Saxophone:
If you’re looking for Saxophone, just head to Victory Monument and seek out the bar with rows of Harley Davidsons out front. This legendary jazz club hosts a daily house band, with special performances by groups specializing in various jazz subspecies. With periodic appearances by blues bands and modern big band ensembles, Saxophone’s offerings run the gamut. The bar serves domestic beers in saxophone-shaped mugs and hosts the standard variety of cocktails, although we’d love to see them adopt the current prohibition-era cocktail trend. The mood here is dark and intimate and the seating is strategically placed around the stage so everyone has a clear view of the performers. Performances start at 9pm and the main act usually goes on at 11pm.
FIND IT:
Saxophone
3/8 Phaya Thai Rd
Fat Gut’z Saloon:
Known for its fish and chips, this cocktail bar hosts an excellent jazz band on the weekends. The lead singer hails from what’s known in America as the Deep South, evidence of which can be found in his impassioned vocals. The band plays while tucked away in the back corner of the bar, and Fat Gut’z is usually flooded with sharp looking and glamorous Thong Lor-ites, so make sure to get here at about 9pm if you want a seat with a view. The cocktails come courtesy of Joseph Boroski, which means they’re predictable in a good way, and well suited to Fat Gut’z’s dark woods and cozy atmosphere. Between the throngs of well-clad diners and the deafening hum, Fat Gut’z winds up fairly approximating the feel of a jazz bar in New York City.
FIND IT:
Fat Gut’z Saloon
1/F, Grass Thong Lor, 264 Thong Lor 12
Jazz Happens
This Phra Athit joint may look like an ordinary bar, but it has a secret: this is where the music students from Silapakorn University come to jam out. The main jam is jazz, but you’ll encounter some experimental music as well, depending on the day you go. The band is open to requests in case you’ve been dying to hear some Louis Armstrong or the like. As for the fare, expect standard Thai bar food and the usual sudsy suspects like Singha and Leo.
FIND IT:
Jazz Happen Bar
62 Phra Athit, Bangkok, Thailand
Photo: Jazz Happens’ Facebook page
Reader Interactions