814
The Roost Jazz Café; 33 Main St. , Amesbury; 978.388.9333; theroostjazzcafe.com
Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner; 95 Prescott St. , Worcester ; 508-753-9543
Ryles Jazz Club; 212 Hampshire St. , Inman Square , Cambridge ; 617.876.9330; ryles.com
Scullers Jazz Club; 400 Soldiers Field Road , Boston ; 617.562.4111; scullersjazz.com
Sit 'n Bull Pub; ( 163 Main St. , Maynard; 978-897-7232; sitnbull.com
Theodore's Booze & Blues BBQ; 201 Worthington Street , Springfield ; 413.736.6000; theobbq.com
Wally's Café; 427 Massachusetts Ave. , Boston ; 617.424.1408; wallyscafe.com
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