Távola Bar: The Jazz meeting point in Lisbon

Távola Bar opened for the first time in 1971, despite having a slightly different concept to what it currently has. From February 2023, Nuno Seabra, together with his family, transformed Távola Bar into a space suitable for Jazz music lovers.

According to Nuno Seabra, the concept of the bar “has changed over time”, with the “concept focused on jazz music and live jazz music being a relatively recent thing”. The founder of the new Távola Jazz Bar concept adds that work is being done to register the brand so that the space is recognised “everywhere.”

The concept of a Jazz Bar is not common in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, where Távola is located. Nuno Seabra told The Portugal News that he thought “it could be interesting to explore this niche” for Jazz lovers. In addition, the fact that both Nuno and his family, in particular his wife and daughter, are Jazz lovers, contributed to the opening of a space dedicated to this musical genre, as “being alone every day for the sake of business, listening to music we don’t like would be very unpleasant.”

The public

When asked whether the niche of Jazz lovers could be linked to a certain age group, Nuno Seabra reveals some doubts, despite mentioning that he does not serve “many customers under 23 and 24.” Nuno Seabra reveals that every Tuesday, the Jam Sessions feature “many young people and almost all music and jazz music students”, compared to the remaining days where the audience is a little older, around their 30s and 40s, or even older people who visit the space daily. Nuno Seabra ends up concluding that the bar receives an older audience when compared to other spaces in Lisbon, located in areas such as Bairro Alto and Cais do Sodré.

Jam Sessions

The space has a resident band that plays an important role in the Jam Sessions. The show begins with the band composed of the Romeu Tristão trio, which has a drummer, a double bassist and a pianist. After the initial concert, the musicians in the audience can go on stage and play and sing their songs, always linked to Jazz. Sometimes, musicians even take their musical instruments to play in jam sessions and make the performance more personal. Even so, Távola Jazz Bar has a piano available, which will facilitate pianists who may want to play during Jams Sessions.

The schedules

Despite being a night bar, the bar's opening hours had to be adapted due to its location. Therefore, Nuno Seabra tells The Portugal News that the concerts start at 8 p.m. and end somewhere around 11 p.m. After the concert, the music continues and the bar remains open, but in a more measured way, in a space where people can enjoy a cocktail or even a small meal such as toastie and other snacks.

A space of unity

Távola Jazz Bar works as a point of union between artists, Jazz lovers and even Nuno Seabra himself and his family.

The Hot Club, in Lisbon, was a bar with a similar concept to the Távola Jazz Bar. Unfortunately, it burned down in 2009 and later, in another space, the establishment was destroyed due to floods. Nuno Seabra emphasises that he does not feel like it is a replacement for the Hot Club, even though the artists feel that they can once again have a space to play and be welcomed by peers and those who appreciate Jazz music.

This whole atmosphere results in positive reviews on sites like TripAdvisor. Nuno Seabra still states that he feels there is a need to talk more about his space, which is located at Rua Coronel Bento Roma, number 16, in Alvalade, in the Lisbon district.

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos