Manhattan Jazz Clubs
First, my all-time New York City experience … Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle Hotel. Upper East Side. Not a jazz club, but I have to list it here because if you're reading this page I think you would like it! Classic room from the 1930s with great music. Why are these classic piano bars so hard to find? Pretty pricey considering the music charge and $20 martinis, but highly recommended!!
Jazz Clubs. Here are some of my recommendations, roughly in order from most recommended to least. I’d definitely recommend checking out who is playing because styles can vary significantly from night to night. Google them and you should be able to find some samples of their music on YouTube. Take a listen and decide if it's your cup of tea. If you can't find the artist anywhere online - beware!
Jazz Clubs. Here are some of my recommendations, roughly in order from most recommended to least. I’d definitely recommend checking out who is playing because styles can vary significantly from night to night. Google them and you should be able to find some samples of their music on YouTube. Take a listen and decide if it's your cup of tea. If you can't find the artist anywhere online - beware!
- Smoke. Upper West Side (Broadway & 105th). My clear favorite - definitely a bit on the grittier side. Very accessible music and a great, authentic atmosphere and good food. Small room that can get crowded. Good food. The only jazz club in NYC (that I know of) that has a “late-late” set that runs past 3:00AM. Works for me so long as I’m still on California time!
- Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. Columbus Circle – a fairly short 10-15 block walk north of Times Square. By far the high-end jazz club in Manhattan in a spectacular room on the third or fourth floor of an office-type complex that has incredible views across Central Park. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic and managing director. Serious jazz (not light), but also not that weird. Most people find it to be accessible. A fun late set starts around 11:00 or so with lesser-known performers at better prices. I’ve heard some of the best jazz in my experience there, but having said all of that, it is not my favorite as it is a bit to sterile and corporate for me. Jazz clubs should be a little grittier!
- Birdland. Times Square. Very nice, upscale club. Named after the classic club from the 1940s that was on 52nd Street, but nothing like the original. High quality music that tends to border on “pop jazz” if there is such a thing. Good food, comfortable seating with good lines of sight to the stage, very popular. A bit too touristy for my tastes (but I am a snob!)
- Jazz Standard. 27th and Park Ave. Another favorite if the right group is playing. Downstairs in a basement underneath a great barbeque restaurant (you can order the bbq in the club). A nice combination of a comfortable room, an authentic vibe, and (usually) music that isn’t too far out there. And great Barbeque!
- Blue Note. Greenwich Village. Actually, pretty much everything I said about Birdland also applies to Blue Note (except the location) and the room isn’t as well laid out as Birdland. Seating tends to be cramped and many seats have bad views of the stage. Still, a nice evening in a hip area of the Village that often books big name artists. One of my best jazz experiences was seeing Chick Correa there.
- Village Vanguard. Greenwich Village. The only original jazz club from the 30s still in operation. Down a steep staircase into a basement room that has been played (and recorded in) by every big name in the history of jazz. However … music booked there has been pretty “out there” for my tastes. Adding to that a crowded room with hard wooden chairs and no food served … I only go there now and then for the history.