As the name implies, the venue in question is a Jazz Club. As the name
also implies, the Jazz club is named after the owner whose nickame is none other than "
Blow Job" hence the BJ's part of the name.
The place has been around for a while and has a tortuous history, claiming its fair share of
fame and
notoriety for events and incidents that spice up its history like flakes of
dried chili peppers on a plate of
spaghetti alla puttanesca.
A Brief History
The site where BJ's is today had been a
pub since the late
sixties and was bought and converted to it's current state some time around
1975. I mention its current state because renovation is considered to be a natural phenomenon by the owner so he feels bad about interfering. During the seventies the place enjoyed the popularity that the
jazz scene brought with it, and
live music was appreciated as a
veritable source of
entertainment. Live bands would sit in and
improvise until
two in the morning after which the place would close to the outside world, leaving a select few single businessmen, the musical stragglers and an adequate supply of
cocaine and other wonderful chemicals that altered the mood and outlook of the select few. To overcome the "fame" that this caused, BJ's started organising a musical
marathon where the
proceeds would be donated to a particular charity. The cause is different each year, and the tradition lasts until today with the marathon increasing in length each year, lasting for about 8 days in total. All local
bands and individual
musicians contribute to the
worthy cause and the associated excuse to meet up and
drink oneself silly at 5 am in the name of
charity and
good will.
Why Bother?
The club is bang in the centre of the hottest entertainment area on the
Island but is neatly
buried undergound and totally soundproof. The atmosphere is relaxed enough to promote the place to the status of "
living room" in my personal classification of night-spots. The lights are
dim and the
music ranges from
acceptable to
awesome. There is a different band every night with the exception of
Sunday nights when the stage is open to all. The house
instruments are not of a particularly good quality but
rugged enough to withstand the
toll of hundreds of musicians beating the
crap out of them on a regular basis until they
fail with an
asthmatic wheeze or an
anaemic sigh. The
drinks are priced to coincide with the local average, meaning about 2 US$ for a
pint of
beer or a measure of
spirit and about 1US$ for a
soft drink. In short, it is the typical
dark,
smokey place with ethnic sculptures on the walls and the occasional
cigarrette burn on the carpet where you can turn up in a
dinner jacket or
track suit and
blend in perfectly each time.
Despite the title, the variety of musical styles one encounters at BJ's is surprisingly broad. Classical
Jazz trios, complete with the
regulation grey hair and
deep wrinkles make way for
pop-rock bands featuring the
latest face on the block. A quiet
Blues jam is spiced up by the budding
percussionist adding his two cents on the
djembes. In short the stage is a mixing pot for as wide a variety of
musicians and
drummers as the Island can offer.
Getting yer ass down there:
The exact address is:
BJ's Jazz Club
Ball Street,
Paceville.
Malta.
- Hop onto a plane with destination Malta, Europe.
- Take a taxi to St. Julians (aka Paceville pronounced Pach-é-ville).
- Pick your way carefully to Ball Street, across the road from KFC
- BJ's is the inconspicuous entrance on the left next to the Turkish kebab place.
The chances of meeting
me there range from remote before 11pm on weekdays to highly likely after 1am on Thursdays and Sundays.