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You Can Find Live Jazz in New York City Every Night of The Week

The Jazz Standard Club, NYC

New York has been the jazz capital of the world ever since bebop took over 52nd Street and Harlem in the 40’s and 50’s. Young musicians playing electric or acoustic, standards or free form, have been inexorably drawn here in search of inspiration and work.

I am a guitarist and composer of eclectic tastes and have been writing and performing since the 1980’s. I moved to New York in the late 1990’s, having felt that I’d hit a glass ceiling in Berkeley, CA. I fell immediately in love with the city, and spent much of my first year immersing myself in the minutiae of the scene. Since then I’ve led over 10 different ensembles of varying size and style, searching for ways to integrate all manner of different sounds into jazz, whether country, East Indian, rock, or classical.

Some of the Manhattan clubs that originally drew me in — The Knitting Factory, Tonic, The Internet Café — no longer exist. Clubs open and close all the time here, often falling victim to high real estate prices or blessedly utopian ideals. All aspects of doing business in New York are tough; you have to have a thick skin and always be ready with a back up plan.

Still, there are many new clubs and old stalwarts that have survived. While some of the marquee names like the Village Vanguard or the Blue Note are well known to tourists, there are a host of other venues that are off the grid, where musicians hang out, where the music is being shaped and honed and made new. You can find something great happening every day of the week.

Monday

For a couple of years now the Jazz Standard has hosted the Charles Mingus Big Band on Monday nights. This repertory band, which has been playing new arrangements of his iconic works since the 90’s, is high art and great entertainment combined.

It’s bluesy, soulful, swinging, and yet retains the modernity, the kick and bite that defined Charles Mingus. Plus, the food — a Danny Meyer ribs-based creation called Blue Smoke — is great. Two sets at 7:30 and 9:30. Make sure to reserve in advance as it always sells out.

Tuesday

Brooklyn is home to virtually every jazz musician these days. We’ve taken over! Yet, there is still no major club, like the Jazz Standard, that has emerged in this borough. One of the reasons is that you, the beloved tourist, rarely venture outside Manhattan.

Know this: Most of Brooklyn is extremely safe and entirely accessible by subway. There is a trove of venues for music lovers. Korzo, an Eastern European restaurant in “South Slope”, is just such a place. Once a week pianist James Carney books two bands in the back room, and the music is always modern and vital…

Read more: Joel Harrison, Matador

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