Bar at Le Comptoir du Jazz, Bordeaux

During my four days in Bordeaux, France, I was eager to try out a bit of French nightlife. A small city, I wasn’t honestly expecting much from Bordeaux but in the end was pleasantly surprised by the number of people in the streets, the rowdy vibe in the many downtown plazas and the wide array of music on nightly.

I checked out a few spots around town for live music and Le Comptoir du Jazz was by far my favorite. The club is connected to a restaurant which serves awesome meals and fabulous Bordeaux wine at fair prices. The perfect date: dinner at the restaurant and then a couple sets of live jazz or blues in the club.

In fact, when I was at Le Comptoir du Jazz on a Thursday night, the music was not jazz but blues. I am always a bit skeptical of blues being played by someone not from the USA, just as I would be skeptical about someone from the US playing flamenco…but the band at Le Comptoir du Jazz that evening were on fire, made  up of passionate musicians with lots of talent. Although they were all from the south of France, they sounded like they had just got off the train from New Orleans.

Sun Setting in Bordeaux

If you eat dinner at the adjacent restaurant, then the entrance into Le Comptoir du Jazz is free. Otherwise, plan on paying anywhere from $8 to $15 to get in. The interior of the club is classy and smoke-free, with some seating in the front and at the bar. A few daring souls were even dancing…

The only drawback is that the club is not in the center of the city. Couples could walk there, solo women should get a cab.

MORE:

http://www.myspace.com/comptoirdujazz

Post and photos by Regina Winkle-Bryan. See more of her writing on Spain at The Spain Scoop.com