9 Best Places for Jazz Music in Harlem

With all due respect to New Orleans, New York is the best place to go for an unforgettable live jazz show, especially in the Harlem neighbourhood. If you’d like to enjoy this experience during your stay in the Big Apple, here are a few clubs and venues where the magic happens every night.

If you’d like an expert to tell you all about jazz and show you around Harlem like a local, you can join a jazz bar crawl. Ready for an unforgettable experience?

If you’re looking to spend a fun evening in Harlem listening to the most authentic jazz, you won’t find a more genuine spot than Bill’s Place. This isn’t a trendy bar where you listen to music whilst having a few drinks, but a simple venue where small groups gather to hear the founder, Bill Saxton, play.

What’s interesting about Bill’s Place is the size of the room – it’s so tiny that every seat is in the front row facing the stage, making this an exclusive and almost private experience.

Bill’s Place is situated in the area known as Swing Street during the Prohibition era due to the speakeasies and jazz clubs that opened here at night. Interestingly, alcohol is not currently permitted in the club, but you can bring your own drinks.

Useful information

• Address: 148 W. 133rd St.
• Open: Fridays and Saturdays.

Jazzmobile is the first non-profit cultural and artistic organisation created with the aim of promoting and preserving jazz. They offer high-quality performances of this musical genre and have already reached over 4,000,000 people visiting or living in New York.

During the summer , Jazzmobile organises performances in concert halls, parks and on the streets. You can view their performance schedule on this page of their website. Have a look if you’re interested, so you can include the ones that appeal to you most in your travel itinerary.

Useful information

• Price: the performances are completely free, as it is a non-profit organisation.

Ginny’s Supper Club is the modern reincarnation of those glamorous, underground venues in the neighbourhood that, in the 1920s, flouted Prohibition to bring joy to their customers at night.

It is owned by chef Marcus Samuelsson (owner of the famous Red Rooster Harlem restaurant, which I mentioned in the post ‘Where to eat in Harlem’), who came up with the idea of opening a second restaurant in the basement of Red Rooster Harlem with a secret entrance for dinners accompanied by live music.

And what a success! At Ginny’s Supper Club you’ll enjoy a relaxed atmosphere with great live music, the best Southern food and some delicious, creative cocktails inspired by Harlem, such as the “Harlem Mule” or the “Brownstoner”.

Useful information

• Address: 310 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027
• Open: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

There is no other place in Harlem where you can enjoy a more intimate jazz experience than in pianist Marjorie Eliot’s living room in Sugar Hill.

For over 10 years since she lost her son, every Sunday at 3.30 pm the charming Mrs Eliot delights her audience with an informal, free concert, accompanied by talented musicians who mingle with the audience in her living room.

These concerts are captivating because, rather than a performance, they feel like gatherings of friends coming together to enjoy the music and have a good time. During the intervals, the hostess serves some refreshments and even stops to chat with people for a while before the performance resumes. Remember to bring some loose change for the artists’ tips.

Useful information

• Address: 555 Edgecombe Ave, Flat 3F on 160th St, Washington Heights
• Open: Sundays.

Located in the heart of Harlem, Harlem Nights is a cosy bar offering all visitors a relaxed atmosphere, both indoors and outdoors on the summer terrace.

On Mondays, they host open mic nights where you can sometimes find jazz bands playing and entertaining diners who can enjoy an extensive menu.

Useful information

• Location: 2361 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 5 pm to 2 am, and weekends from 5 pm to 4 am.

Patrick’s Place is one of those places you go to when you want to indulge your senses, specifically your sense of hearing and taste, as it is a fabulous Jamaican restaurant that offers live jazz shows on Friday and Saturday nights for anyone looking to have a good time in Harlem.

If your two passions are music and food, don’t hesitate to visit Patrick’s Place and let yourself be swept away by its relaxed atmosphere whilst listening to the finest jazz and, of course, enjoying the best Caribbean food. You’ll feel right at home!

Useful information

• Address: 2835 Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th Ave and 151st)
• Open: Fridays and Saturdays.

If you’d like to hear independent jazz from up-and-coming talent in a creative atmosphere, the Shrine in Harlem is the best place to go.

Founded in 2007 by music lovers in the artistic heart of New York, at Shrine you’ll be surprised by the most modern and innovative musical and artistic offerings of today.

Shrine’s programme features a variety of genres alongside jazz, such as indie-rock, R&B, gospel (did you know you can attend a gospel service in Harlem?), funk, etc., so if jazz is your main interest, I recommend checking their calendar before you go.

Useful information

• Address: 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY 10030,
• Open: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Although not a jazz club in the strictest sense, the Silvana café has that speakeasy atmosphere, and in its basement you can enjoy live music performances where you can lose yourself in the sound of jazz and other fascinating musical genres such as reggae, funk, house, hip-hop or African music.

The venue has cabaret-style tables near the stage where you can sit and listen to the concert whilst savouring a delicious cocktail or a glass of Italian or French wine. Complete the experience by ordering a dish from their menu inspired by Middle Eastern flavours, such as hummus, falafel or shawarma.

East and West come together in Silvana’s basement with the best jazz music playing in the background. To be sure of when jazz is being played at the venue, I recommend checking their programme before you go.

Useful information

• Address: 300 W. 116th Street (south-west corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd and 8th Ave)
• Open: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

The Smoke is one of those New York Jazz & Supper Clubs where you go looking for good music and end up staying for the delicious food too. A double treat!

The venue is famous for its line-up of world-renowned jazz artists, which rivals the excellent American bistro-style food prepared in its kitchens by the prestigious chef Patricia Williams.

A highly recommended spot for enjoying an unforgettable night in New York to the sound of the genre’s finest music.

Useful information

• Address: 2751 Broadway (between 105th and 106th St.)
• Open: Tuesday to Sunday.