Editorial
Seoul plays live in two keys. Hongdae built the country's indie scene in its basements and back rooms, the clubs that raised a generation of Korean rock and folk, while Itaewon and Gangnam kept the jazz tradition that started in the seventies. The oldest jazz club in Korea still books a band every night. We mapped the seven rooms where Seoul plays live best.
Seoul's jazz runs from a Hongdae room named for a piano legend to the oldest club in the country.
The basements of Hongdae built Korean indie, and these rooms still book the bands that carry it.
For the first stop, Club Evans in Hongdae is the room that defines live jazz in Seoul. For the deepest roots, All That Jazz has booked a band every night since 1976. For the indie history, Club Bbang has carried the Hongdae scene since 1994. Most of these take walk ins, though Once in a Blue Moon and the bigger Rolling Hall bills reward a booking. Check the night's calendar before you go.
Mei-Lin Zhao writes about the history and culture of city drinking. She traces each room back to its lineage, its music, and the neighborhood that shaped it.