Savanna Jazz Bar / Jazz Club / Live Music Venue / Restaurant

Mission, San Francisco –

The seasoned musicians who take to Savanna Jazz’s small stage five nights a week aren’t drawing a crowd with their made-up pop looks or licentious dance moves, but with their fierce dedication to pure Brazilian and Latin jazz.

Old-school music junkies drop in early so they have time to scan the myriad albums and photos on display, or perhaps to ensure a spot at the bar, where they can sip a beer and strum their fingers without having to chit-chat with the young hipsters hovering nearby.

Conversation around the small tables dotting the room is more likely about the progression of bebop from its west-African roots than what Lady Gaga has been up to, and even when the upcoming act is little-known, many patrons begin calling out requests the minute the band steps on stage.

With the exception of Wednesdays, when several tables are removed to make room for swing dancing, the venue and its crowd of literary types and amateur music historians stays mellow, as erstwhile creatives pass the time between sets opining on how the iPod destroyed music.

Savanna Jazz regulars aren’t known for doling out freebies, so the applause that follows a performance is always sincere, even if the folks onstage don’t care so much about claps or recognition – for them, it’s all about hitting that perfect next note.