San Jose sessions

Your jam session info hub

This section includes sessions in the near vicinity of San Jose from Sunnyvale down to Santa Cruz and all points south.

Five Points, San Jose

When: Monday jazz session 8-11pm

Where:Five Points Bar 169 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.982.5816

Host: Rotating, expect tons of SJSU characters

Session FB link here. Send a review!

Good musicians, rotating every week. The crowd is SJSU-based, especially when the hosts went there. 21+ only. (updated Apr 2019 by DF)

The SJSU cats continue to gather with their various projects on Mondays. No word on whether they still welcome strangers. Calling ahead wouldn't hurt, at all. [Updated Sep 2024 by SJ]
This jam needs re-confirmation. [May 2025]

Woodhams, Santa Clara

When: Mondays 8-11pm

Where: Woodhams Sports Lounge, , 4475 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara 408.247.3144

Host: Jimmy Tone & JSL Project

Weekly jams are back at Woodhams, which is undergoing something of a re-brand. FB feed has recent info. Send a review! [Updated May 2025 by SJ]

The Quarter Note, Sunnyvale

When: Sunday (8pm) and Thursday (8pm) nights

Where: The Quarter Note, 1214 Apollo Way #409 (next to Lawrence Expwy), Sunnyvale 408.732.2110

Host: Varies

This is a blues-rock Jam night and a legendary place for guitar-slingers to show their stuff, and maybe less so for horns. Zoo-like atmosphere at times and rock-n-roll is always available on the menu. Please send reviews to let us know what's playing these days.

Jams still going per calendar. Venue FB page here, with an entry from Aug 2024 actually BEGGING for horn players to show up to jams with a free cocktail as enticement. [Update Sep 2024 by SJ)

Fuego

When: Monday blues jam 8-11pm

Where: Fuego Sports Bar & Club 140 S Murphy Ave Sunnyvale, CA 408-786-0434

Host: Dennis Dove

Johnny Cat and Mike Phillips are also regular hosts. Current location for the Dove crew's long-running South Bay jam. [Updated Mar 2025 by RD]
This jam needs re-confirmation. [May 2025 by SJ]

Little Lou's BBQ, Campbell

When: Thurs blues jam 7:30-11pm
Where: Little Lou's BBQ,

Host: varies

Blues session was well-established before it moved to Lou's. The jazz session no longer appears in the calendar. Jams may be pre-empted by sports broadcasts. Check the calendar, and send a review!

The Note Lounge, Milpitas (formerly Blue Note)

When: Tuesday blues session 7:30-11pm

Where: The Note Lounge, 765 E Capitol Ave, Milpitas 408. 262. 8363

Host: Gleidson Sousa

Tuesdays jam still going, with recent mentions per host FB page. [Updated May 2025 by SJ]

Gardino's restaurant

When: Tuesday and Wednesday blues jams 7:30-11pm

Where: Gardino Fresco 51 N. Santa Cruz Ave Los Gatos, CA (408) 354.8788

Host: Rotating

The FB feed (there are a couple, one is not updated) has more current info. The "open mic" mentions on the venue's social media are confusing; to clarify, the Tuesday jam is not an open mic, hosts are providing backline.
(From one of the Tuesday hosts) No acoustic. The format is the house band plays 45 mins or so and then jammers sign up to play and they go as long as they want. Then the house band is supposed to close things out for the final 30 minutes, but sometimes the jammers go on longer and we let them play. We also let the horn players who have come to jam join us during our opening and closing sets. One time JC Smith showed up. That was a treat. [Updated May 2025 by KD]

The Sand Bar (formerly Fog Bank), Capitola

When: Pro Blues Jam Sunday evenings 7-11pm, other occasional days

Where: The Sand Bar, 211 Esplanade, Capitola 831.462.1881

Host: Dennis Dove, John Michael, Don Caruth, other rotating hosts

Dennis always serves up a great time when he's hosting. His usual crew is guitarist Johnny Cat, Admiral Stuart Horton, Oliver Harris.

Sunday sessions still going per venue site page, and their music calendar page on venue site shows a horn player. Woo-Hoo!! [Updated May 2025 by SJ]

Poor House Bistro, San Jose

When: Blues Jam Wednesdays 6-9pm

Where: Poor House Bistro, 317 W. St. John St San Jose CA 408-292-5837

Host: Rotating

The jams here are off and on. Lately they're back on. Some seasoned regulars are taking turns hosting. The FB feed has more current info than the web site. Send a review! [Updated June 2025 by SJ]

Charleys, Los Gatos

Venue has sold as of July 2024, and closed for the interim. [Update Aug 2024 by SJ]

Cafe Stritch, San Jose

Where: Cafe Stritch, 374 S 1st St, San Jose 408.280.6161

Appears to be closed, a casualty of the pandemic.

Murphy's Law, Sunnyvale

Murphy's closed it's doors in Jan 2024.

Number One Broadway, Los Gatos

Music Wed-Sat but no jams detected. (Updated Nov 2021 by SJ)

Moss Landing Inn, Moss Landing

The restaurant closed its doors in Jan 2024.

Blue Rock Shoot, Saratoga

Venue closed. Sessions moved to Little Lou's - See entry above.

The Pocket, Santa Cruz

Venue has closed as of Nov 2021.

JJ's Lounge, San Jose

JJ's Blues was obliterated a while ago. Evidently "bottle service" and craft cocktails didn't work. [Updated Sep 2024 by SJ]

Givin' it back, and keepin' it real. Since 2000.