East Bay

Jupiter (2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; 510-843-7625), downtown Berkeley’s favorite blues-jazz saloon, has music upstairs loud enough to be heard throughout the always crowded two floors. Charlie Hunter, Dave Ellis, Sarah Manning and other well-known locals have played here.

The Baltic (135 Park Place, Point Richmond; 510-237-4782) for many years has featured trad-jazz groups, ragtime pianists, blues guitarists, occasionally a mixture of all styles and singers. A real roadhouse-saloon atmosphere.

In the post-war 1940s, The Alley (3325 Grand Ave., Oakland; 510-444-8505) was famous among Cal students for its dollar steak dinners and a good jukebox for dancing.

Then in the 1950s, Rod Dibble, a fine sing-along pianist, took over; more than 50 years later, he’s still at it. Every night there’s a crowd around his piano, suggesting songs from operas to Broadway hits to a century’s worth of pop.

The Jazzschool (2087 Addison St., Berkeley; 510-845-5373) is a seven-day-a-week institution that regularly presents outstanding local jazz musicians (some faculty members) in concert in the school’s small recital hall. Often, musicians appearing elsewhere locally (such as at Yoshi’s) will present informal recitals at the school. Worth a phone call if you’re going to be in Berkeley.

Downtown (2102 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; 510-649-3810) schedules excellent jazz combos and singers who perform at the far end of the stylish restaurant. Nice bar, good food, sight and sound lines.

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