Indiana’s jazz history runs deeper than most people outside the state realise. Louis Armstrong made his first recordings here — not in New Orleans or Chicago, but in a piano factory in Richmond. Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, J.J. Johnson and David Baker all came out of Indianapolis. The scene that produced them is still playing.
Here’s where to find jazz across the state, from dedicated clubs to the rooms that programme it a few nights a month.
The Dedicated Rooms
Three venues where jazz isn’t one genre among many — it’s the reason the room exists.
The Jazz Kitchen — Indianapolis
Open since 1994 in SoBro, and named one of the world’s top 100 jazz clubs by DownBeat. Jazz, Latin, soul and funk, six or seven nights a week, in a room that works as a supper club as much as a listening room. Doors at 5 for dinner. There’s also a free Monday jam session, walk-in, no cover. Full profile.
Chatterbox Jazz Club — Indianapolis
A narrow, dark room on Mass Ave that has been booking live jazz nightly for decades. No frills and no cover most nights. Full profile.
Merrimans’ Playhouse — South Bend
A genuine listening room in South Bend, programming touring and regional jazz artists. The kind of place where people actually stop talking when the set starts. Full profile.
Rooms That Book Jazz Regularly
- Club Soda — Fort Wayne. Jazz, standards and soul in a downtown supper club.
- The Club Room at The Clyde — Fort Wayne. Local blues, jazz, soul and funk, most nights of the week, no cover.
- Blockhouse Bar — Bloomington. Jazz sits alongside honky tonk, blues, Latin and reggae in one of the most eclectic booking calendars in the state.
- The Orbit Room — Bloomington. Folk, shoegaze, hardcore, jazz and indie — all over the map on purpose.
- Bokeh Lounge — Evansville. Rock, funk, jazz and singer-songwriters in the Haynie’s Corner arts district, with a Sunday jazz slot.
- The Cabaret — Indianapolis. Cabaret and the American songbook, which puts a lot of jazz on its stage.
The Big Rooms
Venues that programme jazz as part of a wider season — worth watching rather than dropping in on.
- Hilbert Circle Theatre — Indianapolis. The ISO’s home, with jazz and vocalists alongside the classical season.
- The Palladium — Carmel. World-class acoustics and a programme that regularly includes jazz and songbook artists.
- Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael — Carmel. Supper club in the Michael Feinstein orbit; songbook and jazz are the house style.
- Buskirk-Chumley Theater — Bloomington. Singer-songwriters, folk, Americana, jazz and world music.
- Emens Auditorium — Muncie. Ball State’s 3,300-seat hall; national touring artists including jazz.
- Everwise Amphitheater — Indianapolis. Outdoor, summer only, with jazz among the touring mix.
Recurring Jazz Nights
- Mondays — Jazz Jam Session at The Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis. Free, walk-in, general admission.
- Tuesdays — jazz at The Mousetrap, Indianapolis, with Rob Dixon, Clinton Carrington and Reggie Bishop.
- Thursdays — Latin Dance Party at The Jazz Kitchen.
- Sundays — afternoon jazz at Bokeh Lounge, Evansville.
Our full open mic and jam list has more, including which host is running the Slippery Noodle’s Wednesday blues jam each week.
One More Thing
If you care about jazz in Indiana, the Gennett Records story is worth an hour of your time. Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke and Duke Ellington all recorded in Richmond in the 1920s, and you can still walk the ground where the studio stood.
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