Shanghai Jazz
based on 2 Reviews
Madison, NJ 07940
Genres:
Typical earnings for each musician
$100–75125based on input from 2 reviews
Paid via…
- Lump sum?: Yes (2 votes)
- Donations?: No (1 vote)
- Free food?: Yes (2 votes)
- Free drinks?: Yes (2 votes)
Business practices
- Non-profit?: No (2 votes)
- Musician-run?: No (2 votes)
- Rental fee?: No (2 votes)
- Books local acts?: Yes (2 votes)
- Books out-of-town acts?: Yes (1 vote)
- Promotes the acts it hires?: Yes (1 vote)
Backline
- Piano?: Yes (2 votes)
- Piano in tune?: No (2 votes)
- Keyboard?: No (1 vote)
- Drumset?: Yes (1 vote)
- Keyboard amp?: No (2 votes)
- Guitar amp?: No (2 votes)
- Bass amp?: Yes (1 vote) No (1 vote)
- Direct box?: No (1 vote)
- PA system?: Yes (1 vote)
- Sound person?: No (2 votes)
The room
- Stage?: Yes (1 vote) No (1 vote)
- Backstage/Green Room?: Yes (1 vote) No (1 vote)
- Space for dancing?: No (2 votes)
- Primarily background music?: Yes (1 vote) No (1 vote)
- Serves Food?: Yes (2 votes)
- Liquor License?: Yes (1 vote)
- Capacity: 50-300 (2 votes)
Reviews from musicians
04-30-2023
Pros: The owner is nice, the food is good. It’s a pleasant space.
Cons: I’ve played here a few times in the last few years and the piano is always badly out of tune. Generally, it’s not a listening room - people talk loudly. They’re primarily there for the food.
If you accept it for what it is, it’s fine. But this is not the upper-tier jazz club it was decades ago when people like Marian McPartland played here.
01-05-2012
Shanghai Jazz is a pretty successful jazz club and Chinese restaurant in Madison NJ. I've played there several times. The owner, David, runs a tight ship but is pretty gracious and appreciative of the music. 2 sets, in-between which the band gets a terrific Chinese meal and you can have whatever you'd like from the bar. My only quibble is that while the bread is ok, seems to me it could be a notch higher given the reasonable to great business he seemed to be doing - my pay was from $75-$125 depending on the band I was with - seems to me $100-150 would be right for a sideman....
But overall, a very nice place to play.