Classiest jazz haunts

Village Vanguard
Head down the steep stairs and mingle with the ghosts of legends past as you groove to today’s standard-bearers, at New York’s most essential jazz club.
178 Seventh Ave South between Perry and W 11th Sts (212-255-4037)

Jazz Standard
In addition to tasty barbecue and Mingus music every Monday, this East Side basement boasts the city’s most consistently insightful bookings.
116 E 27th St between Park Ave South and Lexington Ave (212-576-2232)

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (at Frederick P. Rose Hall)
The name might be cloying, but the bookings at this Jazz at Lincoln Center space are pure champagne, and the Central Park view will pop your cork.
Broadway at 60th St (212-258-9595)

Smoke
This classy uptown space hosts some of the more respected creators in mainstream jazz, including marquee names and hardworking sidemen.
2751 Broadway between 105th and 106th Sts (212-864-6662)

Blue Note
Prices tend to be higher at this cramped Greenwich Village mainstay, but there’s a reason: You’ll never sit closer to headlining superstars than you will here.
131 W 3rd St between Sixth Ave and MacDougal St (212-475-8592)

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