Click MAP to locate destinations preceded by yellow numbers.

1 Jazz at Pearl's (256 Columbus; 415-291-8255) is a no-nonsense, compact jazz club that is not fancy, but comfortable. It is also the home base for veteran Bay Area modern jazz/bebop performers such as Vince Lateano, Bruce Forman and Smith Dobson Jr., plus up and comers who share a commitment to improvisation. No guarantee you'll witness outright genius on any given evening, but the energy level at Pearl's generally crackles.

2 Pier 23 (Pier 23 on the Embarcadero; 415-362-5125), a waterfront venue for gutbucket trad jazz 30 years ago, today attracts more up-to-date talent. Don't miss Ed Kelly and the Jazz Knights when they pull into the joint. Kelly is a fabulous piano player who ranges from Jelly Roll Morton to T. Monk.

3 Storyville (1751 Fulton; 415-441-1751) opened to fanfare on the premise that it would be a "classic" jazz supper club. Its jazz-player owners decorated the place in a faux-elegant New Orleans style, and the talent on the bandstand usually consists of their friends.

4 Enrico's (504 Broadway; 415-982-6223) is a restaurant with a sidewalk cafe brimming with '30s charm, savoir-faire, good food. Solid Dixieland jazz plays Friday nights and modern jazz other nights.

5 Hi-Ball Lounge (473 Broadway; 415-397-9464) is pure '40s and '50s kitsch decorated in red and black, highlighted by potted palms and a neon Lucky Strike sign. Live swing performed by such bands as LaVay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers magnetically lures decked-out hip cats.

6 Moose's (1652 Stockton; 415-989-7800), presided over by owner Ed Moose, is a swank boite that attracts San Francisco power brokers and political shakers. Moose hires first-rate jazz pianists to tickle the ivories in less than recital hall circumstances.

7 Cobalt Tavern, formerly the Washington Square Bar & Grill (1707 Powell; 415-982-8123), is another gathering place for the movers and shakers, whose chatter battles nightly with blowsy trad, mainstream and bebop jazz aggregations. The late Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wrote about "Washbag" doings regularly, and often would sit in on drums with whomever was on the bandstand.

8 Cafe du Nord (2170 Market St.; 415-861-5016) is a hip, one-flight-down joint that features varied bookings. Swing/good times performer LaVay Smith is a club favorite, as are the funk/jazz Mofessionals. A night reserved for salsa jazz's Benny Velarde Supercombo is a favorite for dancing.

9 Bruno's (2389 Mission; 415-648-7701) is a huge, gauche Vegas-style restaurant flanked by a warren of connecting lounges, two of which feature lounge jazz, another a Latin American motif, and another, The Makeout Room, where the big attraction is the vibrating bed. Bruno's, jammed on weekends, is less a venue for introspective contemplation of the jazz muse than for full-body contact with nattily attired strangers sardining their way from one tight space to the next. Books strong local jazz talent.

10 Elbo Room (647 Valencia; 415-552-7788) introduces jazz to its Gen-X hip-hoppy clientele several times a month. A recent Friday night engagement featuring the no-holds-barred Mingus Amungus jazz ensemble, for instance, opened eyes and made converts. The club often books salsa bands, many with a distinctly jazzical edge.

11 Noe Valley Ministry (1021 Sanchez; 415-454-5238) presents a divergent spectrum of music, from popular to classical. This Presbyterian church, devoted to celebrating the world by raising joyous noise, presents a good share of jazz as well. Beyond that, there's a sort of jazz-like sense of surprise engendered by the sheer inclusiveness of the bookings at this musical treasure box, including music from Bali, down-home blues, classical works, ripping Afro-Cuban ensembles and Celts, Native Americans and Cajuns.

12 Nickie's (460 Haight; 415-621-6508) features DJ Consuelo, who spins rare groove jazz and soul recordings Thursday nights. An ideal setting when you prefer your conversation to be enwrapped by smoldering background '50s/'60s jazz and soul tracks.

13 The Beach Chalet (1000 Great Hwy.; 415-386-8439) features jazz Friday and Saturday nights and open mike Tuesday beginning at 6:30, a kicking accompaniment to the roistering crowds happily sucking up "hand-crafted" brews. Yet the expansive view of sunsets peeking through the fog rolling in over the Pacific is the real attraction. Shuttered for years, the turn-of-the-century chalet was refurbished and launched in 1997, with WPA murals carefully restored.

Omar Sosa Quintet at
Jazz at Pearl's

Vinyl at Pier 23

Marcus Shelby Trio
at Enrico's

Moose's