5 NYC Jazz Clubs That You Need To Experience

12 مارس 5 NYC Jazz Clubs That You Need To Experience

New York City jazz clubs are abundant and vary in size and style of jazz that is featured. Just because these venues are plentiful doesn’t mean that you won’t need to do a little searching for a suitable jazz spot to fit your taste. Some NYC jazz clubs can be prominently located while others are hidden below street level. Perhaps, this hide and seek persona comes from a preference for the feeling of exclusivity of a good jazz venue.

Jazz is a genre of music for music aficionados. Most passionate jazz club regulars study and admire the music technical skills of the musicians while listening to the syncopated rhythms of jazz. This focus on technique and sound tends to favor jazz clubs that are smaller in size. In a jazz club the music is the highlight.

While smaller clubs feature the jazz music performance, other venues offer big band jazz and dance hall atmospheres. These lively NYC jazz clubs are not for sitting, they are made for music and dancing.

5 NYC Jazz Clubs That You Need To Experience

1. Iridium

This club is influenced by a unique dual history as both a jazz institution and the home of Les Paul who played at the Iridium from 1996 to 2009. To honor Les, The Legendary Les Paul Trio continues to play Every Monday Night along with masterful guitarists to honor Les in their own special way.

Throughout the week you’ll find amazing artists in the city’s only audiophile space- with amazing sound, sightlines great food and design. When it comes to the music at Iridium, it is still one of the most prestigious jazz spots in town.

2. Smoke

Smoke Jazz & Supper Club presents world-class jazz seven nights a week. Candlelit tables, plush velvet banquets, antique chandeliers, and a historic full-length bar create an genuine jazz vibe. Smoke also serves the perfect complement to classic jazz— soulful American cuisine.

The space is small, and you can usually expect an entertainment charge and food/drink minimum, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. Smoke feels like an old-world jazz joint—elegant and mellow, with top-notch acoustics and music that goes late into the night.

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3. Swing 46

Swing 46 high-energy venue features music & dance styles from the Fabulous Swing Era. You can Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Waltz, Foxtrot, or freestyle!

Put on your fine attire and dancing shoes for Swing 46. The vintage jazz era was all about class! Men would slick back their hair and wore fine suits. For women, the dresses of the 1930s through the 1950s were all about celebrating the female form! Each night you will find the most talented, professional musicians from all over the world with charts and arrangements that are impeccable and true to the genre that Swing 46 celebrates.

Don’t know how to swing dance? A dance lesson is available for swing dance newcomers at 9pm every night. The lesson is taught by a professional instructor and usually lasts a half hour.

4. Jazz Standard

This upscale Flatiron location falls somewhere between the flashy Time Square tourist traps and the smaller, serious West Village clubs, offering up jazz, blues and barbecue in its swanky, spread-out space. A world away from the dark, cramped clubs of the West Village, the sleek Jazz Standard is one of the most upscale and civilized spots to view jazz in the city.

Jazz Standard sits beneath barbecue restaurant, Blue Smoke, and serves their food on its menu, so you can pair your tunes with a brisket sandwich or fried chicken plate.

Patrons experience the Jazz Standard’s large space adorned with tablecloth covered tables and curved, red leather benches. The lighting is charming with exposed filament bulbs dotting the walls from the elevated back bar’s vantage point.

5. Birdland

Birdland is a classic jazz club that has a long history in NYC. Birdland started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents.

A revival began in 1986 with the opening of the second nightclub by the same name that is now located in Manhattan’s Theater District, not far from the original nightclub’s location. The current location is in the building next to The New York Observer headquarters.

The flagship venue for midtown’s jazz resurgence, Birdland takes its place among the bright lights of Times Square seriously. Birdland is a jazz club that is renowned for its roster of bands-in-residence. Birdland is so famous that it is even mentioned in a song. U2 references the club in the song “Angel of Harlem” with the lyrics “…Birdland on 53, the streets sounds like a symphony…”

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