Big Apple Jazz Tours
(917) 863-7854
gordon@bigapplejazz.com
Creating off-beat-paths to
Harlem's Hidden Jazz Haunts
Since 1997
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PARLOR ENTERTAINMENT
Every Sunday at 3:30PM
(Don't be late)
555 Edgecombe Ave. #3F (at W160th
Street)
Sugar Hill, Harlem, NYC
(212) 781-6595
Admission: Free donations accepted
BOOKS of INTEREST
Lorraine Gordon is still a presence at the Village Vanguard
into her 90's. She's amazing, and her late husband, Max Gordon, is the
legend that opened the club in 1935. These books are a great start
when diving into the New York Jazz scene.
Alive at the
Village Vanguard
by Lorraine Gordon
Live at the
Village Vanguard
by Max Gordon
Check out these other books which will put you in the
mood to spend the better part of your life hearing jazz live in New York or
wherever you are tonight!
Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday
Jazz: A History of the New York Scene
The Cotton Club
Cafe Society: The
Wrong Place for the Right People by Barney Josephson
Really the Blues by Mezz Mezzrow
Miles by Miles Davis
Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original
We Called It Music by Eddie Condon
Beneath the Underdog by
Charles Mingus
Raise Up Off Me by Hampton Hawes
|
Manhattan Jazz Clubs
listed alphabetically
55
Bar
(212) 929-9883
55 Christopher St. (Seventh Ave. So. / Waverly Place)
Bar dates back to Prohibition, having opened in 1919. Miles Davis Band
veteran, Mike Stern holds most Mondays; and other regulars include:
Sweet Georgia Brown, and KJ Denhert. Small cover and 2 drink
minimums for late sets. Early shows begin around 6 or 7PM with no
cover; and late shows begin around 10PM. Weekends can get a
little bluesier. Get here early for prime seating because the
club is small and Mike Stern et. al. packs them in. Everyone
booked here is playing for keeps, so you're bound to find some of the
best young players around pointing you in a forward direction along
with the seasoned veterans.. Live music 7 nights a week.
No kitchen. For more information see:
Big Apple Jazz 55 Bar Club Profile by Gordon Polatnick
5C
Jazz Café
(212) 477-5993
68 Ave. C (southeast corner of 5th St.)
A
living example of Bruce Morris' vision was the creation, with Trudy Silver,
of the 5C Cultural Center. A performance venue for poetry, music and
theater, 5C features emerging artists as well as great masters. 5C also
features a display of exquisite photographs of musicians, out of print
books, rare records, independent labeled CD's, cassette tapes and other
cultural artifacts. The 5C Cultural Center features accomplished piano jazz
soloists among their offerings. Call ahead for schedule. A modest cafe
with reasonable prices completes the picture. 5C is a dream come true for
die hard fans of East Village jazz history and jazz lovers alike.
Monday - Friday from 7 AM - 7 PM; and Saturday and Sunday 9 AM -
7 PM. Jazz is always the vibe.
The
Allen Room
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Columbus Circle
60th Street at Broadway
212 258-9800 (general information)
212 721-6500 (City Charge tickets)
This wonderful new amphitheater, boasts a soaring 50-foot glass wall
overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park. Check their website for
updated schedule information.
American Legion Post (Col.
Charles Young #398)
(212) 283-9701
248 W. 132nd St.
(7th / 8th)
Harlem
wouldn't be the same without live jazz at this
member's-only-but-guests-are-welcome military veteran's club. The
free Sunday evening session begins 7:00 P.M. until the
hall closes at 11:30. The kitchen serves up a heaping plateful of
reasonably priced and delicious soul food. And the warm weather
months are enjoyed on a beautiful back patio. Seleno Clarke keeps the
spirit of defunct jazz club, La Famille, alive with his tasteful licks on
Hammond B-3 organ and an international quartet of sidemen help anchor the
weekly jam session. The drink prices are by far the best in town, and
the familial atmosphere is even better than that. Jazz music from
7-10ish also on Wednesday (fish fry) nights with saxist Jason Marshall's trio;
and Thursday nights are
cooking with saxist Ray Blue and company. Note: You
are required to sign a guest book as you enter, but there is never a
cover charge. Seating is very limited so early arrivals are
rewarded - if you do take a table please do support the venue by
ordering something from the bar or kitchen. If you're a musician
be prepared to sit in. (Friday and Saturday nights are for
dancing to the classic soul records, but no live music and it's pretty
much a members' scene on those nights).
American Museum
of Natural History Series discontinued RIP
(212) 769-5100
On 81st St. off Central Park West (Hayden Planetarium)
Jazz
is now offered only the first Friday of the month under the Sphere
at the Rose Center for Earth and Space (some will know it as the Hayden
Planetarium). There are two sets monthly (5:45 / 7:15 PM) by highly
regarded musicians such as Jimmy Heath, Lou Donaldson, Steve Turre, and
David "Fathead" Newman and their quartets and quintets. The show
admission is included with museum price (suggested donation), and drinks and
tapas are available. This is the early Friday show to make, especially
if you haven't been to the complex before -- it will surely impress even the
most jaded New Yorker.
Analogue
(212) 432-0200
19 West 8th St.
(5th Ave. / MacDougal)
Come
for fine cocktails, tapas and chit-chat and stay for the jazz. 8th Street is
awash with restaurants and lounges and Analogue was clever enough to elevate
itself from the crowd by offering jazz on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesdays.
Great New York players get the gigs and tell their great musician friends to
come and sit in. No cover charge, relaxed but talky atmosphere. Music from
7-11PM (and they are considering adding more nights).
Antique Garage Restaurant
(212) 219-1019
41 Mercer St.
(Grand / Broome)
Jazz nightly: 7:00 - 10:30 with
Saturdays and Sundays Brunch: 1:30PM - 4PM
Check the calendar
for their top shelf musicians
Anyway Cafe
(212) 533-3412
34 East 2nd Street (Corner of 2nd Ave)
This
little bistro (seats about 25) is my favorite new find -- even
though it's been open since the late 90's. The Russian/French menu is filled
with surprises that tasted like heaven at half the price. And they
squeeze in live music that is intimate and engaging: Look for the extraordinary, Grace Garland
on the schedule.
Arthur's Tavern
(212) 675-6879
57 Grove Street (NW corner of Grove and 7th Ave. So.)
Since
1937. Longest continually run jazz
club in NYC. Jazz: 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Tuesday
through Saturday. Pay close attention to Eri Yamamoto's trio burning up
the cozy stage on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Dixieland
jazz: 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays. Blues and R&B from 9
p.m. - 3 a.m. from Tuesday through Saturday; and 11 p.m. - 3 a.m. on Sunday
and Monday. The Creole Cooking Jazz Band, and over 50 years of
the Grove Street Stompers. Sweet Georgia Brown and Alyson Williams have been playing here weekly forever, and for good
reason: They romp and stomp the house. No cover charge. Weak
drinks. All about the atmosphere.
Calendar
Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza &
Restaurant
(212) 677-3820
106 West Houston St. (Corner of Thompson St.)
Live
jazz hits seven days a week in this hectic and aromatic coal oven pizza
shrine. Here for over 40 years on the borderline between the Village
and SoHo. Jimmy Young was enshrined behind his piano on weekends
for as long as anyone can remember anchoring his loosely swinging
quartet. Home of the late great pianist, Harry Whitaker.
Jazz sets are Fri - Sat: 9-2. Sun - Thurs: 7-12. No cover. Great
food. No website.
Bar Next Door
(to La Lanterna Caffe)
(212) 529-5945
129 MacDougal St. (W3rd / W4th)
Jazz
7 nights a week where it belongs on old school, funky MacDougal
Street, Greenwich Village, USA: I can't get over how great this club is, and
how well it fits that fading niche of a romantic, intimate, subterranean,
beautiful, reasonable, friendly, and above all, a place to hear great jazz. The Bar Next Door is too good
and it's true.
Monday through Thursday Sets: 8:30 to 9:45pm and 10:30 to
11:45pm. $12.00 cover-all night. Friday & Saturday
Sets: 7:30 to 8:30pm, 9:30 to 10:30pm, 11:30pm to 12:30am. $12.00 cover
per set. Sunday Sets:
8:00 to 9:15pm, and 10:00 to 11:15pm. $12.00 cover-all night.
NOTE: There is also an Emerging Artist set starting some nights at 6:30
with no cover charge. Full Premium Bar, Dining Until 2AM. Check
Calendar for current schedule. For that fading Village vibe, make sure
that you stop in for an espresso and pastry in the enclosed garden next
door at La Lanterna Caffe.
Big Apple Jazz / EZ's
Woodshed
RIP - Closed July 2008:
(212) 283-JAZZ (5299)
2236 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (7th Ave)
(131st / 132nd)
Open
7 days a week - Jazz from 2PM - no cover and no minimum. Up to
3 bands and 8 sets daily. EZ's Woodshed is our own establishment in the back
of the Big Apple Jazz Boutique and Cafe, located down the street from the
legendary "Corner," where Harlem's mystical
Tree
of Hope once stood. EZ's is a "Day Club," that offers you an
opportunity to hear great local jazz during the daytime. Musicians
show up to sit in or promote
their night gigs and cd's. You may come
by when a living legend stops by to play or hang out. Consider
this your jazz home away from home. The store carries all the
essential cd's that were recorded live in local New York clubs, and the
largest selections of independent cd's by currently gigging NY musicians.
If you're looking for the next Miles, Mingus and Monk, or Billie, Betty, and
Bobbi, all roads lead to EZ's Woodshed. We also carry a wonderful
selection of local jazz-themed art in our gallery and less expensive framed
or rolled posters of vintage concerts from NY's legendary clubs and
performers. And you have to try our Bebop Coffee, Swing Potato Pie and
other pastry delights. No cover charge. Great hand-crafted wood design
by master woodworkers: Michael T. Stevens and Matthew Erickson.
Open daily from 10:30 - 8:30. Friday and Saturday
nights we have EZ's Evenings, with sets from 8:30PM - 11:00PM for
a small cover charge and no minimum. While you're here, don't forget
to check out Chris Wallace's remarkable hand-carved EZ's Woodshed sign, and
Nina and Dizzy portraits in wood.
Birdland
(212) 581-3080
315 W. 44th St. (8th / 9th Aves.)
One
of the top jazz and cabaret venues in the city with musical choices 7 nights
a week, a fine menu and complete bar. The original Birdland, named for
alto-sax jazz giant, Charlie "Yardbird" Parker was located on Broadway
across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theater (where talk-show host,
Stephen Colbert's show is currently taped). This incarnation of Birdland,
now in its third location, is perfectly situated amidst the Times Square
hotels, and just upstairs from the A Train's 42nd Street stop. Check
their website for weekly events and legendary bookings; and vocalists are
encouraged to join in on the very popular Monday night open mic.
Blue Note
(212) 475-8592
131 W. Third St. (6th Ave./ MacDougal Street)
Opened
in 1981, the Blue Note is arguably the world's most popular jazz club.
World renown talent often take the stage for six day runs. Monday nights often feature a half price bargain to see a one-off show by
younger upstarts, near legends, or even full blown superstars who only have
one night to offer. Sets generally start at
8:00 and 10:30. Prices are $15-$85
for table reservations + minimum, or
$10-$45 cover at the bar. Get there
early to get inline outdoors for the best seating options. And while
standing there, take note of the wonderful grand piano awning above.
Weekends feature a special funked-up show for cheap at 12:30 AM and a Sunday
brunch set as well.
Blue Water Grill
(212) 675-9500
31 Union Square West (Corner West 16th St.)
Fine
restaurant with live jazz booked for downstairs dining area. Call for
reservations. No cover, but meals are high end.
(Brooklyn
Clubs: bottom of page)
Cachaça - RIP - CLOSED - March 15,
2009
(212) 388-9099
35 West 8th Street
(at MacDougal)
The latest and greatest addition to 8th Street since Jimi Hendrix opened his
studio across the street. Great live jazz in a great location. Watch out for
the parking regulations on 8th street late at night. Cover charge $10 - $20.
Cafe Creole -
RIP 2004 -Moved uptown to Perks - also closed now.
(212) 475-4132
99 MacDougal St. (W. 3rd / Bleecker)
A
new addition to the subterranean MacDougal Street music scene with Cajun and
Caribbean cuisine and jazz served up Tuesday thru Sunday
from 6:00-2:00 and Mondays from 9-2. No cover. No website, so
call for schedule.
Café Noctambulo (at Pangea)
212-995-0900
178 Second Ave. (11th / 12th)
Discover the hidden charms of a backroom dedicated to singers in an
established East Village Italian restaurant that's been around since the
coolest days of this neighborhood. Cover charges apply.
The Cajun -- RIP as of July 30,
2006 - after 28 years in business
(212)
691-6174
129 Eighth Ave. (16th / 17th Streets)
Dixieland and swing nightly 8 - 11 as a backdrop to a
New Orleans dining experience.
Monday: Kevin Dorn's Traditional Jazz Collective
New to the Cajun - 8:00 - ll:00 pm
Tuesday: Stanley's Washboard Kings
Dixieland Music - 8:00 - ll:00 pm
Wednesday: Canal Street Dixieland Jazz & Blues Band
Featuring Authentic New Orleans Jazz - 8:00 - ll:00 pm
Thursday: The Manhattan Ragtime Orchestra
Conducted by Orange Kellin - Radical Pop Music from the Ragtime Era - 8:00 -
ll:00 pm
Friday: Johnny Tupelo & The Sidekicks
1950's Pop, Rock & Country - 8:00 - 11:30 pm
Saturday: The Red Onion Jazz Band
Featuring New Atlantic Jazz - 8:30 pm - Midnight
Sunday: Kevin Blancq's Crescent City Trio
New to The Cajun - 7:30 - 10:30 pm
The Cajun is a wonderful "change of pace" jazz location in Manhattan, which
consistently tips its hat to the cradle of jazz. If you are a Trad.
Jazz fan or are deciding on a night of affordable dinner and jazz with
guests who are timid about jazz in general, then The Cajun is the no-brainer
choice. No cover, good Cajun food, and a bar far from the music where
conversations are not overwhelmed or intrusive, makes this a great
New York
City locale.
Cassandra's
(917) 435-2250
2256 7th Ave. (Adam Clayton Powell) (132nd/133rd)
Pianist Dwight Dickerson anchors this new jazz club's nightly line-up of
Harlem regulars, featuring a baby grand. Strict $10 per set and a two drink
minimum. $20 cover for jazz-lover's seating in front of the band.
Chez Suzette - RIP
(212) 581-9717
675 Ninth Avenue (46th /47th Streets)
Chez Suzette maintains an
especially inclusive policy by featuring a different singer every night. In
addition to the ever-rotating schedule of singers, Chez features Trudi
Mann's open mic on Wednesday evening - 8:30pm - 12 am (sign in starts
at 8pm) and Sunday brunch: 1pm - 5pm (sign in starts at Noon).
Please bring two copies of your music for piano and bass. On most Fridays
at 9:00 Chez's Musical Director/Vocalist, Melody Breyer-Grell, hosts a
singer's Salon with the Ellen Starr trio. NO COVER - $11 minimum will
get you great French meals and/or drinks.
"Chez Suzette is a serious little bistro; a remnant of what was once a
neighborhood of little French places." Bryan Miller, New York Times
Cleopatra’s Needle
(212) 769-6969
2485 Broadway (W.
92nd / W. 93rd)
Live jazz nightly from 7/8pm to 1/3am. No cover. $10. minimum
for food or drinks from Cleo's eclectic Mediterranean menu. Big screen sports
competes with your attention on the south end of the bar, but this is a real
jazz lovers club nonetheless with an opportunity to jam nightly and show off
your vocal chops on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday nights. Chances are you will
see top shelf national and international jazz giants who find their way to a
late night jam session here. Cleo's is recommended as a great
neighborhood jazz club with late hours; a nice menu; a place to hang out
and pay close attention to wonderful jazz or hang back by the bar, and enjoy
the company of your friends with a live jazz backdrop. Friendly
Warning: turn down your volume when clicking to their website.
Club BonaFide
(646) 918-6189
212 East 52nd St., 3rd Floor (2nd / 3rd)
The new kid on The Street. Bass player, Richard Bona, opened this club
in 2015 to try to shake things up in the industry and give musicians a
chance to make real money for their gigs. So be prepared to pay top
prices for top musicians, but be comforted that the musicians will be
getting their share. Drinks are sourced locally for a true New York
experienced. First Tuesdays of the month are an open jam. VIP
seating available.
Cornelia Street Cafe
(212) 989-9319
29 Cornelia St.
(Bleecker / W. 4th Sts.)
Jazz is one style that is primarily featured in this neighborhood
standard-bearing cafe. Expect eclectic tastes that
push the envelope as opposed to background music. Gourmet meals are
served upstairs in the sidewalk cafe, or downstairs in the cabaret.
If you are seeking the Greenwich Village jazz experience or your dreams,
check out the Cornelia Street Cafe. First Monday of every
month since Jan. 3rd, 2005: check out the legendary
David Amram. See the website for CSC's music and other
cultural
events calendar.
Creole RIP
(212) 876-8838
2167 3rd Ave. (118th Street)
Great
Creole cuisine by way of New Orleans and music from around 8PM - 12AM -
check schedule for music nights - also check their website to find out the
cover charges and minimums and the music policy for the night in question.
Expect to find a lively scene with good food, live music in a fine looking
Spanish Harlem restaurant/club.
Detour - RIP
(212) 533-6212
349 E. 13th St. (1st / 2nd Aves.)
RIP Oct. 28, 2006
Detour
is the place to go in the East Village to catch Matt Wilson, John Funkhouser,
and Adam Klipple for free on their way up. They are among the talented
new breed gigging at this inconspicuous diamond in the rough. Talk
loudly or listen closely, all are welcome. This is also the only place
in the city where we've found the triple threat of Rheingold beer, Zapps
potato chips and free jazz. Sun. - Thurs.: Music starts at 9:00.
Fri. - Sat: Music starts at 9:30. No cover charge, but 2 drink
minimum is informally enforced.
For more information see:
Big Apple Jazz Detour Club Profile by Gordon Polatnick
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
Jazz at Lincoln Center
(212) 258-9595
Columbus Circle
60th Street at Broadway, 5th floor
This
is one of the latest and most ambitious of the BIG 6 venues to open in NYC in a while.
Wynton Marsalis and your
friends at Jazz @ Lincoln Center moved their stages to the Time Warner
Building at Columbus Circle and have added 2 additional world class venues (Frederick
P. Rose Hall and the Allen Room)
to enjoy jazz for all tastes. 2 sets of top name jazz artists fill the
calendar nightly, and then there's an 11:15pm
late-night set Tuesdays - Saturdays for LE$$ featuring the best local artists
around for an intimate glimpse of the scene hidden to most NY jazz fans who
haven't made use of this extensive list of Big Apple Jazz clubs or taken a
Big Apple Jazz Tour.
Reservations are key for the main sets, but you just need to line up for the
late night sessions.
EZ's Woodshed / Big
Apple Jazz RIP - Closed July 2008:
Now
Big Apple Jazz
Tours
(212) 283-JAZZ (5299)
2236 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (7th Ave)
(131st / 132nd)
Jazz
from 2PM - no cover and no minimum. Up to
3 bands and 8 sets daily. EZ's Woodshed is our own establishment in the back
of the Big Apple Jazz Boutique and Cafe, located down the street from the
legendary "Corner," where Harlem's mystical
Tree
of Hope once stood. EZ's is a "Day
Club," that offers you an opportunity to hear great local jazz during the
daytime. Musicians
show up to sit in or promote their night gigs and cd's. You may come
by when a living legend
stops by to play or hang out. Consider
this your jazz home away from home. The store carries all
the
essential cd's that were recorded live in local New York clubs, and the
largest selections of independent cd's by currently gigging NY musicians.
If you're looking for the next Miles, Mingus and Monk, or Billie, Betty, and
Ella, all roads lead to EZ's Woodshed. We also carry a wonderful
selection of local jazz-themed art in our gallery and less expensive framed
or rolled posters of vintage concerts from NY's legendary clubs and
performers. And you have to try our Bebop Coffee, Swing Potato Pie
and
other pastry delights. No cover charge. Great hand-crafted wood design
by master woodworkers: Michael T. Stevens and Matthew Erickson.
Open daily from Noon - 8:30. Friday and Saturday nights we have EZ's Evenings, with sets from 8:30PM - 11:00PM for
a small cover charge and no minimum. While you're here, don't forget
to check out Chris Wallace's remarkable hand-carved EZ's Woodshed sign, and
Nina and Dizzy portraits in wood.
EZ's Woodshed on
YouTube.
Farafina Café & Lounge
Harlem
(212) 281 2445
1813 Amsterdam Avenue (W149th/150th)
African restaurant and supper club with a great neighborhood vibe that is
hitting its stride offering great entertainment by the people who know how
to throw down the good times along with the good tunes, and now abetted by
Farafina's great food. Look for a good time on Saturdays with featured
local and internationally known stars, and encourage management to keep the
jazz flowing on Sugar Hill where it belongs. We saw Alex Blake, Warren
Smith, Leopoldo Fleming, and Edith Lettner give it all they had on a recent
Saturday night. Plus the food was fantastic.
Fat Cat
(212) 675-6056
75 Christopher Street (at 7th Ave. South)
(note:
reopened in summer 2007)
Fat Cat is back. 2
or 3 shows 7 nights a week; jam sessions run until 3 or 4 AM)
nightly. This club is "around the
corner pocket" from Smalls and down the lane from 55 Bar, and
features billiards and jazz (sold separately). The
jazz is great, the vibe is college clubroom cool or Village bohemian, and
nobody is pushing you to keep drinking if you just want to hang out all
night and play games or just bob your head. Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens of Brooklyn have been
reviving West Village souls here for years on Friday nights and
should not be missed. Kind of Blue drummer, Jimmy Cobb, brings his Mob down
from time to time, which is validation enough for this crazy loud place to
hear jazz. $3 cover and no age descrimination. Beer, wine, soft drinks
only.
Feinstein's At The Regency
RIP after 14 years in January 2013
(212) 339-4095
540 Park Ave.
(61st / 62nd)
Cabaret music policy.
A partnership between the entertainer Michael Feinstein and the Regency
Hotel. Seven shows weekly - $60.00 cover charge. Tuesday through Saturday -
8:30 p.m. (seating begins at 6:00 p.m.) - a la carte dinner menu. Dinner
required Friday & Saturday only- 11:00 p.m. (seating begins at 10:00 p.m.) a
la carte supper menu.
Fez under Time Café
RIP March 2005
(212) 533-2680
380 Lafayette St. (at Great Jones Street)
Every Thursday Night: Mingus Big Band. Doors Open at 8:30 & 11 pm with
sets at 9:30 & 11:30. Cover: $18. Late show is $10 for students with
valid ID.
Mingus Big Band
features the bad boys of New York's big band players.
Garage (RIP end of 2015)
(212) 645-0600
99 7th Ave. So (Just South of W 4th St.)
A
funky and spacious 3-tiered restaurant with a gregarious and expansive
oyster bar / drinks bar and 2 bands playing live jazz nightly into
the wee hours. Starting as early as 6/7 PM. Garage features
aspiring jazz groups getting a foothold in a competitive market to local
legends with years of touring and recording experience. No cover, plenty of outdoor
seating if you're skipping the jazz, plus a jazz brunch on Saturdays and
Sundays. Check schedule for artists such as Peter Valera and The Jump
Blues Band, David Coss' Trio, and
don't miss the rotating roster of big bands on Mondays. Surprisingly,
few jazz places in the area serve food, the Garage does but it's not
particularly cheap.
Gin Fizz
(212) 289-2220
308 Malcom X Blvd (upstairs) (125th/126th)
Harlem needed a place like this and Gin Fizz came through. Brought to
you by the folks who livened up this stretch of Lenox Ave that sits on top
of the 1 and 2 train stop, with their ground level restaurant, Chez Lucienne.
Gin Fizz is poised for greatness. It hosts the hottest jam in Harlem
on Thursday nights from 10:30 till jazz hours: Harlem Sessions is
hosted by pianist mover and shaker, Marc Cary, and if you're a jazz fan or a
musician you need to be on the scene. Friday night they feature vocalists,
perfect for their dimly lit chic hide-away decor. So far just Thursdays and
Fridays are dedicated to jazz but we have hope for more of the same coming
throughout the week sometime down the line.
Ginny's Supper Club at Red
Rooster Harlem
(212) 421-3821
310 Lenox Ave
(W125th / W126th St.)
Currently the swankiest best kept secret of the Harlem jazz scene.
Local and internationally known talent are filling up the schedule in this
roomy
subterranean speakeasy. Tickets range in price from $15-$30. Get
to the bar early to hold a spot if you are not planning on dinner. Owner and
heck-of-a-nice-guy-celeb-chef, Marcus Samuelsson created a space in Harlem for
an elegant night out with a down home feeling.
Upstairs at Red Rooster's bar the music is free and swinging but space is
limited due to swelling crowds. Gospel
brunch offered on Sundays featuring Boncella Lewis, who's got what it
takes and then some. Check out jazzy nights at Ginny's particularly Thursdays and Saturdays.
The
Greenroom RIP
(646) 345-2229
765 Sixth Avenue (25th / 26th Streets)
This could be the most charming and unexpected jazz room in NY. Tucked in
the midst of Chelsea's floral district (thus the name), The Greenroom is
part cafe and part plant shop. Call ahead for current jazz schedule. No
cover. Nice Bar. Food Served. Weekend jazz brunch as well as evening jazz.
Great neighborhood/non-touristy vibe.
Guggenheim Museum - No Mo' Jazz
(212) 423-3500
1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street)
Ed. note: Check website to see if live music
program is still on...
Fridays and Saturdays 5 - 8 PM. Worldbeat jazz program. After
viewing the exhibits and collections, relax with a cocktail in the Frank
Lloyd Wright-designed rotunda and enjoy music that reflects both classic
jazz and international musical influences. Museum tickets: Adults $12;
Students and Seniors (with valid ID) $8; Children under 12 Free; Members
Free.
Il Valentino
at the Sutton Hotel - - RIP
(212) 355-0001
330 E. 56th St. (1st / 2nd Aves)
Northern Italian cuisine is served in this restaurant within a hotel that
features 82 year old clarinetist Sol Yaged and his band: Performing every
week, Tuesday through Sunday night, 7 pm to 11 pm. "Since 2001 he has
been playing at Il Valentino, which is in the Hotel Sutton and was once a
club run by the bandleader Eddie Condon. For a handful of diners each night
Mr. Yaged turns back time, playing the same songs the same way he did a
half-century ago. This is the Sol Yaged who hired the saxophonist Coleman
Hawkins and the drummer Cozy Cole as sidemen and who wrote music for the
film "The Benny Goodman Story," teaching Steve Allen to play the clarinet
for the title role. Even now Mr. Yaged routinely plays into the wee
hours...His usual group is Rick Stone on the guitar and Bob Arkin (the
younger brother of the actor Alan Arkin) on bass, but he often invites
friends to sit in." ~By COREY KILGANNON (NYT)
Iridium
(212) 582-2121
1650 Broadway (at 51st St)
This
venue features top internationally known artists, and below the radar names
deserving wider attention. The Iridium was once known for the adoring shows
of the Les Paul Trio every Monday. This spacious but intimate Times Square
music venue’s current passion is for the high energy, guitar-lovin'
groovers and rockers, but the young and old jazz stars have a place here as
well. Set Times at 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Cover charges typically hover
between $25 and $30 with a $10 minimum and small bar.
Jazz Gallery
current location
(646) 494-3625
1160 Broadway, 5th Floor (W27th / W28th)
Pure jazz. If the music and musicians are what you care most about
when hearing jazz live, you will love this jazz-lovers venue. Check
the link for schedules, events, and membership discounts. 7.30pm +
9.30pm sets.
Jazz Gallery Historic location - RIP
A second floor jazz art and artist showcase. Call ahead
for events. Most nights sets begin at 9:00 and 10:30 for a $10 cover
charge. Monday's feature Frank Lacy's
14 Piece "Vibe Tribe." A recent series of concerts features duo performances
of four hands on one piano. This and other Jazz Gallery performance
series are funded in part by a grant from the New York State Council on the
Arts, Presenting Program. Also featured is a Sunday series of
concerts on the river aboard the historic ferry "Yankee" moored at Pier 25
directly at the foot of North Moore Street.
Jazz
Mobile
(212) 866-4900
A moveable fiesta
Jazz
Mobile offers free summer concerts in NYC neighborhoods
Monday through Friday and around historic Harlem landmarks
(such as Grant's Tomb every Wednesday and Marcus Garvey Park every
Friday). The quality and renown of the
players is invariably high. This is Jazz Mobile's 5th decade and it's
still New York's best kept secret. It doesn't get more real than this.
Even with this notice, you will see 99% New Yorkers at these gigs, although
visitors are more than welcome. Bring a folding chair and picnic to
Grant's Tomb shows for more comfort. Lately, the actual truck and
rolling stage have been out of commission so donations are needed to keep
Billy Taylor's dream alive.
Jazz Standard
under Blue Smoke
(212) 576-2232
116 E 27th St. (Park / Lexington)
Blue
Smoke is the barbecue restaurant on the street level, and the Jazz Standard
is below featuring live jazz music nightly. Jazz Standard is a nicely appointed basement club
with 130 seats. Live jazz, and sometimes a blues act like Lucky Peterson, is
tossed into the mix. Show times are 7:30 & 9:30 pm. Cover charge typically
varies from $25-$30. There is no barbecue and beverage minimum. This is also
latest and greatest home to the Mingus Bands every Monday!
Jules Bistro
(212) 477-5560
65 St. Marks Pl. (8th St.) (1st / 2nd Aves.)
A
friendly, and casual French bistro with some outdoor seating, great food and
abundant wine selection, and a deep love of jazz! Jazz
nightly starting at 8:30 going to 11:30PM. If you're a fan of
good wine and jazz, or mussels and fries with jazz, you'll love the
vibe. The musicians you'll see here are the same ones gracing all
the stages of the city and traveling the world, but few joints are this
intimate and serve great food. Make a point to hear Dizzy's guitarist,
Ed Cherry when he's in town.
K’av’eh’az RIP
MOVED to CHELSEA
(212) 343-0612
37 West 26th (Broadway / 6th Aves.)
NOTE:
K'av'eh'az has closed its SoHo location for good this June 30th and has
moved to a new and improved location in Chelsea: 37 West 26th Street between
Broadway and 6th Aves.
A Euro-styled coffee house and art gallery in Chelsea that has jazz nightly
and starting in the afternoon on weekends. They feature straight ahead and
vocal artists as well as Latin jazz. Weekly features: flamenco guitar
(Sundays from 4pm-7pm). An open blues jam takes place Mondays 9pm-12am.
Tuesdays, 8pm-12am "Lullabies of Birdland" - Female Jazz Vocalists. $8
minimum on food or drink. If you are in Chelsea and need to relax in a wide
open space with an extensive coffee and tea selection, and great live music,
I can think of no better place than K'av'eh'az.
Kitano Hotel
(212) 885-7119
68 Park Ave. (37th / 38th)
Intimate and somewhat sophisticated Japanese hotel jazz lounge
booking some top NY players. Mostly piano trios and quartets, some
vocalists. Open Jam Sessions Mondays, featuring vocalists. Tuesday:
Young Pianist Showcase. Wednesday through Saturday:
Knickerbocker Bar and
Grill
(212) 228-8490
33 University Place (at 9th St.)
Opened
in 1978. A restaurant/bar -- specializing in gigantic steaks -- and as
comfortable as a well lit, neighborhood watering hole. Jazz music is
presented Friday and Saturday, beginning 9:45 PM for only a
$4 - $5.00 cover charge. Knickerbockers has often featured legends with stars as
bright as Ron Carter, Junior Mance, Mulgrew Miller, John Colianni, Earl May,
Joel Forrester, Christian McBride.
This is the last hold out in an area that was once a Golden Triangle of
informal jazz haunts including the venues: The Village Gate, Bradley's and
The Cookery. To its credit, this is not a hip place, and it does not offer
anything in the way of show biz presentation. The late Philip Seymour
Hoffman used to dig the joint. The only way a visitor
off the street would know that they are witnessing jazz legends performing
at arm's length, is to listen closely to the unerringly high quality of
music.
Knitting Factory -
RIP moved to Brooklyn
(212) 219-3006
74 Leonard St. (Broadway / Church St.)
This is the granddaddy long legs of "downtown jazz" venues -- featuring a
genre bending blend of envelope pushing and utterly deserving acts on
several intimate stages throughout the deceptively vast complex. There are
too many shows to mention so just go to their web site calendar or call them
directly to attain schedule and ticket information.
Le Jazz Au Bar -
RIP
(212) 308-9455
41 E.58th (Park / Madison)
This is one of the big players on the upscale (read: expensive but usually
well worth it) NYC scene. Recent vocalists include Dee Dee Bridgewater,
Kevin Mahogany Ruth Brown, and Marlena Shaw. Expect cover charges to hover
around $35.
The Lenox Lounge - RIP
hoped to
soon reopen at 333 Lenox Ave sometime in 2013, but it never happened
GET HERE FAST. CLOSING AT THE END OF 2012. NEW JAZZ CLUB SAID TO BE
TAKING OVER THE SPACE UNDER DIFFERENT NAME AND MANAGEMENT.
(212) 427-0253
288 Lenox Ave. (124th -125th St.)
Recently
renovated to its 1939 art deco splendor. The Zebra Room in back has a
baby grand piano, tiled floors and leather banqueted booths and is one of the
finest looking jazz spaces in town. Local jazz legends booked on
weekends with a $20 cover charge and $16 drink minimum per set. The
2
Sets are 8:30 and 10:30.
Monday
nights with Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Jazz Quartet
or Eric Wyatt's
band with the jam following and heating up till 2:30 AM. Tuesdays
feature vocalist, Sweet Georgia Brown, the last of the red hot mammas.
Wednesday has the remarkable Nathan Lucas organ quartet from 8:00-12:00.
Thursday Urban and R & B covers with Fred McFarland. Sundays
vocal jam session gets cooking at 7:00 PM and goes till 11:00 PM
led by the great pianist Lafayette Harris. Southern style cooking
served. After hours jam sessions with Harlem legends Bill Saxton and
Greg Bandy were added in 2011 Friday and Saturdays after midnight.
Legendary comedian Paul Mooney is featured monthly.
Louis 649 - RIP
(212) 673-1190
649 E. 9th St. (Ave B / Ave C)
An
East Village cafe/wine bar paying homage to Armstrong with live jazz solo
piano on Tuesdays, piano trios featured every Wednesday and
Thursday, and a Trombone/bass duo on
Sundays. Performances are 9 -11:30. Pre-recorded jazz playing
all other times.
Marie's Jazz Bar And Performance
Center For The Arts - RIP
(212) 944-7005
51 West 46th Street
(5th / 6th)
Expect live jazz bands 5 nights a week, but not Wednesdays nor Sundays.
Internationally recog'nized jazz musicians find their way to Maries including
Bob Cranshaw, John Colianni, Dave Hopkins, Harvie S., Kenny Werner, Billy
Drewes, Tony Marino, Jamey Haddad, and Dave Schnitter. About $10 cover
for bands. Call for updated information. Check out Monday night jam session
with Art Lillard .
Metropolitan Room
(212) 206-0440
34 West 22nd St.
(5th / 6th Ave)
Downtown's premier jazz cabaret. Great talent booked regularly - check
calendar for legendary vocalist: Annie Ross! The club
features excellent sightlines, and intimate ambiance; snacks menu and
specialty drinks. 2 drink minimum plus cover charge.
Minton’s
(212)
243-2222
206 W 118th
Street
(7th / St.
Nicholas Ave.)
Minton's
Playhouse is unique in the history of Harlem Jazz. It is known as the
Birthplace of Bebop, where jam sessions during the recording musicians'
strike of the early 1940's evolved the new style of jazz from players like
Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, Oscar
Pettiford, and Charlie Christian. Re-opened in October of 2013 and
re-modeled in glorious splendor the new Minton's is a chic room with an
elegant menu by way of celebrated chef and co-owner, Alexander Smalls.
Music is provided by a house band configured in duos, trios, and quartets of
established jazz stalwarts steeped in American jazz history, as well as a
rotating roster of New York's best players and vocalists. Bar seating in the back carries a two drink minimum;
and table seating closer to the bandstand is for dinner and brunch
reservations and carries a cover charge. Live music
Wednesdays-Sundays.
Minton’s
Playhouse: aka Uptown Lounge RIP Scheduled to reopen again in 2013 -- see above
(212) 864-8346
210 W 118th Street
(7th / St. Nicholas Ave.)
RE-OPENING DAY HAS COME - May 19, 2006. There will be jazz 7 nights
a week in the style of the proprietor's last foray into uptown jazz: St.
Nick's Pub. St. Nick's Pub is still going strong up on 149th Street
(see listing below), but patrons wishing to revisit the heyday can try
finding it at Minton's Playhouse, where they will see weekly performances by
Bill Saxton, Eli Fontaine, Gerald Hayes, Wayne Escoferey, Patience Higgins
and tap dancer, Omar Edwards, along with their groups. Sunday though Tuesday will have no cover charge.
Wednesday – Saturday: $10 Cover/ 2 Drink minimum. Show times:
Sunday Starting at 9PM. Monday-Friday starting at 10PM.
Seating First Come First Served -- Bar opens at 3PM. NOTE: Big Apple
Jazz is running a Harlem tour including Minton's Playhouse and other hidden
jazz haunts that continue to excite audiences in ways that downtown clubs
have been trying to emulate for the past 80 years. Call Gordon for
tour reservations and details: 212 283-JAZZ. and visit our
Tour Page.
Mo'Bay - RIP 2012
(212) 876-9300
17 W. 125th Street
( 5th / Lenox)
Music
from 8:30 - 12:00 on Tuesdays through Sundays, in the lounge of this
fine Jamaican restaurant newly opened in Harlem. Gospel brunches
from 11 - 5 on Sundays and dinner music after that till 10PM.
Please check their website for menus and entertainment updates. The
food is so good and the atmosphere is so lively, you'll have a great time
every time.
Moldy
Fig - RIP
(646) 559-2553
178 Stanton Street
Lower East Side of Manhattan
(Clinton/Attorney Streets)
We
have a winner folks. Moldy Fig is a Cafe and Bar that brings killer
jazz acts to the Lower East Side 6 nights a week, and they bring it
in style and under budget - between $5 and $10 cover for music from 8 till
late. The jam session starts at midnight nightly but on Sunday they
rest. July 4th, 2011 was their grand opening and I expect they'll be
around for a long time. Moldy Fig is the sister act of Fat Cat
Billiard, a well worn and well loved West Village jazz joint, that inspired
the addition of board games, shuffleboard and an all-ages always welcomed
vibe. The big difference between the two, is that you won't feel out of
place coming from a pricey restaurant and landing in the bare brick wall,
fine leather couch, dim lighting chic of Moldy Fig. Nothing moldy
about this fig. Another great feature is all the uptown jazz players
who are being booked into this downtown spot.
Nabe
Underground
(347) 719-0161
2367 Frederick Douglass Blvd (corner of W.127th downstairs)
You will be happily surprised to find this little underground speakeasy
lounge/Japanese noodle house, which is offering live music throughout the
week. Pay special attention to Monday night's open jam presented by
Harlem jazz hostess, Berta Indeed, featuring Harlem royalty: Berta's
daughter, Lady Cantrese on vocals, and Sugar Hill Jazz Quartet survivors who
bring the St. Nick's Pub scene back to Monday's in Harlem. Also look
out for Sasa's Lounge on monthly Saturdays and Blues Wednesday's
featuring Captain Keith Gamble and new-to-the-scene-but-stealing-the-show,
Seydurah Avecmoi and the Avecmoi Blues Band.
National Jazz Museum of Harlem
(212) 348-8300
104 E. 126th Street
Coming "soon" to 125th street across from the Apollo in Harlem. Check their website for updates and further
information on museum plans. In the meantime, enjoy a weekly array of
activities from live archiving interviews with NY's jazz elite, jazz movies,
concerts, lectures and fund raising events. Also, check out their
visitors center, and Savory Collection of rare recordings from the golden
age of jazz. This promises to be the most important jazz
institution in the world, which will accommodate visitors seeking out the
jazz history of Harlem in a way that's never been accomplished on this scale
before and is way overdue. Events currently take place in several
venues throughout Manhattan so check ahead for addresses.
Opia
Restaurant
(212) 688-3939
130 East 57th Street (Park/Lexington)
Classy jazz trios, and vocalists like the Tony Middleton turn Opia into a
jazz lounge every Saturday night between 8:30 - 11:30PM.
No Cover.
Orbit Restaurant and Bar - RIP
(212) 348-7818
2257 1st Avenue (E. 116th Street)
"A Different Planet Lands in East Harlem." Call ahead for current jazz
policy. The room is great with a warm vibe and great food.
Paris Blues
212-864-9110
2021 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (7th Ave)
(Corner 121st St.)
All
roads lead to Paris Blues. Nightly music that always allows for
guest musicians sitting in at later sets means the atmosphere is inviting
and the vibe is loose. Opened as a bar (1969), it has evolved in
recent years as a prime spot for Harlem regulars (fans and musicians) to
hang and play jazz ranging from Hard Bop with the Melvin Vines' Harlem Jazz Machine
on Fridays; and Bop Grooves with Les
Goodson, Don Pate, Marcus Persiani, Victor Wise making up the Intergalactic
Voodoo Jazz Groove Hooptidoo Band on Wednesdays; Tyrone Govan's Der Secret
holds down R&B, Jazz, and Blues on Thursdays, and John
Cooksey swings with his Spontaneous Combustion quartet on Mondays with
Marvin Horne on guitar, and Charles Davis Jr. on sax. Sundays rotate between Latin Jazz with
Eliot, or the Banda Ramirez; and Lucious swinging the ballads. Soul music
Tuesdays with Annette Bland McCoy & the Sultans of Soul. Free hot food
served nightly, and warm smiles from Esther, Judy and Sasa behind the bar.
Sam Hargress Jr. is the proprietor, and he makes everyone feel welcome.
Parlor Entertainment
(212) 781-6595
555 Edgecombe Ave, #3F buzz #107 (Corner of 160th St.)
On
the corner of Count Basie and Paul Robeson stands the Triple Nickel. This
is the essence of Harlem jazz -- a rite of passage for all jazz fans and
musicians alike. Get buzzed up to Apt. #3F, Marjorie and Rudel welcome you
into their home every! Sunday
afternoon at 3:30 sharp to enjoy a long set standards and original music
provided by a rotating roster of jazz legends and local talent.
Marjorie's living room is absolutely the warmest, most spirited 200
square
feet in all New York. No cover; tip jar; free snack and refreshment.
Sundays are never in question, just show up early enough to get a
seat with sight lines. Be prepared to generously donate or I'll come
get you.
Porters - RIP
(212) 229-2878
216 Seventh Avenue (22nd / 23rd St.)
Porters is the latest neighborhood jazz
club/restaurant to open in Chelsea in Manhattan's vibrant Westside
community. Here you can enjoy a great meal and great jazz in an
intimate setting which features sidewalk seating in warm weather, and a
great wine selection. The musicians are chosen from the top of the
talent heap including Harold Mabern, Dave Liebman, and Eric Lewis.
Cover charges vary. There is the 216 Lounge downstairs they
feature happy hour stand-up comedy on Thursdays, DJ parties and private
functions other nights. Check their current schedule for jazz nights.
Go to Queens Jazz
Clubs
please submit names of other Queens jazz venues (Email Bigapplejazz)
Red Blazer -
RIP
(212) 947-8940
32 W 37th St. (5th / 6th)
M-Th four sets starting at 7 pm. Fri-Sat 9 pm - 12:30. Mondays they
have trios, and the bands get larger through Saturday. The focus is
swing music for your dancing pleasure, and vocalists accompany each night.
Redeye Grill - - NO MO' JAZZ as of summer '08
(212) 541-9000
890 Seventh Avenue (Corner of 56th Street)
Jazz nightly Tuesday - Saturday: 8-11:30, Sunday jazz brunch 12 - 3.
Here is a link to their
monthly jazz calendar.
Redeye Grill is conveniently located near many midtown Manhattan and Times
Square hotels. It's interesting to watch the band perform in a tight
balcony space above the bar and do their best among the crowd of diners and
imbibers below. The jazz is good, and the food is fine, and there's no
cover charge, and if you want to talk during the performance you will not be
made to shush.
Robin’s Nest Restaurant & Bar
- RIP
(212) 316-6170
457 W. 125th St.
(Amsterdam / Morningside)
This
is the most recent of Harlem's modest restaurants where you can catch
classic R&B mixed with pounding Hammond B-3 based jazz. There is no
cover charge, just a two drink minimum. The week is starting to fill
up with jazz players and other entertainments: Sunday -- Jam Session
with superior drummer Eli Fontaine; Rotating weekend talent makes good
use of the Hammond B3 organ. Please call them for scheduling updates.
Delicious Harlem style soul food dinner and lunch are also available at
reasonable rates.
Rose
Theater
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Columbus Circle
60th Street at Broadway
212 258-9800 (general information)
212 721-6500 (City Charge tickets 212 721-6500)
Designed for jazz, but boasting a flexibility to also showcase opera, dance,
theater, film and orchestral performances. Expect Wynton Marsalis and
the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra to perform here for now on as opposed to
their previous home up the street. Other jazz educational events and
two other Jazz at Lincoln Center venues are worth looking into at the same
address.
Roth's Westside Steakhouse -
RIP
(212) 280-4103
680 Columbus Avenue (93rd / 94th)
(93rd
/ 94th)
Great neighborhood steakhouse is now a jazz haven on weekends from
10PM - 1AM. Jazz piano also accompanies dinner hours from 6 or 7
every night. This is the place to enjoy jazz on the Upper
Westside without the sports bar intrusions of another local favorite.
Keep a look out for vocalist Annette St. John and Frank Senior. Jazz
Brunch at noon on
Sundays.
Rue B
(212) 358-1700
188 Ave. B (11th / 12th)
The
East Village is coming alive again with jazz. On the same street that
hosts Charlie Parker Place, and a few blocks from C5 Cultural Center. No Cover charge at Rue B, jazz nightly
usually starting around 8:30. They have a Steinway piano, and a great
looking little menu. Weekend brunches also include live jazz.
Satalla - RIP
(212) 576-1155
The Temple of World Music
37 W. 26th Street (Broadway / 6th Ave)
To see the show you must be groovy with day-glo and black lights. This
is a chance to take a trip around the world without a plane and around your
brain without drugs. World music means music from the rest of the
world. This is a new club from the people who brought you K'av'eh'az
(which is right next door -- when you want to chill out and sit back).
Call ahead for admission prices and student discounts. Music presented
in two sets nightly starting around 7:30 or 8:00.
St. Nick's Pub - RIP - March 2011
(212) 283-9728
773 St. Nicholas Blvd. (Corner of 149th St.)
This
club had an amazing run for the last decade and is now under new management.
The owners are giving St. Nick's Pub a second chance at greatness.
They've added inexpensive, microwave-heated soul food with $3 table charge to entice fans
back uptown to see the latest roster of players who are filling up the
schedule with
weekly gigs, 7 nights a week from 8PM to 10PM then a second band from 10:30pm - 2:30am.
Mondays jam with
Melvin Vines - trumpet, Chip Crawford -keys, Mike Grey - trombone and
Tuesdays join them again with a featured guest and Kay Mori with the
Harlem Jazz Machine.
Wednesdays has Rahn Burton on keys and Vicky Kelly's old school vocals,
and on Thursdays different bands rotate through. Friday
night is the standing room only event of the week, as Donald Smith leads the
best weekly session you're likely to see, which follows the Skill-it Show. West African music every
Saturday at midnight following Arlene Talley's session. And Sundays belongs to TC III's singers'
workshop, which follows a two-hour jam by Atiba Wilson and the B4 Quartet.
St. Nick’s Pub, club review with additional photos.
Showman's
(212) 864-8941
375 West 125th Street
(East of Morningside Ave.)
Tues - Thurs. sets: 8:30, 10,
11:30. Friday and Saturday sets:
9:30PM, 11:30PM & 1:30AM A beautiful blending of the genteel
and the earthy soul histories of Harlem can be found in this well-appointed
jazz showcase, which has been home to the greats (e.g. Sara Vaughan, Lionel
Hampton, Duke Ellington, Eartha Kitt, Pearl Bailey) since 1942. (In
its current location since August of 1998). A Hammond B-3 organ graces
the stage, and is put to good use by Danny Mixon, Seleno Clarke, and Nathan
Lucas among others -- call to check their schedule. Soul food appetizers are always available
-- free for the asking.
Two drink minimum (@ $14 minimum) per set is strictly enforced.
Smalls
(212) 675-7369
183 W. 10th St.
(West of 7th Ave. South)
Word
is out, Smalls has come back to life in the newly refurbished Brazilian bar
it had briefly become after a strong 10 year run, and now it's under new management as well. Jams
till late once again! The cover is $20. Pay one
price, and hang out as long as you want catching 2 or 3 bands nightly. You
really can't beat the Smalls experience if you're a jazz fan. The
crowds are willing to listen, the music is compelling, and there's always
the chance you'll witness magic in a setting like this where the music
matters and the people are hungry for authenticity over comfort and flash.
No reservations and no tables but plenty of opportunities to find a good
perch early and stay late.
Big Apple Jazz "Old" Smalls Review.
RIP May 31, 2003 Read All About It.
Resurrected in March 2005.
Smith's
Bar & Restaurant
NO MO' JAZZ
(212) 246-3268
701 8th Ave
(Corner of W44th Street)
Smith's is perfectly placed in midtown next to hotels, subways and easily
found around the corner from the more popular Birdland. Jazz is brand new in
this decades old Irish pub with a strong neighborhood vibe. Reedman,
Dave Hopkins, plays twice weekly with the stunning John Colianni on piano
and renown bass hero Bob Cranshaw as the main trio every Wednesday and
Friday. No Cover. No Minimum. Call in advance to
confirm and keep up with their jazz programming for 2005 which has added
jazz nights Mondays through Fridays. Easily, the most
laid back yet spirited jazz evening in Midtown for free (most nights).
Always a great chance to sit in or watch the stars come out with The Hopkins
Trio. Music from 9:00PM - 1:00AM. Some nights feature the likes
of Harold Mabern, Kenny Werner, Dave Liebman, Rachel Z., or Harvie S.
Check in advance if a cover charge applies for special engagements.
Smoke
(212) 864-6662
2751 Broadway (105th / 106th)
Picking
up where Augie's (its forerunner) left off, Smoke has developed into a hip
and casually swank jazz joint with the chops and personalities to recommend
it to serious fans of NY jazz. Located on Broadway and Duke Ellington
Blvd it is easily the standard bearer for quality jazz, food and service
north of Columbus Circle and south of Harlem. Sets: 7pm, 9pm & 10:30pm. Round
Midnight sets start at 11:30PM and after-hour weekend sets are: 11:45pm &
beyond. Kitchen open till 2AM. Bar closes at 4:00. A food/drink minimum often serves as the
cover charge during the week. Big name acts on Friday and Saturday
costs more (around $40), and reservations are a must on weekends and special
shows. $38 prix-fixe menu available.
Mondays: Jam session & special guest artist. Tuesdays: B3 organ grooves & soul jazz
S.O.B.'s (Sounds of Brazil)
(212) 243-4940
204 Varick Street (Corner of West Houston St.)
This long standing dance hall claims Brazil in its name, but its music
policy opens the stage to bands from any country that can fill the place
with a groove and a butt shaking beat that keeps you dancing all night long.
A tropical party ensues most nights of the week. And of course,
Samba Saturdays, when the real sounds of Brazil start spilling out
onto Varick Street. Nobody would call this a jazz club, but if you're
favorite style of jazz is Latin and Bossa Nova or something you can dance
to, than this is the earthiest place in the city to get your sweat on.
Sofia's RIP
(212) 719-5799
221 W. 46th St. (Eighth Ave. / Broadway)
This is the Italian restaurant at the 1931 Edison Hotel which features jazz music in its
bar Tuesdays - Saturdays 7:00 P.M. to 12:00. Call ahead for
schedule. Every Monday and Tuesday!!! Join Vince Giordano
and the Nighthawks (11-piece band) for a great evening of Dinner & Dancing
at: Club Cache -downstairs- at the Edison
Somethin' Jazz Club - née Miles - now RIP
(212) 371-7657
212 E. 52nd St. 3Fl.
(2nd / 3rd Ave.)
Name changed from Miles Cafe.
E/M train to 53rd St./ Lexington, 6 train to 51st St.
Midtown jazz fans and musicians on the Eastside will be happy to know that a
spot just opened up in the spring of 2010 that is all about jazz. Check
schedule of nightly events. Every Sat. 3-6pm Open mic for vocalists.
Japanese cuisine cause it is the sister club to Miles Cafe in Tokyo. All
shows are $10 cover/$7 min. (unless noted otherwise). Most nights feature
two bands playing two sets each starting at 7:30PM for the early set; and
the next band starting at 9:30PM till 11:30.
The Stone
Phone number(212) 473-0043
is located in the closed up looking space at the corner of
Avenue C and E.2nd Street.
This is John Zorn's baby; a not-for-profit performance space dedicated to
the EXPERIMENTAL and AVANT-GARDE. MUSIC: Tuesday thru Sunday -
8 and 10pm. closed on Mondays. ADMISSION: $15 per set (unless otherwise
noted). All ages welcome. There are no advance ticket sales. All admissions are at the door
prior to each performance. Opened in 2005, it will most
likely become the venue that the Knitting Factory started out to be 20 years
prior. Expect folding chair comfort and intense quiet from the
worshipping crowd. If it's all about the music for you, than you will
rejoice in the nightly pushing of envelopes. Loisaida, as Avenue C is
known, is turning out to be a great place to hear music that is true to the
neighborhood's history of cultural activism. The Stone, 5C, and the
Nuyorican are within blocks of each other and are great compliments to one
another. Come refreshed as refreshments aren't sold.
Subway Station at Columbus Circle
Below W.59th Street and Broadway
Take the A Train
Chances are that you will see one of the many jazz artists or other
performers who play for tips on the city's many subway platforms.
Sugar Hill Bistro / then Baton Rouge - Both RIP
(aka Renaissance Jazz Lounge)
(212) 491-5505
458 W 145th St (Amsterdam / Convent Avenues)
Opened
July 31, 2001
A new addition to Harlem's historic Sugar Hill
neighborhood, this finely appointed restaurant/lounge features Jazz
Friday and Saturday starting at 9:30 pm. Look for Dennis
Jeter to evoke Nat King Cole as he sings and swings on trumpet every
Saturday and see Tenor sax titan Bill Saxton recently added on Friday nights. A Gospel Brunch has been
added for Sundays starting at noon. Jazz fans from around the world should
stop in and support the
Harlem jazz
scene while in NYC. The Sugar Hill Bistro also offers the best
opportunity to see Wynton Marsalis sitting in unannounced, among
other jazz luminaries. Call ahead for schedule updates. No
cover charge. Excellent menu features the best crab cake in Harlem.
Sweet Basil - RIP then...
Sweet Rhythm - RIP
Sweet Basil - RIP -- closed April 30, 2001
(212) 255-3626
88 7th Ave. South (Bleecker/Grove Sts.)
Sweet Rhythm is now open for business 7 days a week. Taking up
where Sweet Basil left off, the club is again up and running after a year
and a half restructuring. Their sound leans more on world
rhythms but straight ahead fans will be satisfied with their bookings as
well. Housed in the heart of Greenwich Village, Sweet Rhythm features
both live and recorded, traditional, contemporary and hybrid music from all
over the planet including jazz, blues, salsa, rai, reggae, merengue, samba,
high life, flamenco and many other styles. Sweet Rhythm has been outfitted
with a state of the art sound system. The sounds and the environment are
complimented by a menu featuring meat, fish, and fowl dishes, as well as
vegetarian items. The club also features a modern yet comfortable decor and
an emphasis on a friendly relaxed ambience. Sweet Rhythm has featured
several jazz greats such as Kenny Barron, Steve Lacy, Jon Lucien, Victor
Lewis, Rasheid Ali, Sonny Fortune, John Hicks, Kenny Garrett and many others
including: Los Hobres Calientes, salsa from Manny Oquendo y Libre, the
Senegalese drum choir known as Sing Sing Rhythms; the funk of Craig Harris
and the Nation of Imagination, the Brazilian samba and bossa nova of
Vinicius Cantuaria and Soli, the blues of Chicago-born guitarist Marvin
Sewell and the soulful folk music of the multi-linguistic Marta Topferova.
Musicians, poets, djs and other artists take the stage at 8pm and 10pm with
midnight shows on
Friday and Saturday. Cover charges range from $10 to $25,
dress is your option.
Swing 46
(212) 262-9554
349 W. 46th Street (8th / 9th Aves.)
Swing 46 is a
restaurant/bar offering swinging dance bands 7 Nights a week
usually from 8:30-11:30PM.
Weekend
dance bands from 9:30 - 1AM. Suggested dress code - no jeans or
sneakers but jackets are not required. Dance lessons are
also a welcomed feature prior to the show. This is a place that
worships at the alter of swing - the music, the style, the dance, and
the big band sound. There is no other place in Manhattan that
takes it to this level 7 days a week.
Times Square Brewery - RIP
(212) 398-1234
210 West 42nd Street
(7th / 8th)
A real brewery making beer and serving food with a lively bar scene right
next to the Lion King at the crossroads of the world. And jazz playing
nightly. From 8-12:30 Tues - Sat. and on Sunday and Monday from
6 - 10:30. Wednesday pre-matinee at noon till 4:00. Old school jazz
from the 20's and 30's is featured. Check out John Booker's Big Apple
Jazz Band, Sol Yaged, Red Blazer Too Jazz band led by Bob Cantwell.
Tonic - RIP Click on
the link though to make the connection.
LAST WEEK April 13, 2007
(212) 358-7501
107 Norfolk St. (Delancey / Rivington Sts.)
Sets vary beginning either 8:00 or 10:00 for $10. A midnight show
might cost $5. Happily, no pretensions past those usually associated
with the avant-garde. Down below there can be found a dj spinning in
the Subtonic Lounge
Thursdays- Saturdays. Sunday brunch features the klezmer
band of the week. This is the one club to visit if you want to mix an earthy
community vibe with a good night of esoteric sounds.
"After
more than 9 years as a home for avant-garde, creative, and experimental
music, Tonic will reluctantly close its doors on Friday, April 13th, 2007.
We simply can no longer afford the rent and all of the other costs
associated with doing business on the Lower East Side.
The neighborhood around us has been increasingly consumed by "luxury
condominiums", boutique hotels and glass towers, all making the value of our
salvaged space worth more then our business could ever realistically
support. We have also been repeatedly harassed by the city's Quality of Life
Task Force which resulted in the debilitating closing of the ))sub((tonic
lounge in January. Coincidentally, this campaign began as our immediate
neighbor, the
Blue Condominium
building - a symbol of the new Lower East Side - prepared to open its doors.
As a business, we take responsibility for mistakes made along the way. If
profit had been our chief motivation we could have changed our programming
to something more mainstream and financially lucrative. Instead we were more
committed to a certain type of music and loyal to the community that
supported us. As a result, we've always just survived but never really
prospered. It is, however, unfortunate that it is so difficult for small
businesses to operate in this city and that a chain store that can afford a
high rent is more desirable than a place like Tonic that has a different
kind of value.
While this is certainly the end of Tonic at 107 Norfolk Street, we remain
committed to what Tonic represents and plan to try again in some form as
soon as possible. In the interim, Tonic will make efforts to present new
music in existing venues such as the
Abron's Arts Center
located just a few blocks away.
We invite you to join us as often as you can over our remaining days to help
us celebrate Tonic and more importantly the amazing artists, our unwavering
staff, and the nurturing community that made Tonic possible. It’s because of
you that we’ve stayed open as long as we have. Thank you! Sincerely,
Melissa and John
Contact: tonic@tonicnyc.com"
HELP SAVE TONIC! Posted January 31, 2005...
SAVED -- you did it.
"Since 1998 Tonic has been a haven for creative music.
We have helped nurture the vital community of musicians and audiences who
keep this music alive. Now we are in danger of closing and ask you to help
us keep Tonic alive. Over the past few years we have suffered a series of
blows: our rent has doubled since 1998, our insurance costs have tripled,
we've been robbed, and we've been plagued by the expense of maintaining a
building in ill repair “ including the collapse of our main sewer
line. Any of these things would be challenging on their own but together
they've taken a more serious toll and we are now facing the threat of
eviction. A number of outstanding musicians have come forward to help save
Tonic and throughout February we will be holding a series of fundraising
concerts. If Tonic has been an important venue to you, we ask that you
please attend as many of these concerts as possible. Those who cannot attend
but would like to help, please consider making a contribution. For Tonic to
survive we will need to raise a upwards of $100,000 in the next few weeks.
Only with your support can Tonic continue playing its role in presenting
this important music to its fans. Our deepest thanks."
Torch - RIP
(212) 228-5151
137 Ludlow St. (Stanton / Rivington Sts.)
Closed due to fire
but also due to reopen--stay tuned.
Come for dinner or drinks. No cover. Stylish dress is encouraged
by this trendy hideaway with a penchant for charismatic vocalists who hope
to put you in mind of a time long ago and far away. Open Sun - Thurs.
from 6:00 P.M. - 2:00 A.M.; and on the weekend till 4:00 A.M.
Tutuma Social Club - RIP but
morphing downtown at Raymi
(646) 300-0305
164 East 56th Street
(Lexington / 3rd Ave)
This is the first Afro-Peruvian jazz venue in New York City (2009). The
top musicians in the world are playing live. Open 7 days a week, lunch
through dinner, 11 am -2 am. No cover. Singers and musicians to look
out for: Sofia Rei Koutsovitis, Laura Andrea Leguia, Hernan Romero, and
Gabriel Alegría. Great food presented gloriously for a jazz
club, that is exotic and authentic. This is exciting jazz; and
you may run into some instruments last seen 50 miles into an arid
wilderness.
Village Vanguard
(212) 255-4037
178 Seventh Ave. (At 11th St. and Max Gordon Corner)
The
Vanguard opened its doors in 1935 and is the archetypal Greenwich Village
jazz club which has the right vibes and an excellent booking policy, and a
history of breaking all the new artistes that soon took over the world.
Every jazz fan should visit the Village Vanguard at least once in their
lives, no exceptions. Sets: 8:30 and 10:30. Monday nights, the Vanguard Jazz
Orchestra, established by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis 40ish years ago
continues their modern big band tradition to a full house weekly. Cover/Minimum: $30.00
plus a 1 drink minimum. Say hi to founder Max Gordon's love, Lorraine,
still running things into her 90's.
WhyNot
Jazz Room Closing Nov. 2015 and becoming Dominic's
(646) 756-4145
14 Christopher Street
(Corner of Gay)
Hallelujah.
Jazz in the West Village is taking a turn for the awesome with the recent
opening of WhyNot's subterranean jazz room. It's post-modern Euro vibe
somehow manages to throw you back to the hip Greenwich Village of your
dreams, where people cluster close together and enthuse after the music in a
very connected way. The menu is cafe portions and features the best
sliders and spicy chips we've tasted in a long time. Expect a $10 cash
cover and a two drink minimum. Monday nights equals the good
funk of Ian Gittler's Greasers (we want credit for discovering them on
February 24th, 2014). 7 nights a week.
Zinc Bar - New Location
(212) 477-9462
82 West 3rd Street (Thompson / Sullivan)
Open 7 days 5 P.M. - 4 A.M. Weekly theme nights
dominate the schedule. Monday showcases the guitar trio and jam of Ron Affif
-later, and a featured vocalist -earlier. Tuesday night later the
Revive Da Live Evolution jam found a new home for the young and hip NY vibe
th jazz room. (FYI - Old Address: 90 W. Houston St.)
|
|
Brooklyn Jazz Clubs
Park Slope & Gowanus
*Barbès
376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.) Park Slope, Brooklyn
347-422-0248
A very authentic South Park Slope venue run by French owners
Some famous regular acts: Slavic Soul Party: (Balkan music) on
Tuesdays
The Mandingo Ambassadors: (African music) on Wednesdays
Usually $10 cover charge or suggested donation.
I-Beam
168 7th Street, Brooklyn
Kind of hidden, nice performance space/studio in Gowanus/Park Slope with
amazing bookings - most often featuring musicians' music with a community
feel.
$10 donation suggested.
ISSUE Project Room
232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn
718-330-0313
Interesting live music/events/projects space in Gowanus/Park Slope.
Korzo
Restaurant
667 5th Ave (19th / 20th Streets) Brooklyn
(646) 470-5883
Jazz every Tuesday. Suggested donation $10.00 and $10.00 purchase
Puppets Jazz Bar RIP 2011
481 5th Ave, Brooklyn
718-499-2622
Jazz bar in Park Slope with nightly jazz acts and Jazz Brunch on
Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3 PM. Full line-ups usually not
stated on their calendar which could mean nice surprises. Cover usually from
$6 to $12 per set.
Royale
506 5th Ave. (12th / 13th) Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-840-0089
With semi-public jam sessions every Tuesday, run by drummer Diego
Voglino. Often great jazz bands on Mondays as well. Great Brooklyn
vibe.
Music calendar:
http://www.myspace.com/royalebrooklynmusic
Southpaw
125 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn
718.230.0236
Cool venue with occasional jazz, check calendar.
*Tea
Lounge
837 Union St, 11215, Park Slope, Brooklyn
718–789–2762
Nice and cozy neighborhood cafe/bar/venue in Park Slope. Live music mostly
from Wednesday to Sunday; great eclectic booking featuring jazz
musicians of the highest caliber, but also some interesting up and coming
talent, world music and various other creative acts. Great choice of
coffee and tea; free wifi.
No cover, $5 donation suggested
ZORASPACE
315 4th Avenue (3rd / 2nd streets) Park Slope, Brooklyn
(718) 832-4870
Lots of innovative programming or accomplished musicians with their own
world view. Not only jazz, but good music nonetheless.
Williamsburg
Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn
(347) 529-6696
Knitting Factory is at its 3rd NYC location with this move to Williamsburg.
Look for cutting age bookings, sometimes in the jazz genre.
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th St, Brooklyn,
The Bowery Presents
venue
*Rose
Live Music
345 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 599-0069
Bar and restaurant in Williamsburg, very nice cozy atmosphere, often
featuring most cutting edge experimental live music acts like Mark
Guiliana's THING (in theory, every other Wednesday). Other noteworthy
regulars: Monday night Soul Sessions hosted by guitarist Chauncey
Yearwood, Sunday night Brooklyn Jazz Experiments Series curated by
Chris Conly. Amazing wine garden in the warmer months.
Almost always, no cover. Donations welcome
*Spike
Hill
184-186 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 218-9737
Bar in the hippest part of Williamsburg - Jazz night on Monday
nights, featuring 3-5 up and coming bands, a great spot to see some young NY
jazz talent.
No cover, donations welcome.
Zebulon
258 Wythe Avenue Brooklyn
(718) 218-6934
A bohemian bar/ hang in Williamsburg with free live music every night.
Booking varies greatly - check schedule for jazz. Can have some of the best
shows in the city but very often also featuring rather obscure indie bands.
No cover.
Rest of Brooklyn
BAM Cafe
1087 Broadway, Brooklyn
(718) 636-4139
Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene. Nice cafe with a young creative
vibe, occasional jazz concerts/projects.
Calendar:
http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=38
Some free, some cover charges events.
Central Brooklyn
Jazz Consortium
(718) 569-1896
1958 Fulton Street
Suite 300 A
Brooklyn, NY 11233
Coco 66
66 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn
718-389-7392 / 917-807-6045
Club/bar in Greenpoint with occasional jazz programming.
Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway, Brooklyn
A one-of-a-kind bar/cafe/venue in Bushwick/Bed-Stuy with a creative vibe, a
definite neighborhood favorite. Featuring live jazz, rock, indie and more,
mostly young talent. Watch out for show times - they say everything starts
at 9PM. Check the calendar for more accurate show times.
Calendar:
http://www.myspace.com/goodbyebluemondayinc
*Le
Grand Dakar
285 Grand Ave. (Clifton Pl. / Lafayette Ave.), Brooklyn
718.398.8900
An African restaurant in Clinton Hill featuring really good Live Jazz,
African music and great African menu. Listings often stated on website by
style only, check out local monthly jazz magazine: All About Jazz, NY
for specific names.
No cover.
*Solo
Kitchen Bar
1502 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn
A great bar in an up-and-coming creative neighborhood in Ditmas
Park/Flatbush, right next to the Cortelyou Rd subway stop off the Q train.
Top class jazz on
Sundays - first band (usually featuring younger talent) starting
at around 6 PM and the second band at 9 PM - usually featuring some of the
most happening cats in New York jazz - a great chance to hear great jazz
music in a casual unassuming atmosphere. Affordable beers on tap,
brick-oven pizza, pool table and more. Also has a great jam session on
Thursday nights, hosted by guitarist Aki Ishiguro.
No cover, $5 donation strongly suggested.
Stop Time Bar
(718) 230-1212
1223 Bedford,
Bed Stuy, Brooklyn
New kid on the block. Great musicians, full menu, interesting drinks.
5pm- 2am 7 days
Sucre Coffee and Jazz Lounge
718-636-2000
520 Dekalb Ave., Brooklyn 11205
7:30 -10:30 at the lounge for Weekly Jazz Jam session.
(Bring your own beer until their license is attained.)
* Strongly recommended by Ines Kuusik
This list of Brooklyn jazz spots and
comments was assembled by Ines
Kuusik and Gordon
Polatnick.
Read Ines' blog at
http://ineskuusik.wordpress.com/
Gordon's website is
www.bigapplejazz.com
older listings for Brooklyn jazz - alphabetically:
Balzar
(718) 243.2010
60 Henry Street
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Nearest subways: Clark Street on the 2 and 3, Borough Hall on just about
any other line
Live Jazz Music Thursdays from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Please call ahead
for artist and schedule updates.
Barbes
(718) 965-9177
376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
"Barbès is a new bar and performance space located in the South Slope part
of Brooklyn. Barbès is also a neighborhood in northern Paris famous for its
discount stores, its large North African population as well as the record
stores which helped launch the Rai music explosion of the mid 80's. Owned
and operated by two French musicians and long-time Brooklyn residents,
Barbès hopes to function as a neighborhood community center of sorts. Its
intimate back room will be host to regular events - music, readings and more
- and should fill a gap in a neighborhood which is home to a large
population of artists, musicians, and writers but still offers very little
in terms of performing outlets. Much like the neighborhood it is named
after, Barbès will put the stress on cultural variety, neighborhood
conviviality - and bargain hunting, with $5 Ricard and an ecclectic music
collection which ranges from the Algerian diva Asmahan to Mexican bandas,
Venezuelan joropos and Romanian brass bands."
The Brazen Head
(718) 488-0430
228 Atlantic Avenue (Court Street / Boerum Place) Brooklyn Heights
Jazz every Wednesday (AKA Ladies Night) 9:00PM-12:00 Dan Adler
- Guitar, Jeff Russian - Piano, Ian Brandt - Bass, Josh Arenberg/Al Ashley -
Drums.
Brooklyn Academy of Music
(718) 636-4100
30 Lafayette Ave. (At Ashland Place)
BAM Cafe
The weekly performance series BAMcafé Live has featured great artists
from jazz, spoken word, blues, afro-pop, Latin, r&b, rock, and experimental
backgrounds such as Billy Martin, Survival Soundz, Tracie Morris, Carl
Hancock Rux, Duncan Sheik, Chocolate Genius, Bilal, Antibalas, Tanguardia,
and much more. Sounds of Praise Sunday Gospel
Brunch occurs on select Sundays throughout the year. Enjoy a delicious soul
food buffet brunch with live contemporary and traditional gospel music,
focusing on Brooklyn artists. 2–4pm; $20 inclusive (free for children 5 and
under; reduced price for children 6–12).
The Central
Brooklyn Jazz Consortium
(718) 569-1896
1958 Fulton Street
Suite 300 A
Brooklyn, NY 11233
Brooklyn Public
Library
Second Floor Auditorium
Grand Army Plaza / Eastern Parkway
"Brooklyn Sings, Brooklyn Swings" at the Brooklyn Public Library:
A series of free concerts featuring jazz vocalists:
Christiana Drapkin on Wednesday, 11/17/04;
Renee Manning on Wednesday, 12/15/04
Michelle Walker on Thursday, 2/3/05
Giacomo Gates on Thursday, 3/3/05
Barbara Sfraga on Thursday, 3/31/05
All concerts are free and open to the public. 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Grand Army Plaza, Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. In
the Second Floor Auditorium.
The Burger Bar
(718) 832-5500
499 9thStreet( at 7th Ave.)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
No Cover. No Minimum.
Every Thursday and Saturday from 9pm-1am.
Café 111 -
(718) 858-2806
111 Court Street
Downtown Brooklyn (between State and Schermerhorn)
Not only jazz
performed here but Electro-Acoustic Original Music 7 nights a week.
They have a nice and inexpensive menu that tips it's hat toward New Orleans
a little, and a wide variety of local music booked which can be checked out
online. Jazz fans should focus on Wednesdays.
East End Ensemble
(718) 624-8878
273 Smith Street (Degraw / Sackett Sts., Carroll Gardens)
Sunday open jazz jam starting at 7:30-10:00 (Spring and Summer hours
are 9:30 till 12:00 starting in April). Call ahead for updates to
schedule. E.E.E. describes itself like this: "Our wish is to bring the
works of the artistic community to our neighborhood and its surrounding
community, recognizing the deep wealth of artistic energy in Brooklyn.
We strive to provide an outlet and supportive network where children and
adults can come to express themselves.
Europa Club
(718) 383-5723
98-104 Meserole Ave.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Hip and diverse Polish nightclub with a variety of cutting edge
entertainment worth checking out. Check their website or call to find
out what's going down. (Their homepage has an option to view the
schedule in html as opposed to flash version).
Five Spot Supper Club
(718) 852-0202
459 Myrtle Ave. (at Washington Avenue)
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
--Not related to the original 5
Spot of Monk, Coltrane and Coleman fame-- But a great local success
story: A soul food take out joint that was transformed into a jazzy
neighborhood supper club with jazz brunch on
Sundays. Live music (R&B Funk and Soul) performances are
Tuesday thru
Saturday and start 'round about 9 or 10 -- there is a $5.00 cover
charge. The music policy changes, so call after 4:00 PM to get the
latest updates on their jazz bookings, or visit their website.
Freddy's Bar and Backroom
(718) 622-7035
485 Dean Street, Brooklyn
Freddy's is becoming a Brooklyn institution for it's open minded eclectic
music policy and neighborhood friendly "Never a cover charge" door policy.
Saxophonist and composer, Will
Vinson performs every second & fourth Tuesday. Check their music
schedule or call ahead to see where else jazz pops up during the week.
According to Time Out: "Brooklyn is muscling in on Manhattan's
music scene with some of the best rock and jazz clubs in the
city...(Freddy's) Hosting proudly.. jazz and bluegrass jams, tribute nights
and open mics, Freddy's is the most versatile of the Park Slope-Prospect
Heights music bars. It's also the most spacious: While the thrift store vibe
upfront is welcoming enough, the shows take place in the comfy rec-room-like
space in the back." Directions: By Subway take
the 1/2 to Bergen Street; Freddy's is right around the corner. Or take
practically any train in the city to Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street
Stations; Walk East on Flatbush and take a left on Dean.
Galapagos
(718) 782-5188
70 N 6th St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
This is not a jazz club, but they dabble in jazz and are worth a look see.
Check their calendar for upcoming events. Galapagos presents a nightly
array of film, music, dance, theater, performance art & gallery shows.
Galapagos is open nightly. Performances Monday - Saturday.
Film Screenings every Sunday. Hours: Sun-Thur 6-2am, Fri/Sat 6-4am.
IO RIP
119 Kent Ave (corner of North 7th and Kent)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 388-3320
Give them a call to see if jazz is being presented these days at this great
Williamsburg restaurant/lounge.
Jalopy
(718) 395-3214
315 Columbia Street
Redhook, Brooklyn
(Hamilton Ave / Woodhull St)
Closest subway is the F and G Train/ Carroll Street
The room is huge and combines a great sounding stage with a coffee/vintage
guitar shop. There's a weekly jam session is on Wednesday nights, from
9:30pm- 1am, starting with a short concert set of the house band and a
different featured guest every week.
The house band are:
Dan Tepfer (piano)
Chris Benham (drums)
Anne Lieberwirth (bass)
Jazz 966
(Friday Nights at JAZZ 966)
966 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
(718) 638-6910 Ext #25
The Fort Greene Senior Citizens Council, Inc. has sponsored Jazz 966 for the
Past ten years. During this time it has been building its reputation as a
place where one can enjoy Friday nights of great jazz. From the
beginning the objective of Jazz 966 was to bring quality jazz entertainment
into the neighborhood at an affordable price. For community residents, it is
a place where they can rest assured of not only being treated to great
talent, great music, and a warm atmosphere, but will walk away with more
knowledge of jazz and its development throughout history as well. Doors open
@ 7pm. Admission: $10.00 (Dinner included).
www.illbrew.com . First Show at
8pm. Take the C Train To Clinton & Washington.
Jazz at Four
(718) 797-0635
1907 Ditmas Avenue, Brooklyn
Jazz at Four is held the 3rd Sunday of each month. They are limited
to 40 attendees, so reservations are a must. Located in a beautiful
and historic Brooklyn home with fine architecture. Donation: $25.00.
Refreshments will be served. For reservations and directions please
call 718-797-0635 or email them at
jazzatfour@nyc.rr.com.
The Jazz Spot
(718) 453-7825
375 Kosciuszko Street (on Marcus Garvey Boulevard, Brooklyn)
"Listen to the stimulating, sultry sounds of jazz while basking in the
delights of intimacy. Our fireplace, exposed brick walls and home-like
atmosphere add to the coziness of our environment. Your epicurean
spirit will be awakened in our smoke-free, alcohol-free environment by our
light fare, including organic coffees and teas."
They have great live jazz every Friday and Saturday: $15 from
9pm-1am; and every Monday night a Jam Session: $5 from 8pm
-12midnight. Thursday Night Poetry/Open Mic: $7 from 7pm -11pm.
Koze Lounge
(718) 832-8282
676 Fifth Avenue
@ 20th Street
Park Slope, B'klyn (R train to Prospect Avenue)
konceptions@koze: jazz & improvised music series...Tuesday, sets @
9:00 & 10:30 p.m. $7 cover charge for one or both sets See bands such
as Ted Poor's Third Wheel: Ralph Alessi - trumpet, Ben Monder - guitar, Ted
Poor - drums.
Laila Lounge
(718) 486-6791
113 N 7th St
(b/w Wythe and Berry) Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Sunday: Live Jazz 9PM. Hosted by
Jesse Selengut. $5 Cover Charge.
Marriott
THE ARCHIVES RESTAURANT & BAR
(718) 222-6543
AFTER WORK COCKTAIL JAZZ SERIES
NY MARRIOTT AT THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN (BOROUGH HALL)
333 ADAMS STREET
Bob Myers from Up Over Jazz Club is presenting his jazz every Friday
here while he prepares to open a new space for his legendary Brooklyn jazz
club. ONE SET ONLY 6:30 ~ 8:00 PM. RESTAURANT OPENS 5:00
PM. NO COVER CHARGE.
Night and Day
(718) 399-2161
230 5th Ave. (at President Street)
Park Slope
From the creators of two venerated Greenwich Village bohemian melting pots:
Judy Joice of the Lion's Head and Robin Hirsch of Cornelia Street Cafe comes
Night and Day. Fine food, good vibe, and a performance space
which hopes to offer Brooklyn's brightest and best an opportunity to shine
in their own hood. Jazz will only be one of the genres of
entertainment offered. More to come. Opening in the summer of
2005.
Night of the Cookers
(718) 797-1197
767 Fulton Street, Brooklyn (South Oxford / South Portland)
Named for the Freddie Hubbard record. They feature weekend jazz, with the
restaurant serving all week. No cover. Live Jazz Thursdays 8:00 p.m.
to 11:30, Fridays and Saturdays 10:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.,
Sunday jazz brunch from noon to 4:00 p.m. Subway: C to Lafayette.
North Six
(718) 599-5103
66 North 6th Street Brooklyn
Lots of music, not all of it live jazz. Check schedule.
ParlorJazz!
(718) 855-1981
119 Vanderbilt Ave., Lower Duplex,
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Inspired by the "Jazz Hostess
of Harlem," Marge Eliot's Sunday jazz open house, we are hosting
semi-monthly jazz sessions (first and third Saturdays) in the double
parlor of our 1850's Gothic Revival brick row house in Brooklyn's historic
Clinton Hill/Ft. Greene district. This is a unique venue for
jazz musicians to play, sing and swing while surrounded by contemporary and
African art. This is a not-for-profit event.
$20 suggested donation (except for "special events" which run between $25 -
$30 (all inclusive: open wine bar, beverages, snacks & dessert).
Our roster of interested and wonderfully gifted jazz musicians and fine
artists continues to grow. ~Jim Morehand
Pod -- RIP
(718) 302-3754
141 N. 7th (Bedford/Berry)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Call Pod for other possible jazz events during the week.
Po'k Knockers
(718) 638-0727
956 Atlantic Avenue (Washington & Grand Avenues)
We think this club doesn't have jazz anymore. If you have different
information please get in touch. Email
A recently discovered place in Brooklyn named Po'k Knockers features a 16
piece jazz orchestra named Brooklyn Big Band every
Tuesday from 9:30 pm to 12 midnight. Brooklyn Big Band, Co-led by Tim
Armacost and Craig Bailey, Robert Landham - saxophone, Keith Loftis -
saxophone, Craig Bailey - saxophone, Mark Gross - saxophone, Tim Armacost -
saxophone, Jason Jackson - trombone, Dion Tucker - trombone, Mike Fahn -
trombone, Alan Ferber - trombone, Larry Gillespie - trumpet, Riley Mullins -
trumpet, Duane Eubanks - trumpet, Kenyatta Beasley - trumpet, Rick Germanson
- piano, Phil Palombi - bass, Gene Jackson - drums. Po'k Knockers offers
Caribbean food and an eclectic roster of live performances ranging from soca
and calypso, to reggae and comedy, to karaoke and R&B. Located on
neighborhoods of Bedford Stuyvesant, Fort Green and Park Slope, the
four-year-old dining and entertainment oasis is open seven days per week.
The club is beautiful and located right in the middle of the block. Po'k
Knockers is open from 5:00pm until 1:00am Monday through Sunday nights.
Friday and Saturday hours are from 5:00pm until 4:00am. Reservations are not
necessary. ~This review is a composite of words by
Linda Y. Walters
and Enid Francis.
Pumpkins RIP
(718) 284-9086
1448 Nostrand Ave. bet. Church and Martins (The 2 train to Church St.)
This
is the down and dirtiest 7 nights a week jazz club in Brooklyn. Low
cover charge ($5 Sun.-Thurs. and $10 on Friday and Saturday) with a two
drink minimum. The scene is hot and all are welcome. From 6:00 -
10:00 on Sundays; and 8:00 - 12:00 Mondays through Thursdays.
On Friday and Saturday sets begin at 9 PM and they jam till 1
AM. Gerald Hayes, Miles Griffith, Derrick Gardner, David Gibson,
Dennis Jeter, Tootsie Bean, and Brad Leali (who hosts the Sunday Jam) are
some of the performers who grace their stage-less stage. Come to watch or
come to play, the music is hot every night. If you travel from outside
of Brooklyn to get to Pumpkins you will be among the few who did, this is a
true diamond in the rough which pays off in spades.
Puppet's Jazz Bar RIP
(718) 499-2627
294 5th Ave. ( 1st / 2nd St.'s in Park Slope)
Monday: Free admission jam-session) Tues-Thurs: $5 music
charge. Fri-Sat: $10 music charge. Sun: Closed (for
now). Music ranges from classic jazz and blues to some funky Brooklyn
grooves. (Also, may have the occasional rock show and art showings and have
free wireless internet). Open for lunch: vegan burgers and organic
vegetarian pizzas, coffee, tea, etc.
Reign
718-643-REIG
46 Washington (Park / Flushing)
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Jazz is on it's way to this Cafe/Lounge/Bar. Call for details.
Sistas' Place
(718) 398-1766
456 Nostrand Ave. (Enter on Jefferson Ave.)
Sistas is the literary poets cafe that offers jazz weekly from September
through May. Jazz season begins on the week of John Coltrane's birthday:
September 23rd.
Call for weekly schedule.
Saturday nights, $15 cover, sets 9 and 10:30.
Artists have included: Robert Rutledge, Louis Reyes
Rivera and Jazzoets, Sonny Fortune and Akua Dixon's Quartet, Will Calhoun,
Eddie Gale, Byard Lancaster, Vincent Chancey Quartet, and Lonnie Plaxico.
Every first and third Sunday from 3 - 7 Sistas presents: Jazzoetry,
which is an open mic collaboration between jazz musicians and poets.
Sistas is open daily from 10 - 10.
Sugar Hill Restaurant and
Supper Club
(718) 797-1727
609-615 DeKalb Avenue
Live jazz and rhythm and blues: Mon.& Thurs., 7 p.m.-11 p.m. $10.00
minimum. One hundred-seat oak-and-brass dining room. Southern-style
seafood as well as the classics. $12 average entree.
Tamboril
(718) 622-5130
527 Myrtle Avenue . Brooklyn.
Brooklyn's new home for Afro Jazz. Every Sunday through labor
day, beginning Father's Day, music from African, Caribbean & Latin
traditions will be woven together with Jazz. Check out the eclectic schedule
online. Times are 6:00 and 7:15 PM, no cover, table & bar minimums.
Afro Jazz Sundays is an Up Over Jazz Production
Tea Lounge
(718) 789-2762
837 Union St. (6th / 7th Ave)
Park Slope
Jazz happens Thursday and Friday evenings at 9pm & 10:30pm in
this coffee and tea lounge which also features an art gallery.
There is no cover and superb jazz to be experienced. Check their music
link on their website to keep up with the bands rotating through.
Two Boots
(718) 499-3253
514 2nd Street (Between 7th / 8th Ave)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
By Subway: F or Q Trains to 7th Avenue,
2 or 3 Trains to Grand Army Plaza
The hippest, most creative and soulful, neighborhood-aware, pizza/po-boy
restaurant chain in the city is now breaking new ground in their Brooklyn
venue by offering great jazz to go with their Cajun/Italian cuisine.
On the nights when jazz is not featured the party will rock with zydeco and
rockabilly and other earth toned genres. No Cover and No Minimum plus
indoor & outdoor seating for dinner. Check their website to see who's
coming and when.
UnderWater Lounge
under the Water Street Restaurant
(718) 625-9352
66 Water Street
D.U.M.B.O., Brooklyn, NY 11201-1048
Every Wednesday this Fall 2005, the Brooklyn Jazz Series continues
with jazz in the UnderWater Lounge under the Water Street Restaurant.
The excellent featured musicians play 2 sets from 8 to 11pm. There will be a
Jam Session afterward with Chase Greye of The Steele Greye Quartet
over-seeing the Jam. He may be contacted through:
info@waterstreetrestaurant.com
Up Over Jazz Cafe -- RIP
(718) 398-5413
351 Flatbush Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn
They are in the process of
moving to a street level location nearby. In the meantime, consider
checking out their weekly Friday evening happy hour series at the Brooklyn
Marriot (see listing above).
Queens and Long Island Jazz Clubs
please submit names of other such
jazz venues (Email Bigapplejazz)
Blackbirds
(718) 943-6899
41-19 30th Avenue
Astoria, Queens
Mon-Fri 4pm-3am, Sat-Sun Noon-3am
Great Jazz Jam every Sunday Night in this Cajun-y bar in the Astoria
outback.
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
(718) 274-4925
29-19 24th Avenue (29th Street / 31st Street)
Astoria, Queens
N TRAIN TO ASTORIA BLVD.
Astoria
Jazz Nights presents FREE JAZZ at the BOHEMIAN BEER GARDEN
This is the kind of place that I would have snuck on to this list even if
they didn't feature jazz music. Since it's the last remaining old
school beer garden in New York, it doesn't need any help finding customers
who like to drink and eat in a vast and simple backyard on its own merits.
But if you add free jazz music and summer nights to the beer and goulash --
oh baby, now you're really talking to me.
Jazz Nights Every Thursday No Cover/No Minimum.
Check out great local talent including: Jacob Varmus (trumpet), Jacob
Garchik (trombone and accordion), Kris Davis (piano), Ike Sturm
(bass), and Brian Woodruff (drums). When it's not jazz night you may
find some other form of music and folk dance that will give you that well
deserved trip out of trendy NYC and into it's heart and soul. Check
the events link to see what's up.
Cavo
(718) 721-1001
42-18 31st Ave. (corner of 43rd St.)
Astoria, Queens
This is the Queens venue that Manhattan transplants will be relieved to
find. This vast modern Greek restaurant and lounge is impossibly hip
and elegant and hiding nicely in the up and coming working class
neighborhood four subway stops from Lexington Ave. Live music is
offered but jazz doesn't show up so much anymore. The best outdoor
seating area for a romantic evening.
Cooking with Jazz: RIP
(718) 767-6979
12-01 154th St. (At 12th Ave.)
Flushing, Queens
Cajun/Creole Restaurant
Dedicated to the soul food of New Orleans, this Queens restaurant offers
Cajun menu items like chicken and andouille gumbo, red beans and rice,
shrimp remoulade and chicken jambalaya. There's also live jazz
Thursday nights at 8:15 with suave, legendary bass player, Leonard
Gaskin (Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, King Curtis, Bob Dylan,
Lightnin' Hopkins et al). Wednesday nights catch guitar wizard Rob Ross at
7:30. Reservations suggested.
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing
(718) 463-7700
Check out their jazz
webpage and watch the stars come out. Joey DeFrancesco is coming
in March and Nat King Cole and Duke tributes follow on the 2005 schedule.
Prices vary depending on your level of commitment to the jazz series:
Tickets $30/ $24 for Members, 8-Performance Series: $190 per seat / $140 per
seat for Members.
GoWasabi-
No mo jazz
(718) 269-1074
34-02 30th Avenue
Astoria
Jazz will be playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 7-10. But call
first to be sure.
and RIP
29-11 Ditmars between 29th and 31st.
Jacob Varmus-trumpet and cornet
Nate Radley-guitar
Yoshi Waki-bass
Jamaica Center For Arts & Learning (JCAL)
(718) 658-7400 x23
161-04 Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica, Queens
When you get to the website check out "Music" link to see if the jazz
series has an upcoming show or jam.
Kolonaki Cafe RIP
(718) 932-8222,
33-02 Broadway
(33rd St & Broadway) Astoria
This
is the kind of Greek cafe you come to Astoria for and it has live jazz every
Monday and Wednesday night. A personal favorite is Ploes
next door for a great Greek meal also.
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center / CUNY
Institution Address: 31-10 Thomson Avenue, E-241 Long Island City, NY 11101
Directions: Located at 47th avenue. and Van Dam Street, L.I.C.,
Queens. 10 minutes from Grand Central Station on the #7 train to 33rd St.
Phone, fax & email for General Information: Phone: 1(718)-482-5151, Fax:
1(718)-609-2061
Email: ocorrea@lagcc.cuny.edu .
Jazz Jam Series :
www.lagcc.cuny.edu/lpac
Proper Café
(718) 341-2233
217-01 Linden Blvd.
St. Albans, Queens
Jazz Night, every Wednesday from 7pm until 11pm with… "The Fellows From
Carmicheals". We feature Live Jazz Musicians and a buffet available for a
minimal charge. The door charge is $10 The public and musicians are invited to attend. Mrs. Elaine Phipps
and Mr. Hank Turner, members of the Creative Jazz Organization were asked
how the club started. (Mr. Hank Turner, 93 years young plays the trumpet and
in the past fired Charlie Parker from his band. Mrs. Elaine Phipps was one
of the founders of the CJO). The Creative Jazz Organization (CJO),
previously located in the basement of Carmichael's Diner on Guy Brewer Blvd.
has moved and is presently located here in February of 2005. The
Creative Jazz Organization was organized to promote jazz & jazz history, to
encourage teenagers in their endeavors. Many great jazz musicians have
played at the club. To name a few, Dave Carter, Ed Stoute, Hank Edmonds,
Stan Hope, Weldon Irvine, Roy Meriweather, Hank Johnson, Walter Kelly,
Harold Ousley, Ed Jackson, Dave Jackson, Nick Carella, "Wink" Flyth, John
Abrams, Hank Turner, Roy Haynes, and Max Roach. The present musicians are:
Hank Wentz, Ed Stoute, John Dooley, Bob Cunningham, Clarence "Tootsie" Bean,
Lon Ivey, Napoleon Bey, Gerald Lindsey, Mike Benjamin, Butch Bateman, and
Bill Wurtzell. For more information contact President Reuben C. Bankhead at
telephone number (718) 529 2840.
Mixed Notes Cafe
(516) 328-2233
333 Elmont Road
Elmont, (near) Queens
Jazz on Thursdays FROM 9.00PM TO 2.30AM.
Nazca
(929) 522-0297
34-20 Broadway (Corner of 34th Street)
in Astoria, Queens.
Jazz guitarist, Larry Luger's weekly Astoria gigs are now at Nazca
Restaurant every Monday and Thursday from 7:00 to 10:30.
Nite of the Stars Cafe - RIP
(718) 978-7001
201-10 Linden blvd.
St. Albans, Queens
Thursday and Friday night jazz with the likes of Miles Ahead Band.
Friday night jam with Ajax starts around 10:30pm.
Queens College
Colden Center
(located at the corner of the Long Island Expressway and Kissena Blvd. in
Flushing)
Administrative and technical services: (718) 544.2996
Box office: (718) 793.8080
Just jazz series features
big name bands like Queens stalwarts, The Heath Brothers. Single
ticket prices: $22/20 seniors and students. Shows happen infrequently,
but all are worth checking out.
Sacs Pizza & Restaurant - NO MORE JAZZ
(718) 204-5002
25-41 Broadway (corner of 29th)
Astoria, Queens
Look for the regular
Monday night gig of guitarist
Larry
Luger's swinging trio. Sacs is an excellent old school Astoria
neighborhood Italian restaurant with several tables surrounding the
musicians and a small bar. In the borough of Queens on any given
Monday night, this is the only place to be for jazz. Not only is
Larry's trio, (Roy Antic on drums and bassist John De Cesare) top flight
musicians, but they have a seemingly endless list of guest performers
sitting in to add a dash of magic to the proceedings. Starting at 7:00
with no cover charge; the sets end at 10:30. Highly recommended.
Safari Lounge
(718) 217-6962
112-32 Springfield Blvd
Queens Village
Miles Ahead every Thursday starting at 10PM.
Terraza 7 Live
Music Café
(718) 803-9602
40-19 Gleane St.
Elmhurst, NY 11373
"It's
the hub for art, political expression, live music and for your favorite
mixed drink. Located in the heart of Queens, NY – directly between
Elmhurst and Jackson Heights – two locations containing the most diverse
population of working class immigrants on the planet- Terraza Café is
committed to preserving and promoting all local artistic and political
expressions within the community. Through drinks, art, live music,
workshops, community and political partnerships, owner and active community
member Freddy Castiblanco has built an intercultural bridge (and an amazing
stage and 2nd floor balcony) coaxing a cultural experiment that strives to
cultivate a better understanding of human complexity, cultural diversity,
creativity and solidarity. Every night there is something for the
curious-minded either live music, a literary event, film screening or a
workshop. Terraza Café also encourages local and like-minded non-profits to
rent the space for an event, meeting or fundraiser".
Two Finger Jake's
39 Sarah Drive
Farmingdale, NY 11735
(631) 390-8844
Long Island, New York: Blues and Jazz Club
Elegant and comfortable space which is also available for business meetings,
private events, as well as film, video and photo shoots.
Vino di Vino
at Trattorio Lincontro
(718) 721-3532
29-21 Ditmars Blvd @ 31 St, Astoria
Wednesdays 7:30 - 11:30, Fridays 8 - 12, featuring
Jed Levy and other excellent guest
musicians rounding out the piano, bass, sax trio. Look no further,
this is the place to be in Astoria on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Workshop39
NW corner, 39th Avenue at 29th Street
Long Island City, Queens
the place: "It's where we live, but it's neat." Wednesday
sessions to 7:30-10:30pm. Jacob Varmus (trumpet), Lars Jacobsen
(woodwinds), Lee Alexander (bass), Don Peretz (drums), Jacob Garchik
(trombone) and John Bollinger (drums).
more information
York College
94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.
Jamaica, Queens
THE 2005-06 JAZZ FORUM ARTISTS
Monday, December 5, 5 p.m.
Jazz Forum #9 with bassist Luico Hopper
www.luicohopper.com
Monday, March 6, 5 p.m.
Jazz Forum #10 with saxophonist Oliver Lake
www.oliverlake.net
Monday, April 3, 5 p.m.
Jazz Forum #11 with vocalist Gino Sitson
www.ginositson.com
Monday, May 8, 5 p.m.
Jazz Forum #12 with drummer Lenny White
www.lennywhite.com
All events will take place in the Performing Arts Center Lobby. As always,
the Jazz Forums are free and open to the public.
Bronx Jazz Clubs
please submit names of other Bronx
jazz venues (Email Bigapplejazz)
Bassline
(914) 699-1722
130 East First Street, Mount Vernon, NY 10550
$25 to $30 tickets for top flight jazz in
Norman Connors' new Westchester nightspot, housed in a historic
multilevel swing era speakeasy.
Giovanni's Grand Concourse
G-Bar
(718) 402-6996
579 Grand Concourse (Yankee Stadium is within walking distance. )
The Bronx
The G-bar offers a full menu of Italian dishes in a serene atmosphere at
affordable prices. Have a few drinks and a delicious meal, cooked to order,
while enjoying the free Live Jazz, Tuesday and Thursday, from
6:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. Featuring the talents of: Bobby Curtis,
Jennifer Jade, Dakota McLeod, Janice Robinson, Annette Aguilar, Sonido
Magico, and up and comer Charli Rockstar.
Ibiza Lounge
646-256-9968
220 W. 242nd Street
Riverdale, The Bronx
(one block west of the last stop on the 1 train = 242nd)
This is an easy to get to Bronx hang for their two headliners, Eric
Alexander and Joe Farnsworth when they are in town. A great chance to
hear world class jazz in the jazz wilderness of Riverdale. The cover
is $10.00, two sets every Thursday at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m.
Drinks, no food - but restaurants nearby in this pleasant Bronx
neighborhood.
PeaceLove Cafe
PeaceLove Facebook Page
617 Melrose Avenue (151st/152nd), Bronx, NY 10455
347-577-6397
Take #2 or #5 train to 3rd Avenue, 149th street and walk 2 blocks north.
Thursday: poetry 4:30-8PM.
Friday LIVE JAZZ: 6PM -8:30PM - JAZZ / R&B: 8:30-11PM. Featuring Alvin
Rogers.
Saturday Jazz Jam: 6PM-8:30PM. THE Rahn Burton Band:
8:30PM-11PM
No cover/ tip bucket. low minimums. Great inexpensive
natural food menu - nothing over $6.00!
Riverdale Gardens RIP 2008
(718) 884-5232
4574-4576 Manhattan College Parkway
The Bronx
Check them out for award-winning, cutting edge jazz trumpeter, Matt Schulman
and the Schulmansystem Trio. on Thursday nights 9 to 11:30.
Sundays they feature jazz saxist, Jonathan Lorentz with his trio --
sets at 8 and 9:15. This is purported to be a great restaurant and
bakery and wine bar and now a great jazz venue in The Bronx. Call ahead for
jazz updates and directions.
Sam's University Bar & Grill RIP
(718) 466-9719
1534 University Ave. (172 / Featherbed Lane)
The Bronx
Tuesdays is the only evening to catch live improvisational jazz at
Sam's, Mondays is Karaoke. Expect a $5.00 cover for the jazz night to
compensate the players. Music starts around 8:30.
Scottie's Lounge -- RIP
Closed as of Nov. 2004
(718) 601-3444
6697 Broadway (at 263rd Street)
Riverdale, The Bronx
Dear Friend, It is with great sadness that we must Close
SCOTTIES. Due to increased costs (rent, utilities, taxes etc.) the constant
visits by the 50 Pct, which caused our patrons (present and possible future)
to think SCOTTIES is not a safe place and as a result of these visits
creating an air of instability and un-safeness has made keeping SCOTTIES
open at this time impossible. We are planning to re-open SCOTTIES in the
future and hope that all who have patronized us in the past will be there
for us in the future.
Again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR 2 ½ years of Patronage. We are sorry we could not
make it three.
The Scott Family,
Eleanor, Steven, Stewart & Kelly
You must take the 1 Train...to 242nd Street and the Bx9 bus to 262nd Street.
Scottie's is not strictly a jazz club, offering everything from R&B to
comedy. To see the jazz players of the Bronx jam, you must come
on a Wednesday night. A two drink minimum but no cover charge
enforced before 7:00 PM. The music starts then and to help out the
musicians, $5.00 is asked till the music ends at 11:00 PM. Come to
hear Buddy Henry, Patrick Poladian, Dorothy Williams and other denizens of
the mainland borough in this classy Bronx venue. 23 and over and a
dress code is strictly encouraged.
Tito Puente's Restaurant and Cabaret RIP
(718) 885-3200
64 City Island Avenue
City Island, Bronx,
Upscale Jazz, Blues and Latin Jazz Supper Club. Music sets begin after
10:00pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. If you've never been City
Island, this is another great reason not to miss out. You don't know
the full story of the Bronx till you make it out to this famous fishing and
seafood village, which people more easily compare to New England then the
Bronx. Tito Puente's Restaurant is revamped and ready to entertain
you. Calll ahead for schedule of performers.
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