Jazz Uptown

Brownstone sessions, supper clubs, and a scene that rewards knowing which night to go where.

Uptown jazz today isn't the Minton's-and-Showman's postcard. Both of those historic Harlem rooms are shuttered. What's alive is a distributed scene of smaller venues spread across Harlem, Morningside, and the Upper West Side, each programming two or three nights a week. Bill Saxton still plays his quartet's Friday-and-Saturday brownstone sessions at Bill's Place on West 133rd: the last of the old Swing Street speakeasies, 30 seats, a $20 donation. A short walk south, Silvana on West 116th books nightly jazz alongside Afrobeat and Latin sets, and Shrine on Adam Clayton Powell runs an eclectic every-night calendar that includes regular jazz trios.

The Upper West Side holds two of the city's most consistent rooms. Smoke Jazz & Supper Club on Broadway and 106th books world-class modern artists seven nights a week in a 60-seat supper-club setting. Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, a subway stop further south at Columbus Circle, programs nightly shows with a Central Park view behind the stage.

Add smaller community rooms (Lucille's, NAMA, Sugar Monk, Parlor Entertainment, The Edge Harlem) and Red Rooster's bar program, and Uptown now rewards knowing which night to go where. The full directory of Uptown jazz venues is below.

Editor's picks

Top jazz venues Uptown

  1. 01
    Smoke Jazz Club

    Elegant UWS supper club with world-class jazz

    Upper West Side

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  2. 02
    Dizzy's Club at Lincoln Center

    Jazz & city lights from a 140-seat listening room

    Lincoln Square / Upper West Side· 1 upcoming

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  3. 03
    Bill's Place

    Harlem's authentic speakeasy with BYOB jazz

    Harlem

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  4. 04
    Shrine World Music Venue

    Eclectic every-night room on Adam Clayton Powell

    Harlem

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  5. 05
    Silvana

    West 116th spot with jazz, Afrobeat, and Latin nightly

    Harlem

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All venues

Every jazz room in Uptown

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Where can I hear jazz in Harlem tonight?
Active Harlem jazz venues include Bill's Place (Bill Saxton's brownstone sessions, Fri/Sat), Smoke Jazz Club on Broadway and 106th (Wed–Sun), Shrine on Adam Clayton Powell (regular jazz programming), Silvana on 116th (nightly music), Lucille's on Macombs Place (Thu–Sat), Sugar Monk on Frederick Douglass (Tuesday), and The National Jazz Museum in Harlem's concert series on West 129th. Minton's Playhouse and Showman's, often cited in older guides, are both permanently closed. See the listings above for tonight's specific lineup.
Is Smoke Jazz Club on the Upper West Side worth the trip?
Yes. Smoke is one of NYC's most consistent intimate jazz rooms. It books major modern artists (Kenny Barron, Johnathan Blake, Wayne Escoffery) in a 60-seat supper-club setting where every table has a good view of the stage. Open Wednesday through Sunday with multiple sets nightly. Reservations strongly recommended.
What's Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center like?
Dizzy's is the intimate supper-club room inside Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, facing Columbus Circle. The glass wall behind the stage looks out over Central Park South. The view is legitimately iconic. Two sets nightly; bookings lean toward JALC-affiliated artists and touring headliners. Tickets $35–60 typically.