From New Orleans to Hanoi
When jazz first drifted through New Orleans over a century ago, few could have imagined its rhythms crossing Louisiana's cobbled streets, traversing oceans, and becoming a universal language connecting kindred spirits worldwide. From smoky clubs in Chicago to the hidden corners of Paris and Berlin, jazz is more than just music with its spontaneous melodies and intricate harmonies—it is a symbol of emotional freedom that transcends words.
Jazz has spread far from its birthplace, becoming a global phenomenon. Festivals like the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland or the Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia attract thousands each year, embodying the spirit and resilience of jazz.
Jazz found its way to Vietnam through cultural exchanges during the French colonial era, when French officers and intellectuals brought Western music to major cities. In Hanoi, jazz swing tunes filled the air in bars, clubs, and hotel lounges, drawing in the city’s intellectuals and artists. Yet, at that time, jazz remained an exotic novelty for most Vietnamese people.
Since the 1990s, Hanoi has witnessed the vibrant growth of new cultural spaces where jazz found room to bloom. Many live music clubs, like Binh Minh Jazz Club—founded by the legendary saxophonist Quyen Van Minh, often hailed as the 'Godfather of Jazz in Vietnam'—and lounges in long-established five-star hotels like the Metropole Sofitel began to emerge. These sparks, though lit, remained somewhat spontaneous and localized. For a long time, jazz lingered within the embrace of a small circle of devotees. The general public, or the 'market' for jazz, was almost non-existent, with audiences often made up of a few familiar faces or foreign tourists passing through Hanoi.
The Resurgence of Jazz in Hanoi
When you think of Hanoi, a vision of a serene yet sophisticated city comes to mind. It is a place that, despite its evolving energy, still holds onto an endearing, timeless grace. Jazz, often thought to be reserved for a niche audience, has gradually found a warm embrace here, enriching the cultural heartbeat of the city. Jazz invites listeners, not as connoisseurs, but as souls willing to feel the music. It breaks barriers, creating a space where hearts can speak freely.
Across the world, a renewed love for jazz has begun to blossom, and Hanoi is no exception. More and more young people are drawn to its timeless appeal, and well-organized jazz events attract international artists and audiences alike. Jazz is becoming woven into the urban fabric of Hanoi.
For many Hanoians, a weekend ritual now includes visiting a jazz club—a way to seek out freedom, to momentarily escape the mundane. Jazz embodies a cultural bridge between tradition and modernity. In its spaces, strangers become friends, united by a common passion. From students, artists, and writers to office workers and tourists, all gather to let the melodies transport them. One evening, a young student might find herself tapping her feet beside an elderly artist lost in memories, while a visiting tourist sways along, captivated by the rhythm—all united by the spellbinding notes filling the air.
Long Waits Jazz Club - A New Beacon on Hanoi's Artistic Map
Tucked away in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the intimate and charming Long Waits Jazz Club breathes the essence of jazz—freedom, nostalgia, spontaneity, and passion. Founded by saxophonist Nguyen Bao Long and two friends in 2023, Long Waits is like a portal into another world, where jazz enthusiasts can lose themselves in every note.
Long Waits was created with love and meticulous care. From the warm lighting to the welcoming seating, every detail is designed to foster an atmosphere that feels like home—a place where you don't just listen to music, but live it.
A unique feature of Long Waits is a tribute series dedicated to performing "100 Classic Jazz Albums"—a cultural journey that Nguyen Bao Long has dedicated to Hanoi’s audience. Each week, the club performs an entire iconic album, from the gentle tones of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to the bold experiments of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. For the artists, these performances are not merely about playing music—they are about experiencing and sharing the journey that each album represents. The audience is taken along for the ride, learning about the evolution of jazz—a conversation between music and the soul.
This initiative also offers a space for young musicians to learn and grow, as Nguyen Bao Long pairs young talents with experienced veterans, giving them a chance to hone their craft through meaningful collaboration.
Nguyen Bao Long shares, “We do not play music just for entertainment but to live and understand each piece as a part of history.” For him, jazz is a way of life—a philosophy rooted in freedom, individuality, and love.
Connecting Hearts Through Music
Long Waits is not merely a venue for performances; it is a meeting ground where artists and audiences share stories, emotions, and experiences. Here, musicians are encouraged to pour their hearts into their performances, to convey their own stories through the notes they play. Even if they do not grasp every nuance of jazz, audiences at Long Waits can feel the passion and sincerity of the artists.
The saxophone’s cry—sometimes gentle, sometimes soaring—evokes freedom, expansiveness, and even a tender loneliness that only jazz can express. Picture John Coltrane's rendition of 'Naima'—the way each note seems to linger in the air, touching emotions that words cannot describe, capturing both the beauty and melancholy that jazz embodies. In its spontaneity, jazz offers an escape—a way for listeners to connect with their true selves, if only for a fleeting moment.
Jazz, with its free spirit and raw emotional expression, has brought a new breeze into Hanoi’s cultural life. It offers the people of Hanoi—those who have long cherished tradition—a chance to see the world through a more open, modern lens.
Nguyen Bao Long and his partners have chosen a challenging but rewarding path, not just to perform music but to create a community that celebrates beauty in art. Long Waits, with its jazz-filled nights, has woven itself into the memory of Hanoi—a place where strangers become friends, where music is a common language that connects hearts.
There is no place quite like Hanoi, where a distant genre of music has found a home that is both simple and special. With jazz, Vietnam’s capital has become a confluence of tradition and modernity—a destination where every note tells a story. For those who come, there will be unforgettable moments in the embrace of this music. And perhaps, one night, in the depths of the Old Quarter, they will hear a jazz whisper—a part of Hanoi, a part of the world, a part of themselves.
