what's in out on the edge in nyc
j a z z c l u b s
Arthur's Tavern 57 Grove St. (N.W. corner of Grove and 7th Ave. South at Sheridan Square) 212-675-6879. Since 1937. Longest continually run jazz club in NYC. No cover charge. Jazz: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Dixieland jazz: 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Blues and R&B from 9 p.m. - 3 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 p.m. - 3 a.m. Sunday and Monday. The Creole Cooking Jazz Band, Grove Street Stompers and Sweet Georgia Brown have been playing here weekly forever, and for good reason: they rock the house.
Birdland 315 West 44th Street between 8th and 9th, 212-581-3080. All show times: 9:00 and 11:00 P.M. Music charge varies, $20-35. There is a $10 food/drink minimum per person at the tables. At the bar, the music charge includes one drink. Sundays belong to Chico O'Farrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band, Mondays have been reserved for the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin, and Wednesdays typically go to The Famous Duke Ellington Orchestra directed by Paul Mercer Ellington with early sets at 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. going to David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Centennial Band. From Thursday - Saturday expect the best in local and internationally touring artists. All will enjoy the excellent sight lines to the stage.
Blue Note 131 W. 3rd St, (212) 475-8592. Opened in 1981, the Blue Note is arguably the world's most popular jazz club. World renown talent take the stage for six day runs, with Mondays usually reserved for excellent local talent. Two sets are 9:00 and 11:30. Prices are $35 for table reservations + minimum, or $25 cover at the bar. There is $5.00 cover charge for the Friday and Saturday late night jam sessions. Sunday brunch served Noon - 4 PM. Show times at 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM.
The Cajun 129 8th Ave. (16th / 17th Strts), 691-6174. No cover, $20 minimum. Dixieland and swing nightly 8 - 11 as backdrop to a New Orleans dining experience. Sunday brunches and Wednesday lunches also accompanied by live music.
Cleopatra's Needle 2485 Broadway (92nd / 93rd), 212-769-6969 Music from 9 pm - 4 am. No cover. $10. min. per set. Eclectic menu, big screen sports and weekly showcases, featuring Eric Lewis Trio on Mondays. And nightly open jams from 2 am - 4 am. Jazz vocalists open mic every Sunday 1 to 5 pm.
Detour 349 E. 13th St. (1st / 2nd Aves.), 212-533-6212 Sun. - Thurs.: Music starts at 9:00. Fri. - Sat: Music starts at 9:30. No cover and no minimum. Detour is the place to go in the East Village to catch Matt Wilson and John Funkhouser for free on their way up. They are among the less known talent gigging at this inconspicuous diamond in the rough. Talk loudly or listen closely, all are welcome.
Fez under Time Cafe 380 Lafayette St. (at Great Jones Street), 212-533-2680 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.
Internet Cafe 82 E 3rd St. (1st / 2nd Aves.), 212-614-0747 Set times: Friday & Saturday night sets are at 10 & 11:30 pm; all other nights sets are at 9:30 & 11 pm. The cover remains $5, with no minimum. The most unpretentious and informal straight ahead jazz cafe perhaps in the world.
Iridium 44 W. 63rd St. (Broadway / Columbus), 212-582-2121 Top internationally known artists play six day runs, and Les Paul Trio every Monday. Sets: Mon. - Thurs. 8:45 and 10:45. Fri. & Sat 3rd Set at Midnight. Minimum cover charge: $20.00. $10.00 Drink Min.
Knitting Factory 47 E. Houston St. near Mulberry. 212-219-3055 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.
The Lenox Lounge 288 Lenox Ave. (124th -125th St.), 212-722-9566 Recently renovated to its 1930's art deco splendor. Cover charge and minimum. The Zebra Room in back is one of the finest looking jazz spaces in town. Live jazz booked on weekends. Monday night jam session.
Metronome: Jazz Lounge 915 Broadway (Corner of 21st St.), 212-505-7400 Music showcased: Wed. to Sat. 7:00 - 11:00. No cover. Enjoy a swanky downtown setting and menu while you enjoy a good mix of the city's talented performers. Find out what night Danny Mixon is playing before booking your reservations.
Red Blazer 32 W 37th St. (5th / 6th), 212-947-8940 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. $16 covers three courses, plus coffee or tea.
Smalls 183 West 10th Street at 7th Avenue, 212-929-7565 Open: 10 pm - 8 am. Smalls has at least 3 bands nightly. 10 hrs. of jazz on weekdays, 12 hrs of jazz on friday, saturday and sunday. Cover just $10. Stay as long as you like. Self serve free non-alcoholic beverages at the bar or bring your own. Early bird free show on Saturdays at 7:30. (The hours and location are changing shortly, so call them first. And expect a line, this club is hot).
Smoke 2751 Broadway @ 106th St, 212-864-6662 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. Sets at 9, 11, 12:30. Bar closes at 4:00. $10 drink tickets serve as the cover charge. A Monday night jam session encourages vocalists to step up. .
St. Nick's Pub 773 St. Nicholas Blvd. (Corner of 149th St.), 212-283-9728 Best Monday night jam session in the city. The scene gets kicking at midnight. There is a tourist scene prior to the Monday jam with Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Jazz Quartet driving the festivities beginning at 9:30. For the last half dozen years, Friday nights have belonged to the Bill Saxton Trio...highly recommended! Thursday features the club's charming singing bartender, Arlene Talley. Guest artists frequently stop by to sit in. Among them: James Carter, Olu Dara, Savion Glover, Reggie Workman, Laurel Watson, Etta Jones, even Stevie and Aisha Wonder.
Swing 46 349 W. 46th Street (8th / 9th Aves.), 212-262-9554 Swing dance & supper club. Featuring Live Bands - Swing & Jump Blues 7 Nights a week. Each night there is a dance lesson at 9:15 pm followed by a live swing band. Sunday - Wednesday the ticket price is $7. Thursday - Saturday it's $12. Suggested dress code - no jeans or sneakers and Jackets are not required. Sundays have featured early evening tap classes: Legendary hoofer, Buster Brown's "Crazy Tap Jam," 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Tonic 107 Norfolk St bet Delancey and Rivington, 212-358-7503 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 Thurs.- Sats. 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.
Torch 137 Ludlow St. (Stanton / Rivington Sts.), 212-228-5151 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. Chet Bakerish, Todd Londigan will impress you with his tap shoes, when he's not on tour with The Flying Neutrinos.
Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Ave. near 11th St., 212-255-4037 Sets: Sunday - Thursday 9:30 and 11:30, Friday and Saturday 9:30, 11:30, and 1:30. Sets: Sunday - Thursday 9:30 and 11:30, Friday and Saturday 9:30, 11:30, and 1:30. Monday nights, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, established by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis over 33 years ago continues their big band tradition. Sunday - Thursday: $25.00 at the door (includes $15.00 admission plus a $10.00 drink minimum). On Friday and Saturday: $30.00 at the door (includes $20.00 admission plus a $10.00 drink minimum). 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. Catch pianist Tommy Flanagan here for a perfect jazz night out.
Zinc Bar 90 W. Houston St. (Thompson St../ LaGuardia Pl), 212-477-8337 Open 7 days 6 P.M. - 3:30 A.M. on weeknights, and till 4 A.M. on weekends. $5 cover and a one drink min. Weekly theme nights dominate the schedule. Monday showcases the guitar trio of Ron Affif at 8:00 and 9:00. Featured bands play 3 sets Mon. -Thurs. at 10:30, 12, and 2:00. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are jazz nights, while Thursdays are Latin, Fridays are African and Saturdays are Brazilian Bossa Nova. Fri. and Sat. the first set starts at 11. Sundays bring poetry readings at 6:30. And Brazilian Samba groups into the night. A lounge exists in back for your smoky comfort.
55 Bar 55 Christopher St. (Seventh Ave. So. / Waverly Place) 212-929-9883. Leni and Mike Stern hold court, also Sweet Georgia Brown and Wayne Krantz. $3 cover and 2 drink min. First Set around 10:00 PM
This list of Jazz Clubs was blatantly pirated from the "First Chair of Jazz Tour Guides", Gordon Polatnick -- without any permission whatsoever. Gordon undoubtably swiped a lot of it from other sites, but being a top jazz tour guide, he mostly he seems to know this stuff better than anyone else we could pirate it from. Please give Gordon some payback and share in his thrill seeking adventures from the Village to Harlem, every night of the week.
