Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, dubbed by Lonely Planet as "the world's best jazz club", is open every night presenting world-class international and national jazz musicians. The club dedicates itself to promoting and developing live jazz as an art form in its two performance rooms.

Located in the quintessential setting of a dead-end Melbourne laneway, Bennetts Lane Jazz Club was opened by Michael Tortoni in November 1992. Formerly of the rock n’ roll era with top charting albums, a string of wild gigs and Countdown appearances, Michael Tortoni (Gemini) starred as the bass playing, platform sporting, lapel and lycra-cladded spunk from the great Aussi rock band Taste. Performing with him were the now world famous Virgil Donati (drums), Ken Murdoch (songwriter, guitar and lead vocals), and Joey Amenta (guitar and lead vocals). The youngest band signed to Warner at the time germinated the musical seed that was to direct his life thereafter. His life in music saw him study classical double bass at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), perform live jazz improvisation in various trios and quartets, and never get distracted by the multitudes of fans from his rock and roll performances. His dedication to the presentation of live music performance has lead him to direct and support Bennetts Lane Jazz Club since its inception. He is also currently the Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and has been on its board since 2001.

The original room is housed in a building built for King O’Malley, a man significant to early Australian politics and the establishment of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Michael purchased the building when it was passed in at auction, saving it from becoming a “massage parlour”. His intention was to provide local musicians with a central purpose-built room in which to develop their craft and find their audiences, a desire fuelled by the state of live venues and the treatment of musicians at the time. His dream venue surpassed expectations when he was forced to open more nights due to countless musicians wanting to perform and the number of patrons interested in hearing them.

The original room has great natural acoustics and has been host to a number of world famous performers including Prince, Maceo Parker, Kenny Kirkland, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick Jnr., Paul Grabowsky, Joe Chindamo and Leroy Jones to name just a few.

Michael opened the second room in January 2000 to coincide with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival in the building next door to the original room. Known as the "Jazz Lab", Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Elling, Wayne Krantz, George Garzone, Jim Black, Kurt Rosenwinkel and many more have given outstanding performances there. However, with a 7 nights per week program, Bennetts Lane Jazz Club is dedicated to presenting Australian performers by providing a comfortable listening environment for their listeners, purpose built rooms, instruments and promotional opportunities. We're home to internationally acclaimed performers Allan Browne, Tony Gould, Vince Jones, Katie Noonan, Renee Geyer, Eugene Ball, Jamie Oehlers, Jordan Murray, Scott Tinkler, Paul Williamson and many many more.

We host presentations from the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the Women's International Jazz Festival, the Italian Jazz Festival, the Fringe Jazz Festival, and the Melbourne Jazz Cooperative. We have been instrumental in developing projects such as the Bennetts Lane BIG Band, presenting residencies for developing recording material, and curating educational programs for live recording studies. We are great supporters of aspiring and emerging talent through presenting assessment performances and graduation recitals from small school bands to large big bands, private and public secondary schools to the nation's best conservatories and universities. We host masterclasses and workshops and present education seminars. We offer our guidance to funding bodies and government agencies, and we sit on juries that determine talent, creativity, dedication and innovation in live music performance.

We have been awarded the "Best Australian Jazz Club" award every time the category ran in the Australian Bell Awards. However, now entering our twentieth year of operation, Michael's insight and support of the venue, the care afforded it by our dedicated staff, the nurturing of great musicians and their attentive audiences have helped solidify Bennetts Lane Jazz Club as the best place for live music performance in everybody's minds.

Please visit us any night to hear quality live jazz performances from the cutting edge and avant garde to the classics and standards that made the art form great. Our website will tell you about each performance and if you’ve any questions, don't hesitate to email or call us.

http://www.virgildonati.com/

http://www.myspace.com/tasteaus