Blue Whale Bar

Wow! That was horrible. I just waisted 60 minutes of my life, spent $ 60 and almost fell asleep. Never again
Not to mention to bartender blew his nose into a very thin something, dug his fingers up his nose and never washed his hands. I feel very ill…

This was a great experience! Small venue tucked away in a small plaza
mall in little Tokyo… My first time experiencing Hadrien Feraud and his band… they were AWESOME… if you like real jazz fusion… ala Pat Matheny, Spyro Gyra. this is the band for you. They did a funky jazzy cover of MJ’s Black or White and PYT with vocalist Nikki Gonzalez! The venue is perfect for smaller jazz sets… seats about 40, intimate and cozy with the BOMB ass drinks serving premium liquor for $ 13 per. Acoustically the sound was decent, I could hear when I left and didn’t feel like I was in a tin can for 2 hours… Cover was $ 10 at the door but it varies per Artist. I will definitely be returning…

In an effort to broaden my horizons and explore this great city. I stumbled across the Blue Whale on google… ha! And of course I crossed check on Unilocal… my friend and I decided to go for it. me being me choose a day to show up when the band was idk. but the music sounded like the music you listen to when doing yoga! Not the jazz scene I was looking for.
There was a $ 10.00 cover which we paid but the young man at the door was so nice he gave us our money back. We must have looked out of place.
What I observed during my short stay was a dim lite club with a bar and individual ottomans as chairs. Even though the music wasn’t for me there were plenty people enjoying it.
Now on to my fav.parking.a nightmare. there was a garage close by but it was closed… im not sure if it is always like that. There are also street meters. The Blue Whale is located on the third floor of the Wells Center it is not a store front. I will definitely be back for another try.

THE ABSOLUTE BEST MUSIC VENUE IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA! On any given night, expect to see some of the best musicians of today from around the world. The clientele is fun and knowledgable and really create a great vibe to experience the music. The staff is friendly, hilarious and creative esp. when it comes to the drinks (be sure to ask Rob for a WS3). Can’t go wrong with this place… enjoy!

One of the places I miss most about LA.
What is not to love about this place. The ambience is great– pretty pastel mood lighting, Rumi quotes on the ceiling, with LA patrons sitting pretty in the audience. You’re guaranteed to witness amazing performers and admission and drinks are always reasonably priced.

Talented musicians play everyday! If you like Jazz, oh no, even if you don’t like Jazz, you’ll love this place.

This spot is a really cool venue to check out live music. I brought my wife here as an anniversary surprise and I scored huge points. If you’re looking for really interesting date, I highly recommend it!

A friend and I decided to try this place on a whim the night of 12÷3÷15. We heard the wonderful live jazz from the door and decided that it might be worth it to pay the $ 10 cover charge (we would normally never pay a cover on Thursday before 10) As we walk into the venue there are not many people inside, almost everyone in the venue is sitting watching the band play… We join the crowd and take a seat. We spend the first half hour here enjoying some wine and the live music, good vibes all around. As the band takes a break my friend and I naturally engage in random conversation and right as the band goes back on one of the men playing sax in the band literally points us out in front of everyone telling us to «leave or shut up» (mind you, this is about 15 seconds after they just started playing again) at this moment I just felt extremely disrespected… I just paid to come watch a band that I have never heard of before in a place that’s labeled on Unilocal as a «Lounge»… I didn’t know talking was not allowed in lounges. I really wish we would have stayed to go up and personally talk with the man who embarrassed us but my friend felt extremely uncomfortable and just wanted to leave. It amazes me how pretentious a little place and a random jazz band can be. I expect to be able to come to a lounge and chat with friends… ESPECIALLY since I paid to get in. We will absolutely never be returning to this venue. Who wants to waist time AND MONEY being embarrassed in front of a crowd due to the ego of a pretentious no name band. If anyone who works for the Blue Whale is reading this I urge you to please speak to the man who did this because it’s extremely unprofessional and disrespectful.

This whole establishment is literally shitty, and the building/​parking lot with it is terrible in every way.
My last experience at the Blue Whale means I will never come back to this shit hole. The entire place smelled like sewer pipes and it was getting worse as the night progressed. The owner, who has a goofy attitude, still accepted $ 15/​person cover charge even though his place smelled like literal shit.
On top of that the parking fee went up from $ 2 to $ 8 for this shit smelling place. I hate this entire building, with it’s shit restaurants, and overpriced parking, and shitty venues. Never again. God, please suck this whole establishment into the ground for me.

The cool thing about certain cities is the presence of live music. Los Angeles does not really offer that option as a form of entertainment especially on weekdays. When I heard that Blue Whale Bar had live performers on the daily, it definitely peaked my interest.
Came to Blue Whale on a Thursday night. Admission was $ 15 per person. The venue itself was open and conducive to a live show. There was seating in and around the stage as well as around the bar. On the night we came, there was a Japanese singer who also sang in Portuguese.
Along with a full bar, Blue Whale also offered a Asian infused food menu. There were some interesting menu items so we decided to try:
Soba Salad [$ 7] — Soba noodles over greens, arugala, tomoto, seaweed, sesame seeds & soba dressing
Karaage Chicken [$ 8] — Fried Chicken
The food was reasonably price as was the drinks at the bar. I got a few Jameson on the rocks which hovered around ~$ 9. Good food, drinks and live music. There’s nothing really that can top that. I recommend this place if you’re looking for a change of pace of your typical bars and lounge in DTLA.

There is no other jazz venue in this city like this. Highest quality modern jazz, any night you go in. From local bands to out of town headliners, you can not get better than this. Usually $ 10-​$ 15. Great cocktails. The owner Joon is the coolest guy. No pressure to buy drinks, you do it when you want to. It’s really a great place to go.

Inside gets SO HOT. I was sweating just sitting at the bar. Can they turn up the AC?
It also gets very packed.
Not gonna lie, I’m not an avid Jazz listener so yes I didn’t get the music that night. It was very noisy and sounded like a high school band banging pots and pans. But would it of hurt the saxophone guy to play some sexy music? Careless Whisper anyone?
Be prepared to be under the spotlight, because the only way to get to the bathroom is walking next to the stage so that everyone in the bar can see you going.

Was amazing!

PROS: Great venue !
Get there early for seating.
Sound is superb.
Drinks on point.
I recommend the «Ginger Django»
CONS: none really
My opinion;
Set up some mirrors.

There is nothing like this around. Going to the Blue Whale is an honest and refreshing experience for any music lover. I don’t even think you have to necessarily be a fan of jazz. They have great food and drinks/​cocktails. Great for any date or night out w friends. The bands and artists they have here are always good. You’ll never end up there on an «off» night. Went there to see the Mitch Forman trio. The music sounded great, awesome stage and even a beautiful grand piano. Had the sliders and they were what you would expect from a five star restaurant. Couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Great job Blue Whale!

Pros: Good acoustics, intimate space, nice selection of artists, decent prices on drinks and plates.
Cons: Not a fan of the seating situation. They have audience members sit on these box-​like, cushioned chairs in the center with a few chairs along the walls. It looks and feels a little cluttered at times.

The place to be for anyone who loves jazz. The ambiance is marvalous and the drinks are reasonably priced.
We will be returning.

Great live jazz, I caught the Blue Whale Bar at the end of a set and they didn’t charge a cover since the live music was about to end which I really appreciated. I am no music aficionado, but I can speak to this place having a great ambiance and it was a great place to enjoy a drink at the end of the night.
What I really loved was that if you sit at the bar, it is elevated such that you can have your feet on the ground as you enjoy a drink and listen to music. All in all, it was just a lovely way to end a weekend evening. I would definitely return.

In Weller Court so don’t search around like we did! It’s on the third floor next to Orochon Ramen, which btw did not have a line for once when we went around 9pm on a Thursday.
We walked in and the door guy (owner?) came running to us to get our cover charge of $ 10-​not bad at all. I was thrown aback at how small the venue was, and how few seats were available. The cube seats are located throughout the room in an intimate fashion, with seats directly adjacent to the next seat over.
The musicians were amazing and I enjoyed listening to the music-​but I’m not sure that I would’ve been able to do this sober. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE jazz, but it’s performance-​based and you’re literally sitting and watching, so it’s nice with a bit of booze in ya. The seats aren’t necessarily comfortable either, especially if you’re leaning against the wall. Luckily, the bartender is quick and attentive to your needs and although it’s not a full bar, it has a good variety to choose from. The prices were fair.
The bathroom is in the way back, and as I mentioned, because this is a small venue, I was dying trying to hold my bladder from popping because I didn’t want the whole room to stare at me as I clunked back and forth to the bathroom. It’s relatively clean though, and it’s a one-​person use bathroom so if you see somebody headed there, don’t bother!

2014 Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE — ¹⁹³⁄₃₆₅
Really cool jazz bar! I went here for the first time last night to attend Alfredo Rodriguez’s CD release party for his new album, The Invasion Parade. I work for his record label and it was my first time attending a CD release show for our company!
I have only been to a handful of jazz bars/​clubs, but The Blue Whale is definitely my favorite as of last night. It’s located on the third floor of Weller Court, and enclosed outdoor shopping plaza/​center in the heart of Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles.
I was able to find parking in a garage located on San Pedro. It was a $ 4 flat rate, cash only. Pretty cheap, and located directly across from Weller Court/​The Blue Whale!
I took the elevator up to the third floor, and as soon as you get out of the elevator, The Blue Whale is on your right.
There is a guy at the door who you pay to get in, or checks you off if you are on the guest list. I was on the guest list so I don’t really know how their payment situation worked. Also, this club is a 21+ only.
I REALLY liked the ambiance/​décor/​vibe of this place. It was super modern and trendy, and just the right size for an intimate jazz show. To the left was a cool bar, might have been fully-​stocked but I don’t really know. They had one wall that was a chalkboard and had cool drawings/​writing on it. They had some cool quotations on the ceiling which was a neat touch.
The seating area was pretty cool. They had a bunch of small benches/​ottomans/​poofs for guests to sit on. The venue is pretty long and narrow, and the musicians/​performers play against the back wall. The back wall had cool lights that would change colors! Gave a cool vibe and nice touch to the room.
Bathrooms are located at the back, in the back right corner. That was the only thing I didn’t LOVE about The Blue Whale because if a musician is performing, anybody heading back to the bathrooms would totally be seen and it would be disruptive/​awkward.
Sound was really great in here. I sat near the back and I could hear everything perfectly. The jazz club probably fit 100 people, and it was a great size. Big enough for people to roam/​wander, but also small and intimate.
And to top it all off: I MET QUINCY JONES HERE! He is basically the one who discovered Alfredo Rodriguez, and has co-​produced both of Alfredo’s albums off of our label. Quincy was sitting on the side, and I was introduced to him! Definitely a fan girl moment :)
Overall, I highly recommend checking out The Blue Whale! Super awesome and trendy bar/​jazz club!