Jazz in NYC, last weekend in May
 

My husband and I will be in NY for a few days at the end of May. I'd like to surprise him with a jazz performance of some kind, but I'm a bit out of my element!

His favorite artist is Pat Metheny, just to help narrow down the type of jazz he likes, though it's not that limited.

I've tried to search for things on http://www.gothamjazz.com/listings/05/01/2008 but nothing has jumped out, and I don't know if there are other places to look.

Another thought is a jazz brunch at the Blue Note. Any thoughts?

~Liz

Paul Motian's group is playing at the Village Vanguard.
http://villagevanguard.com/frames.htm

One of my favorite pianists ever, Bill Charlap is playing at Dizzy's Coca Cola. That would be an awesome show.

Try Jazz at Lincoln Center which is actually in the Time Warner bldg a few blocks south of Lincoln Center. I've only been in their Rose Theater (beautiful venue), but there is Dizzy's Club there too.

Check out the calendar at www.jalc.org and see what they have going on then.

You can go for drinks at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel while you're there - beautiful view.

Go on line for Time Out NY and Village Voice. They will not only have who is in town that week, but lists just about every jazz venue in the city.

Thanks, all. I'm checking out these links.

The jazz brunch idea is sounding like it might be a good idea to my husband. I suspect Blue Note isn't the only choice. Has any one been to a good one?

~Liz

I am of the school you go to one place to eat and another to be entertained. One usually suffers.

Sort of agree with Aduchamp on the eating/music thing. The food at the Blue Note is really poor. Bill Charlap at Dizzy's Coca Cola sounds great (but I don't know Pat Metheny to compare). Food there is not terrible, but not fabulous either. It's got great views. It's one of the venues in the Time Warner building that Centralparkgirl alludes to.

Bigapplejazz.com has some other club listings apart from the ones on gothamjazz, I think.

Check out Jazz Standard, the room downstairs from Blue Smoke - very good BBQ (for NYC) and more:
http://jazzstandard.net/red/index.html

You might get lucky and get a good show, but I agree with the above - you're better off doing 2 different places

Hmmm, Dizzy's Coca Cola is looking more interesting the more I look into it. Such an odd name (yes, I know who Dizzy is...), but it looks like a really nice place. I went ahead and made a reservation, it's cancel-able if something else comes up.

Thanks, all!

~Liz

Here is a little taste of Bill Charlap.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4Og-DP_kaAg

Thank you for the Bill Charlap recommendation at Dizzy's Coca Cola!

We just got back, and Tony Bennett was in the audience. People were hoping he would sing, but he didn't. Maybe at the late show.

It's a beautiful venue, and the performance was inspiring.

There's a great olde time jazz club called St. Nick's Pub uptown in Hamilton Heights that you might consider. I have seen a few celebs coming out of the club at night and the place usually has a good audience. It's on St. Nicholas Ave and 148th ST, just off the A train at 145th ST. Great Jazz there.

Kailani, did you eat there? If yes, how was the food?

Kailani,

Glad to here you liked it, and yes, would like your comments on food, if you had any. We'll be there this Saturday, and might be looking to consolidate our destinations at this point. I sprained my ankle and whacked my head yesterday... :~(

~liz

jealous

Yes, we did eat at Dizzy's. Two of us are vegetarians, so we had a chopped salad and pasta primavera. Both OK, not exceptional. My husband had a tasty jambalaya. The red velvet cake was truly inedible, like something a hospital would serve.

Most people were finished with eating by the time the music started, and they announced a "quiet policy" so it wasn't a typical dinner/jazz where there are clanking plates competing with the music. The overall experience was lovely.

Sorry about your ankle & head, Liz. I would definitely eat there for the lovely, relaxing experience. After braving the Times Square crowds for a few days, Dizzy's felt like an oasis of sophisticated calm.

We recently went to Smoke Jazz & Supper Club with a friend who loves jazz. My husband and I do not know a lot about jazz and we were also wary of the food, but we came out having a wonderful evening.

My friend and I had the pasta with mussels and my husband had their cheeseburger and we were all very pleasantly surprised. Everything was delicious!

It is a tiny place (maybe a capacity of 50), so I would recommend you call for reservations.

http://www.smokejazz.com/

I second Kailani's review of the Bill Charlap Trio and Dizzy's Coca Cola. We were there Saturday night, and it was a highlight of our weekend.

Thanks!
Liz