"You took the part/That once was my heart/So why not take/All of me?"

"Careful, amigo/You're flippin'/Speaks Latin/That satin doll."

"Where the rhythm swooped and swirled/The jazz corner of the world/And the cats that gigged in there/Were way beyond compare/Birdland."

"What's it all about, Alfie?"

Many of Roppongi's jazz clubs have borrowed their names from these timeless lyrics. Their signs hover above the leer and pretension of Roppongi's other eye-grabbing signboards, conjuring up images of jazz's past and intimating that something of the frantic, glitzy energy outside is channeled into the music and atmosphere inside.

In the dense profusion of all-night venues devoted to fun and profit, the numerous jazz clubs seem to strike the golden mean in aesthetics and budget, ranging from sleazy to refined, from student discounts to jaw-dropping exorbitance. Despite economic downturns and competition from their neighbors, handfuls of clubs offer top-quality live jazz on a nightly basis and manage to keep their seats regularly filled. Depending on the performer, prices vary from a few thousand yen to the occasional 10,000 yen at STB 139. Styles range from Las Vegas showy to somber, hard-edged be-bop.

With names drawn from classic vocal tunes, it's no surprise that many of Roppongi's clubs feature singers. All of Me, a few blocks in the direction of Nogizaka, is devoted almost entirely to jazz vocals. It showcases performers who may not have made their name yet, but have put together a good band that knows how to swing. Satin Doll maintains a straight-ahead stance with emphasis on vocals, but it varies its line-up with big bands, bop quartets and unusual configurations, such as a string quartet with trombone. The clientele likewise rotates between business people, young hipsters and aficionados. With plush sofa seats and a sleek designer space, it's easy to sit back, relax and really enjoy the music.

A short walk in the opposite direction, toward Azabu, will bring you to Roppongi Pit Inn, sister club to Shinjuku's Pit Inn. Though singers or acoustic jazz groups take the stage many nights, the Pit Inn really specializes in electric jazz. Besides the many local regulars, who sometimes record there, the club brings in other musicians, such as guitarist Allan Holdsworth, on semi-regular tours to Japan. By the end of the evening, your posterior might not like the churchlike pew benches and wooden chairs, but your ears will love the sound system. The massive, ceiling-high speakers angle in to cover the entire audience space with crisp sound resolution and exceptional clarity.

Though Satin Doll and Pit Inn are reasonably sized venues, they can't compare to STB 139, also known as Sweet Basil's. This huge club has a full dinner menu, an extensive beer and wine selection, uniformed wait staff and balcony seating. Their diverse schedule encompasses Okinawan folk, gospel, Gypsy music, flamenco, chanson, salsa and tango, with about half of the monthly line-up devoted to jazz. Because of their size and facilities (I've heard there's actually an elevator from the dressing room to the stage, almost unheard of in other clubs where musicians take breaks at back tables), STB can regularly invite well-known jazz players -- from Sadao Watanabe and Terumaso Hino to Mike Stern and Bill Bruford. STB is a well-run establishment that may crimp the budget, but always provides an impressive evening out.

For a snugger jazz venue, with pure jazz, Alfie is Roppongi's best. Though the tables are close to the stage and each other, the small interior uses its carefully designed space effectively. On busy nights, the intimate space becomes a shrine to jazz. This club is a favorite with musicians, too, and for good reason. Owner Yoko Hino has a hip awareness of how to create a total atmosphere that encourages the right balance between relaxed and intense. Players know that the audience is mainly there for the music, rather than diversion, but also that they speak the same musical language. The cream of Tokyo's jazz scene can be found playing here regularly. After the two early sets -- which start at 8:30 -- Hino turns the place over to all-night jam sessions starting around 1 and continuing on until dawn almost every night.

The oldest club in the area, and reputedly the oldest in Japan, is Birdland. Originally started as a Hawaiian music club by longtime owner and jazz promoter Kimiko Ota, Birdland filled out the club's schedule by turning to jazz in the boom-boom years of the '50s and '60s. The many photos of Ota with American jazz stars attest to its prominence. You can still bring your grass skirt on Mondays for Hawaiian Night, but other evenings are devoted to swing, vocals and Dixieland. The atmosphere can be reminiscent of a Las Vegas lounge, but it's warm and welcoming, with solid performers every night of the week.

As if to emphasize the continuity with jazz tradition, there's even the Bar Bourbon Street with live blues every night from 9. Set off from the main street, Bourbon Street draws as much from country blues as it does from New Orleans' Mardi Gras. It feels fitting to have it here, symbolically for the roots connection to blues and New Orleans, as well as for its good music.

Despite the presence of these clubs, all is not well on the jazz scene. Satin Doll recently cut back on its weekend shows and veteran club Bash!, which appealed to fans of hard bop and the Hammond B3 organ, closed its doors last year. Despite these cutbacks, the jazz tradition of several venues all within walking distance still thrives in Roppongi. In this area's clubs, jazz often seems to be the start of the evening, with a simmering edge of wildness, a freer flow of liquor, more animated conversations and a shared love of live music as one of life's great pleasures.

Of course, jazz has always felt at home in the liveliest areas of town. After all, the legendary birthplace of jazz, New Orleans' Storyville, was a brothel district. Likewise, the famed, late-night districts of Chicago, Kansas City and New York all provided a vibrant, if unsavory, setting for clubs, musicians and fans. Though Roppongi can't really boast a fertile scene of stylistic innovation, it's no surprise that this is the chosen milieu for many of Tokyo's jazz clubs. That atmosphere is where jazz has always flourished.