Live Jazz in New York City
NYC's top jazz clubs include the Blue Note ($20-45), Village Vanguard ($40), Smalls Jazz Club ($20), and Jazz at Lincoln Center ($30-150). Smalls is the best value with no drink minimum.
4 places · Updated Oct 2026
Legendary Greenwich Village jazz club since 1981, hosting top-tier artists nightly. Two sets per evening with a $20 food/drink minimum. Late-night Friday and Saturday jam sessions have a $5 cover. Students get half-price cover on the second set (10:30pm) Sunday through Thursday.
The most important jazz club in the world, operating since 1935. A tiny, wedge-shaped basement room with no bad seats and perfect acoustics. Every major jazz artist of the past 90 years has played here. $15 drink minimum per set. Shows sell out — book early.
Tiny basement jazz club in the Village with a no-frills vibe and seriously talented musicians. Walk-in cover is $25 when space is available; reserved seats $35–$40. Sets run until 3:30am on weekends — one of the few places in the city for late-night live jazz. BYOB-friendly (beer and wine only).
Three performance spaces at the top of the Time Warner Center, including the Appel Room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park. Wynton Marsalis leads the resident orchestra. The Appel Room and Rose Theater are formal; Dizzy's Club is more intimate with nightly sets and a $10–$20 cover after 11pm.