Savanna Jazz

We can’t believe we have the good fortune to have world-​class live music right here in our neighborhood. No need to drive to SF and deal with the parking hassles and expense. We’ve been three times and are already looking forward to the next. We’re afraid it may not survive because people will have low expectations for such a modest venue. You can’t find better anywhere, at any price.

I had in my wildest dreams been wishing for a jazz club like this to come to midpeninsula and Savanna Jazz is that dream come true. This is a jazz club along the lines of the historical greats like the Village Vanguard. It is truly a work of love by a couple that seeks to keep America’s original art form alive. The setting is intimate, perhaps too intimate for many but I was thrilled. Seating capacity seemed to be 35 or 40 full up. There is no place to hide. You are by definition part of the scene. And the scene is wonderful. The music is magic. If this is your cup of tea this is going to be as good as it gets.
Take some time to look at the walls, perhaps going before the music starts. They are all real album covers of the key artists of the genres that have made jazz great. On one side are the innovators and opposite them are the stylists. It’s an education. Questions? Not familiar? Dont’ be shy. Ask either of the owners. They’re both educators!
Some reviewers may compare this to a restaurant or a bar, but it’s neither. It’s a JAZZ CLUB. Please don’t expect the food or drink to rival top eating or drinking establishments. It’s not a high end scotch bar (althought they did have Laphroaig) or a trendy foodie celeb chef creation. It’s a JAZZ CLUB and the food and drink are a convenience for those who have come to listen to some of the best in live jazz you will find in mighty fine setting.
This place is seriously worth the trip from San Francisco, San Jose.

Honestly, I thought this place was a dive bar every time I passed by it. It didn’t seem like anything special and I thought it would be really seedy inside. I was pleasantly surprised when I came by. The inside was actually nicely furnished, clean, and spacious. They have live music there most nights (jazz, obviously) that they charge a cover for ($ 10/​person.) However, if you don’t feel like paying the cover and you don’t mind not being able to see the band, you can just sit at the bar in the next room and listen to the music. They don’t have a ton of food options, just simple bar food, so I wouldn’t recommend eating here but the drinks were decent.

Don’t pay attention to reviews by millennials that whine about anything that isn’t perfect — this is a Jazz joint. A REAL jazz club. Small, dark and you sit just a few feet from the players. The dim blue lighting in the room lets you just see the musicians well enough and reminds one of what it would have been like in the old days when smoking was still allowed in the place.
The musicians we saw were all old pros that never looked at a piece of sheet music and the solos were superb. The owner, Pascal Bokar, brought this club down from SF and he plays a hollow body Gibson, influenced by Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhart and others and has a very easy flowing style. If you want cuisine –go somewhere else in the neighborhood. If you want real jazz in a real jazz joint — stop here, or your next chance will be in SF.

Savanna Jazz has two parts: the bar in front, and the jazz room in back.
The bar in front has a lot of local competition. Between a brighter loungier place like Noelani’s, or the beer-​focused Ale Arsenal and Refuge, or the wood-​and-​frat-​boy Town, there’s a few places to drink in greater san carlos.
This place is a good addition. Mixed drinks are not «artisinal», but reasonable top-​shelf mixing. It would be nice if there was a little more care placed, but drinks were ok. The beer selection is also OK. With the Refuge so close, it’s hard to say great — because the refuge is actually great — but it’s good. Devil’s Canyon, as well as Lagunitas and some of the macrobeers.
The place has no food currently, which is great. There’s a selection of take out menus, and the pizza place two doors down is quite good. On the other side is Panda Dumpling, which has no atmosphere but great dumplings. A match made in heaven.
Finally, the Jazz is quite good. I say that as someone who has heard a lot of jazz over the years, from london to NYC to tokyo. The owner is a guitar player of quite a bit of repute, so has connections to everyone who is someone in the jazz area. It seems that he’s often leading a troupe of those cats, so they can have jazz every night of the week. The room is small but sounds good — high wood ceilings, not over-​amplified. Music starts on the early side (like 8pm promptly) and seems to end the second set around 11pm, which is fitting for a more suburban area.
If you want more of a mixed experience, sit at the bar, let the music from the band waft in. The lounge has a $ 15 per person cover (which, these days, is just about the cost of one drink), which is very reasonable for the quality of music, just don’t be surprised.
It’s great to have live jazz all nights of the week, and if this place stands up — and keeps its «external food OK» attitude — it’ll be a favorite of mine.
(there’s a comment here that «all the food is frozen». The owners took that to heart and removed the frozen food. I hope reviews are updated.)

An absolute San Carlos gem! Was grabbing sushi with the at Ryu a few doors down, and saw a sign for «live music.» Sometimes this just means a solo pianist or guitarist, but I was delighted to find a four piece jazz band jamming away in the back lounge! Cover was cheap ($ 5 on weeknights) and only charged if you want to sit in the back room where the musicians are playing; otherwise there is no cover. Service was friendly, they had great selection of drinks. They also have a number of menus from nearby restaurants that deliver, so you can enjoy your drinks and music with everything from wood-​fired pizza to sandwiches to sushi!
The Mrs. and I were treated to a spontaneous, fantastic evening of music by four, young, talented musicians, playing through the standards and many fun arrangements (esp. enjoyed the funky rendition of «Freddy Freeloader»)! We were the first to show up during the post-​dinner set, but we were quickly joined by others, and in no time, fingers and toes were a-​tappin’! It’s such a small, intimate venue– you really get to feel that close connection with the musicians!
I grew up listening to a lot of jazz (an OC-​local favorite, Steamers in Fullerton, recently closed down), and it’s sad to see jazz venues on the decline due to a lack of support. Jazz has been given the proud distinction of «America’s Art Form,» so please remember that every dollar you spend at places like Savannah’s isn’t just for your drinks, it goes to support those who are fighting to keep our national treasure of live jazz alive and available to all of us.
So grab a drink, put away your phone, close your eyes, and soak it all in! :)

Great little jazz bar on Laurel Ave. They moved from SF to San Carlos last year and the new place has a very intimate back room for live music.

Great, trendy place with live music and great bar food. Friendly service, good drinks, could watch sports. Very cool looking bar area. Just a great place to hang out at after work. Love the interior. Feels like it was made for grown ups and like it belongs in the city. They have a music room in the back, that looks really cozy and romantic, so not a bad place for first or 202^nd dates. :) In fact, the whole place is kind of romantic. One of the coolest hang out spots in the area for sure.

I was ecstatic after discovering Savannah Jazz would be opening here having gone to the old spot in the Mission. I know the music is great, but the service/​management is visibly awful after much observation sitting at the bar with the owner present. Besides that, all the food on the menu is frozen. Why would anyone want to go out and eat that?
My bf and I had been here once before on a Saturday night with two people behind the bar. The service was great as were my vodka tonics. –reasonable prices also… The place smelled brand spanking new. The changing color schemes against black and the white quartz counter, turned out beautiful! We heard some nice jazz tunes in the back.
We returned again yesterday. The owner was chatting it up with patrons at the corner of the bar near the entrance. It gave off a pleasant, welcoming vibe. Unfortunately to our surprise, that quickly changed.
We sat on the other end of the bar away from the entrance. There was a woman wearing the SJ T-​shirt looking irked. She clearly worked there but did not smile and had a scowl on her face when I cracked a smile at her. Bad day maybe? She was on her way out but observed her chastising the lone, busy bartender behind the bar about how he needs to come in 15 minutes earlier to set up. No one else has to do it for him. Etc. blah blah. (We were feeling awkward now.) She continued to run her mouth as she was making her exit behind us although the bartender was quiet and verbally complying with her demands. This was very unprofessional to be speaking to staff that way in front of patrons. Needless to say, the atmosphere did not improve after she left.
Our bartender was scurrying around best he could to serve people on the floor and the bar. He got us our first round of beer quickly, but people kept coming along side of us to order drinks. By now, the owner was shuffling his feet behind the bar counting money, back turned and ignoring customers who didn’t get drinks yet or were empty. John Taffert would not approve.
As we waited to get a second round of beers, we were going to order the jalapeño cream cheese poppers for $ 8.95. However, we observed the corner operation of frozen foods being placed into a compact fryer on the counter though and changed our minds. With empty glasses in front of us for the next 15 min, we observed the owner dumping frozen fries out of a bag and intermittently disappear into the closet. He’s above serving his customers apparently and just greeting people based on mood. It was quite the contrary demeanor we saw when we first walked in. He also was completely unconcerned his bartender was struggling. When your glass is empty for so long, you’re doing a lot of observing in hopes you’ll be acknowledged to get a refill. Inadvertently, you end up seeing other things you probably wouldn’t notice if you had gotten your drink in a reasonable amount of time. Finally, we just paid our bill and tipped the bartender a nicely as an apathetic gesture.
Great jazz isn’t going to bring us back. Management yelling at staff in front of patrons and an owner who ignores customers doesn’t present a cohesive service oriented environment. It gives off bad vibes. I wouldn’t be surprised if that bartender quits. He gets zero help or even respect in the way he was spoken to by that woman.
We don’t go out to spend money dining on frozen foods and experience an atmosphere full of staff discord. I wouldn’t want to work here, and I definitely wouldn’t want to support an owner who is above serving his customers and helping his staff during busy hours.

We finally found our place. 2 years ago we moved to the area and have been hunting for the perfect live music venue. Very few offered just jazz and even then it was hit or miss on either price or artist. Suddenly Savanna happened and wow! The owner, himself and his band of musicians will be playing most weekend nights with occasional other jazz artists. The private back room, is only $ 15 and well worth the price to be right in the middle of a personal jazz experience. Vicki is really personable and really passionate about her husband’s art and the club. Everyone is friendly and helpful. The noms look tasty (but if they added avocado fries it couldn’t hurt) and if you are too poor for the back room jazz, you can still hear it in the bar and experience their excellent cocktails.
I’m so glad I have a great music venue right in my neighborhood.

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Its the real deal. You will feel like you are in NYC. Excellent music, great drinks, munchies, and a full bar. There should be lines out the door waiting to get in and hear outstanding authentic jazz. Great place. I sure hope they can keep this place open. Minimal $ 15 cover charge for the best jazz in the area. we are members of SF Jazz and feel so lucky to find this on our doorstep. Check it out, you will not be sorry.

Great neighborhood bar with positive vibe. Strong drinks and amazing service. Had the opportunity to meet Pascal Bokar Thiam, owner and professional jazz musician/​professor, who chatted with us and made us feel at home in his bar.
We went for a nightcap after dinner at Pazzo, but we’ll be back for the Jazz and the feeling of being in ‘our on bar.’

It’s so great to see a place where we can go in this suburban area that makes you feel like you are in the city. The ambiance is fun and lively and the customer service is exceptional. I feel like I’m a guest in a welcoming home here. I will definitely be making this a place to return to on the weekends, especially for the live jazz band!

The jazz band was amazing. Particularly enjoyed the singer who had an unbelievable voice. Came with a mom friend and we had a great and relaxing time having wine and enjoying the talented live music. Would definitely come again to enjoy the band. A great addition to Laurel Ave.

I had been here before it was Savanna Jazz, when it was the dive bar Clooneys, which was usually at the bottom of my list of things to do when I came to San Carlos… I wasn’t sure what Savanna Jazz could do with a space like this, given its prior history, but boy am I surprised. Savanna Jazz is a perfect space for Laurel street, with a classy and trendy atmosphere, great music and wonderful customer service. The live music on Fridays and Saturdays is great!!! This place reminds me of something in San Francisco and Oakland, except nicely situated in the local Laurel street. So, I wasn’t surprised to find out that it had previously been located in SF. I love having a place that adds culture, music, food and great drinks to a very fun, but often monotonous downtown area. A great new addition to Laurel and I will definitely be back!