Inside The ‘DAM Bar!
Amsterdam is known for many other privileges where you can laugh, dance, drink, relax; but down a slim side street near the Centraal Station, will lead you to the whispers of a Jazz Bar.
The secrecy of a Jazz Bar feels like luxury, a bar-sized bite of heaven. Jazz flows the same across all countries, each soul connected to each note, adding flare, almost electric to the touch.
Well I felt electrified, after I stumbled in the Jazz Cafe Alto expecting nothing but a great night!
Jazz is the only genre that stands firm despite the amount of audience. I’d personally feel comfortable when listening to Jazz no matter how big/small the audience, because Jazz takes you to it’s world. A world of expression, freedom, chaos, softness and rapid; where it’s just you and Jazz. The less the people, the sweeter it sounds, the more the people, the sweeter it feels. Jazz Cafe Alto had the perfect balance. Walking into the bar was an experience close to the 1940’s, everyone is welcoming and feeling some sort of love.
A stage was set, intermissions in between sets allowed for like-minded people to easily slip into conversations. The music was mesmerising, always leaving you wondering where the next note jumps to. Some Jazz players and even Jazz bars maintain a levelled atmosphere, enchanting the audience with soothing, smooth blues and soul, occasionally sprinkling a few funky highlights throughout the piece. BUT the musicians at Jazz Cafe Alto were experimental geniuses! The silent conversation between each musician’s eyes was satisfying to watch, as they led us on a wild journey through their minds, syncing as one, feeling as though I was riding a rollercoaster.
I loved how within each set, every musician had a moment to freestyle and add their own jazz to the piece. Jazz is a free flowing genre, unlike other genres, the time structures/signatures are widely flexible which means that instrumental breaks usually have an extended amount of freestyles. Song structures are also loosened opposed to the rigid Chorus-Verse-Pre-chorus-Bridge song form.
A singer performed a set with the live band, gaining each listening ear in the room. Scatting away; harmonic sounds and positive frequencies running through my body, influencing me and my cocktail. Encouraging, warmth emotions, persuading me to open and connect with musicians and the surrounding audience members!
The drinks were kept classic on the menu, as the music was the speciale. I wouldn’t have thought that a Monday night would be vibrant and lively! The experience of raw passion and talent is drawing, regardless of the night’s presence.
I always aim to find a piece of my heart in every city I travel to, and today, Jazz Cafe Alto has called me in!
To reflect
When you travel, what helps you feel truly connected to a city—its people, its hidden corners, or the moments you never planned to find?
How do shared experiences, like live music, shape the way you connect with strangers in unfamiliar places?
Music is the universal language, filtering throughout every step of your walk, slightly adjusting your tune everyday. To read more about it, check into our blog ‘Music: The Universal Language Of The World’ written by Elizabeth Estell.
Blog written by Shaquilla 20/01/26
