Best Club For Blues/Jazz

Mercy, it's hot, and that can only mean that the spotlight's going up at the Rhythm Room, where co-owner and booker Bob Corritore has been keeping the dirty blue flame lit for nigh onto a decade. The site plays host to legends of the form like R.L. Burnside and Henry Gray, and it also provides a historically rooted training ground for up-and-comers like the Royal Crowns and the North Mississippi All-Stars. With the RR's deep, wide layout and sunken dance floor, it's tough to find a bad seat, and the sound is generally nothing short of superb. The styles encompass swing and jump boogie, Delta blues, rockabilly retro, country slide and acoustic jazz. The variety and range of national acts can lend a happy air of unpredictability: When Southern Culture on the Skids last played the RR, they set up a half-barrel chicken grill in the parking lot for the ticket line and hired an exotic dancer for their road manager's birthday. You just can't put a price on that kind of cool.