All that Jazz

You can find a surprising variety of jazz styles played in Hong Kong music venues. Ned Kelly’s Last Stand in Tsim Sha Tsui is one of Hong Kong’s oldest pubs – established in 1972 – and its house band does Dixieland jazz punctuated by amusing banter every night of the week, attracting an enthusiastic crowd to its saloon-style setting.

Foxglove is a speakeasy offering great cocktails and live music in upscale surroundings. The venue hosts musicians from Tuesdays to Saturdays, many of whom play jazz standards, though there are also funk, soul, RnB and rock performances, all of which can be enjoyed alongside creative cocktails and modern Cantonese cuisine.

Hong Kong concerts come in a quirky variety of spaces, too, whether it’s Central’s Salon 10, where whimsical interiors are the backdrop for jazz, reggae and Latin music; Hostel Wontonmeen, a guest house, art space, bike shop and all-round creative living room where budding jazz musicians from around the world congregate and perform; or Visage One, run by Benky Chan, a barber by day and a music promoter by night, who transforms his small barbershop into an informal venue that welcomes jazz and blues musicians playing to an intimate, first-come, first-served crowd.