A mainstay when it comes to live music venues in the Bay Area, Yoshi’s has always offered a diverse range of music and a great experience overall. While Yoshi’s did have venues in two locations, San Francisco and Oakland, the doors of the San Francisco one have now been shuttered. The Oakland location remains as the sole location and continues to offer an amazing music lineup that definitely should not be missed.
Opened in 1972, Yoshi’s started as a small sushi bar operating in North Berkeley. Over the next four decades though, it transformed itself to a top-rated jazz venue and has cultivated a deep name for itself as a premier jazz venue and Japanese cuisine location in the Bay Area.
The live music line up at Yoshi’s mainly focuses on live Jazz and offers Japanese cuisine as their food options. Their jazz lineup calendar is available here. The artists vary from solo performers to small jazz bands, each with their own diverse style of music.
Some highlights include artists such as Brown, Sturgis and Brown (to get a sense of their performing style, here is a video of their live performance), Rahsaan Patterson (some great tracks are available here and here) and the Jeremy Pelt Quintet (some tracks to get familiar with them can be found here and here)
However, Yoshi’s is not just a venue for Jazz lovers. Yoshi’s also frequently hosts legendary musical acts, such as The Spinners (previous performances at Yoshi’s by The Spinners are available here and here.)
Plus, Yoshi’s continues to have a great reputation in terms of the food and are highly lauded for their Japanese cuisine offerings. Recommended dishes include the smoked Kobe carpaccio and the spicy geisha roll.
With a broad lineup that appeals to many demographics, it is clear why Yoshi’s remains a staple in the Bay Area live music scene. Coupled with their great food and drink offerings, it is a perfect place to relax and enjoy some great music.
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.
November is looking good! Puts some live music in your life! 11/7: @ReneMarieSings, 11/18-19: @DigablePlanets, 11/28: @PeltJAzz pic.twitter.com/oP5uBfF1WX
— Yoshi’s Oakland (@yoshis_OAK) October 30, 2017
