Smalls

Smalls is probably the busiest jazz club in New York hosting both established jazz musicians and rising stars. If you want to see a particular NY-based artist in an intimate setting, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll play in Smalls in the next couple of months.

The venue is small and has a lot of character, but it’s a no frills type of venue – no need to wear your tuxedo. Just stop by any evening after work and check out some great musicians while having a drink. There are usually two bands playing every night, two sets each, plus jam sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons and late nights.

The great thing about Smalls (and its sister venue Mezzrow) is that the program is known well in advance and usually lists all the players. If you are a bit of a jazz nerd and want to catch your favorite artist, it’s easy to plan ahead.

In addition both clubs do live streaming and have the archive of all the shows. You can access both for a very reasonable $10 a month donation: https://www.smallslive.org/

Depending on who’s playing it might make sense to buy the tickets in advance, but if you arrive early enough you can usually get some tickets at the door.

One drink minimum. No food. Tickets are $35.