Jazz and Blues - Toronto Hotels .com

Recognized for having a vibrant jazz and blues scene, Toronto boasts many world-renowned clubs, concert venues, and music festivals. The downtown core comes alive in June and July with the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, as talented performers play to a packed audience. Unlike the annual that takes place in July, the downtown festival is mainly held indoors and lasts for several days.

But music lovers don't have to wait until the summer to hear great jazz and blues. As Toronto's home of the blues, Grossman's Tavern (379 Spadina Ave.) has been open since 1948 and features live jam sessions on Sunday nights and live entertainment seven days a week. And as a musical mecca for both jazz and blues fans, the Rex Hotel (194 Queen St. W.) hosts many talented local artists and has a busy live calendar of around 18 shows a week. Every jazz enthusiast should take in a concert at Massey Hall, (178 Victoria St.) the site of the legendary Quintet session--the only performance in which jazz luminaries Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charles Mingus played together.

Other Attractions to Check Out:

• Music Gallery (197 John St.)
• The Silver Dollar Room (486 Spadina Ave.)
• Palais Royale (1601 Lakeshore Blvd. W.)