9 Best Places for Jazz Music in Harlem

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

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

If you want 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 while having a few drinks, but a simple lounge where small groups gather to hear founder Bill Saxton play.

What’s unique about Bill’s Place is the size of the room—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 located in the area known as Swing Street during Prohibition due to the speakeasies and jazz clubs that opened here at night. Interestingly, alcohol is not currently allowed 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 organization created to promote and preserve jazz. They offer high-quality jazz performances and have already reached over 4,000,000 people visiting or living in New York.

During the summer , Jazzmobile organizes performances in concert halls, parks, and on the street. You can view their performance schedule on this page of their website. Check it out if you’re interested, so you can include the shows that appeal to you most in your travel itinerary.

Useful Information

• Price: The performances are completely free, as this is a non-profit organization.

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

It’s owned by chef Marcus Samuelsson (the owner of the famous Red Rooster Harlem restaurant 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 featuring live music.

And what a success! At Ginny’s Supper Club, you’ll enjoy a laid-back atmosphere with great live music, the best Southern cuisine, and 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’s 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 losing her son, every Sunday at 3:30 PM the charming Ms. Eliot delights audiences with a casual, free concert accompanied by talented musicians who mingle with the audience in her living room.

These concerts are exciting because, more than a performance, they feel like gatherings of friends who come together to enjoy music and have a good time. During intermissions, the musician serves some snacks and even stops to chat with people for a while before resuming the performance. Remember to bring some loose change for tips for the artists.

Useful Information

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

Located in the heart of Harlem, Harlem Nights is a cozy bar that offers all visitors a relaxed atmosphere, both indoors and outdoors, as well as on the summer terrace.

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

Useful Information

• Location: 2361 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York
• Hours: Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., and weekends from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Patrick’s Place is one of those spots you head to when you want to indulge your senses—specifically your sense of hearing and taste—as it’s 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 while listening to the best sounds of jazz and, of course, enjoying the finest Caribbean cuisine. You’ll feel right at home!

Useful Information

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

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

Founded in 2007 by music lovers in the artistic heart of New York, Shrine will surprise you with today’s most modern and innovative musical and artistic offerings.

Shrine’s lineup features various genres besides jazz, such as indie-rock, R&B, gospel (did you know you can attend a gospel mass in Harlem?), funk, and more. So if jazz is your main interest, I recommend checking their calendar before heading to the venue.

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 features cabaret-style tables near the stage where you can sit and listen to the concert while sipping 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 flavors, 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 when they’re playing jazz at the venue, I recommend checking their schedule before you go.

Useful Information

• Address: 300 W. 116th Street (SW corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd/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. A double treat!

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

A highly recommended spot to enjoy an unforgettable night in New York to the sound of the genre’s best music.

Useful Information

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