My list of Brooklyn Jazz Clubs

I made this list to sum up my discoveries of Brooklyn jazz and it’s now also up on Big Apple Jazz website (other jazz clubs in the city covered by Gordon Polatnick).  Happy exploring

Here’s the list:

 

 

Brooklyn Jazz Clubs

 

Park Slope & Gowanus

Bar 4
444 7th Ave. Brooklyn
(718) 832-9800
A cool bar in South Park Slope with Jazz on Monday nights, curated by guitarist Mike Gamble.
No cover.

*Barbès
376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.) Park Slope, Brooklyn
347-422-0248
A very authentic South Park Slope venue run by French owners
Some famous regular acts:   Slavic Soul Party: (Balkan music) on Tuesdays
The Mandingo Ambassadors: (African music) on Wednesdays
Usually $10 cover charge or suggested donation.

Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue Brooklyn
718-857-4816
Cafe/venue in Park Slope/Gowanus with jazz on Sundays (curated by Ryan Keberle) and Wednesdays (curated by Joe Phillips).
$10 cover

Douglass St Music Collective
295 Douglass St. (3rd / 4th Ave), Brooklyn
An artist-run rehearsal and performance space in Brooklyn’s historic Gowanus district with some happening live music acts.

I-Beam
168 7th Street, Brooklyn
Kind of hidden, nice performance space/studio in Gowanus/Park Slope with amazing bookings – most often featuring musicians’ music with a community feel.
$10 donation suggested.

ISSUE Project Room
232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn
718-330-0313
Interesting live music/events/projects space in Gowanus/Park Slope.

Korzo Restaurant
667 5th Avenue (bet. 19th + 20th streets) Brooklyn
718.285.9425
*Konceptions series in Korzo Restaurant-  Great live jazz/experimental music on Tuesday nights curated by pianist/composer James Carney.  Eastern European cuisine; great choice of beers on tap.
Schedule and directions: http://www.myspace.com/konceptions
Cover: $7 per set

Puppets Jazz Bar
481 5th Ave, Brooklyn
718-499-2622
Jazz bar in Park Slope with nightly jazz acts and Jazz Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3 PM. Full line-ups usually not stated on their calendar which could mean nice surprises.
Cover usually from $6 to $12 per set.

*The Fifth Estate
506 5th Ave.   (12th / 13th)  Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-840-0089
Formelry known as Royale. With semi-public jam sessions every Tuesday, run by drummer Diego Voglino, featuring high calibre Brooklyn jazz musicians in the opening and closing sets. Often great jazz bands on Mondays as well. Great Brooklyn vibe.
Music calendar: http://www.myspace.com/royalebrooklynmusic

Southpaw
125 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn
718.230.0236
Cool venue with occasional jazz, check calendar.

*Tea Lounge
837 Union St, 11215, Park Slope, Brooklyn
718–789–2762
Nice and cozy neighborhood cafe/bar/venue in Park Slope. Live music mostly from Wednesday to Sunday; great eclectic booking featuring jazz musicians of the highest caliber, but also some interesting up and coming talent, world music and various other creative acts.  Great choice of coffee and tea; free wifi.
No cover, $5 donation suggested

Williamsburg

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn
(347) 529-6696
Knitting Factory is at its 3rd NYC location with this move to Williamsburg.  Look for cutting age bookings, sometimes in the jazz genre.

Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th St, Brooklyn,
The Bowery Presents venue

*Rose Live Music
345 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 599-0069
Bar and restaurant in Williamsburg, very nice cozy atmosphere, often featuring most cutting edge experimental live music acts like Mark Guiliana’s THING (in theory, every other Wednesday). Other noteworthy regulars: Monday night Soul Sessions hosted by guitarist Chauncey Yearwood, Sunday night Brooklyn Jazz Experiments Series curated by Chris Conly.   Amazing wine garden in the warmer months.
Almost always, no cover.  Donations welcome

*Spike Hill
184-186 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 218-9737
Bar in the hippest part of Williamsburg – Jazz night on Monday nights, featuring 3-5 up and coming bands, a great spot to see some young NY jazz talent.
No cover, donations welcome.

Zebulon
258 Wythe Avenue Brooklyn
(718) 218-6934
A bohemian bar/ hang in Williamsburg with free live music every night.  Booking varies greatly – check schedule for jazz. Can have some of the best shows in the city but very often also featuring rather obscure indie bands.
No cover.

Rest of Brooklyn

Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium
(718) 569-1896
1958 Fulton Street
Suite 300 A
Brooklyn, NY 11233

Solo Kitchen Bar
1502 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn
A great bar in an up-and-coming creative neighborhood in Ditmas Park/Flatbush, right next to the Cortelyou Rd subway stop off the Q train.   Affordable beers on tap, brick-oven pizza, pool table and more. Jam session on Thursday nights, hosted by guitarist Aki Ishiguro.
Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway, Brooklyn
A one-of-a-kind bar/cafe/venue in Bushwick/Bed-Stuy with a creative vibe, a definite neighborhood favorite. Featuring live jazz, rock, indie and more, mostly young talent. Watch out for show times – they say everything starts at 9PM. Check the calendar for more accurate show times.
Calendar: http://www.myspace.com/goodbyebluemondayinc

BAM Cafe
1087 Broadway, Brooklyn
(718) 636-4139
Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene.  Nice cafe with a young creative vibe, occasional jazz concerts/projects.
Calendar: http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=38
Some free, some cover charges events.

*Le Grand Dakar
285 Grand Ave. (Clifton Pl. / Lafayette Ave.), Brooklyn
718.398.8900
An African restaurant in Clinton Hill featuring really good Live Jazz, African music and great African menu. Listings often stated on website by style only, check out local monthly jazz magazine: All About Jazz, NY for specific names.
No cover.

Coco 66
66 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn
718-389-7392 / 917-807-6045
Club/bar in Greenpoint with occasional jazz programming.

* recommended