Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Jazz Lovers in New York.

Right away let me state that I don't go out much so these names are mostly second-hand, but I have heard about them from friends: Blue Note, Village Vanguard, Birdland are some classic standards, all in Greenwich Village, the kind of places where you see big names. Iridium is in a really funky bar across from Lincoln Center and I've heard the music's good but it's very expensive (as, I would assume, are the above-mentioned ones). For a gentler, genteel take on the subject, Bobby Short performs at the Carlyle and I highly recommend his show. Woody Allen plays clarinet in a band every Monday and as I remember it the name of the place was Michael's. However, I do seem to recall his band changed venue at some point, not sure if it was from Michael's or to Michael's. The Greatest Bar On Earth at the top of the World Trade Center has a variety of music; I'd bet anything they have jazz at least once a week, and you can't beat the view. If you want something more low-budget, up-and-coming, check out Tonic, on the lower East Side, or Detour, on 13th between 1st and 2nd. (Tonic has a variety of stuff as well so you'll need to look into the schedule there first; Detour has jazz every night but be warned it's as smokey as a Frenchman's lung.) In any case, you should really check out villagevoice.com, citysearch.com and timeout.com, all of which will have extensive up-to-date listings and plenty of information about tickets.