Boozy Muse
The club is temporarily closed.
（ブージー・ミューズ）(臨時休業中です。)
Kokoro B1F, 1-8-20, Kita-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. (03)3362-4766.
〒169-0074 東京都新宿区北新宿1-8-20 Kokoro B1F
Cover charge is from 2,500 yen to 4,000 yen. Show starts from 19:40. Sometimes afternoon shows or jam sessions on Saturdays and Sundays.
3 minutes walk from Okubo Station North Exit (Chuo Line), or 5 minutes walk from Shin-Okubo Station (Yamanote Line). From the north exit of Okubo station turn left and then left again, look for a newish, well-designed building.
One of the most sleek and elegant clubs in the city, the Boozy Muse is a genuine escape into a fully considered jazz space. The calm of being inside helps you focus on the music. The sound system is set up to precision, so the music fills the space and surrounds the listeners, so it can be felt deep in the body, not just with the ears at a distance.
The counters and rails of Boozy Muse gleam, even in the dark, and the comfortable sofas let everyone pack in when it gets busy, or spread out when there are fewer people. Usually, though, it’s packed. The mirrored back wall does more than give the illusion of twice the space, it seems to double the energy of the room.
Food is excellent, if pricier than some other clubs and the amazingly long cocktail menu is hard to resist. Every aspect of the experience is taken into consideration. Glasses are polished to a gleam, hors d’oevres placed precisely, and everything on the menu comes out lovingly prepared and gorgeously presented. But for those who like to eat before or after the show, the club is close to Shinjuku, but far enough away to breathe, and the immediate area around Okubo and Shin-Okubu offers plenty of ethnic food within easy walking distance.
Elegant surroundings are one thing, but more importantly, the music is excellent at Boozy Muse. The club showcases a selection of musicians from the top ranks of the city’s jazz scene. Perhaps because of the high attention given to every facet of the interior, musicians play with a serious attitude here. The stage is ample, but not huge, so groups tend to be small, which is great to hear each solo carefully. The intimacy of performance and interior gives the club a very special atmosphere.