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Jazz clubs in NYC

man in hoodie jacket playing saxophone

Jazz clubs are secular houses of worship, where audiences gather to witness musicians openly exhibit their emotions, skill, and life experiences. The clubs have their own ambience, dancing in musicians’ unblemished truth. The music swings, it jumps, it might hit you in the gut, but damn—what a hip happening. Call it what you want, good engaging music, all enthralling!

Although Bill’s Place opened in 2006, the brownstone stands in memorial salute to “Swing Street,” that 1920s strip between Lenox and Seventh Avenues where speakeasies in basement joints lined both sides of the street. The joints where Billie Holiday sang her young heart out, Willie “the Lion” Smith performed as house pianist, and Duke Ellington could often be seen just hanging. You are welcome to bring your own brown bag…BYOBB.

Further downtown, Max Gordon opened the Village Vanguard in 1935, where he presented folk music and those beat poetry cats. As time drifted into 1957, it became a jazz house that has since journeyed into a 21st-century jazz mecca.

HARLEM JAZZ CLUBS

Bill’s Place 148 W. 133rd Street (Open Friday–Saturday) 212-281-0777 billsplaceharlem.com 

Room 623 Harlem’s Speakeasy Jazz Club 271 W. 119th Street (Open Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays) 212-589-8979 room623.com 

The Shrine 2271 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. (World music, jazz) 212-690-7807 shrinenyc.com

New Amsterdam Musical Association 107 W. 130th Street (Live jazz and open mic, jam on Monday nights) 212-281-1350 namaharlem.wixsite.com

American Legion Post 398 248 W. 132nd Street (Live jazz on Sundays) 212-283-9701 Legion.org

Marjorie Eliot Parlor Entertainment Jazz (Open on Sundays) 555 Edgecombe Ave. 212-781-6595 Harlemonestop.com

Silvana Bistro 300 W. 116th Street (Live jazz and world music)  (Downstairs) 646-692-4935 Silvana-nyc.com

Smoke Jazz & Supper club 2751 Broadway  212-864-6662 Smokejazz.com

The Porch 750A St. Nicholas Avenue 646-895-9004 theporchnyc.com

MANHATTAN

Dizzy’s Jazz Club 33 W. 60th Street 212-258-9595 2023Jazz.org

Jazz at Lincoln Center Broadway at 60th Street 212-258-9800 Jazz.org

Django Jazz Club & Restaurant  2 Avenue of the Americas 212-519-6649 Thedjangonyc.com

Birdland Jazz Club 310 W. 44th Street 212-5813080 Birdlandjazz.com

Blue Note Jazz Club 131 W. 3rd Street 212-475-8592 Bluenotejazz.com

The Jazz Gallery 1160 Broadway 5th floor/entrance on 27th Street info@jazzgallery.org

Zinc Bar 82 West 3rd Street 212-477-9462 info@zincjazz.com

The Stone 55 W. 13rd Street (near 6th Avenue) Avant garde jazz (Music Wednesday–Saturday) 917-474-0018 thestonenyc.com

Village Vanguard 178 7th Avenue South 212-255-4037 villagevanguard.com

Mezzrow Jazz Club 163 W.10th Street 646-476-4346 smallslive.com/mezzrow/

Small’s Jazz Club 183 W. 10th Street 646-476-4346 Smallslive.com

Nublu 151 Avenue C (between 9th and 10th Streets) 646-546-5206 Nublu.net

Arthur’s Tavern 57 Grove Street 212-414-4314 Arthurstavern.nyc

BROOKLYN

Sista’s Place 456 Nostrand Avenue 718-398-1766 Sistasplace.org

Orinthology Jazz Club 6 Suydam Street 917-231-4766 Orinthologyjazzclub.com

Bar LunAtico 486 Halsey Street, Bed-Stuy 718-513-0339 Barlunatico.com

Bar Bayeaux 1066 Nostrand Ave 347-533-7845 Barbayeaux.com

Barbes 376 9th Street, Park Slope 347-422-0248 Barbesbrooklyn.com

The Brownstone Jazz 107 Macon Street 917-704-9237 (Open Friday–Sunday) brownstonejazz.business.site

Wilson Live 637 Wilson Avenue wilsonlivebk.com

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