HELLO, JAZZ LOVERS!

It has been cold in New York this winter but the jazz has been HOT. 

 Visitors to our town MUST SEE Jazz At Lincoln Center at 60th Street and Columbus Circle. (www.jazzatlincolncenter.org)  Check out Dizzy's Coca Cola Jazz club there and wait for the After Hours gigs as well...the groups are great and a $10. (After Hours) bargain.

If you are going to Jazz At Lincoln Center and want a great Italian dinner either pre-or post performance, or want to warm up your jazz sensibilities on the week end,

check out STRADA 57 Ristorante at 315 West 57th Street. Reservations are strongly suggested as it is always busy  Telephone 212-757-1620.e mail info@strada57.com www.strada57,com  I am there with a bassist, on Friday and Saturday nights at 7-11PM usually Hilliard Greene, or Will Woodard when I am in town, so stop by and listen and say hello.  

Another wonderful "listening" room for jazz is The Kitano Hotel at 66 East 38th Street. It is warm and intimate and always features top jazz players. During the week there is no Music Charge

 www.Kitano.com e mail jazz@kitano.com  Tel. 212-885-7119.

On WEDNESDAYS, MIDTOWN JAZZ AT MIDDAY at ST. PETER'S Church at 54th & Lexington Avenue features world-class singers and instrumentalists. It starts at 1PM but get there

early for a seat as it fills up fast. RONNY WHYTE, singer/pianist holds forth as the host.

APRIL IS JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH  and I am celebrating  by performing at BARNES & NOBLE,on MONDAY , MARCH 31, 66th & Broadway at 6PM

Another long-standing New York jazz concert series is Jack Kleinsinger's "Highlights In Jazz". It takes place at the Tribeca Performing Arts center in lower Manhattan.  

There are three major sources of information for the jazz events in New York City that list who is playing where and are generally comprehensive and up-to-date.

www.ALLABOUTJAZZ.com has a New York City version. www.newyork.allaboutjazz.com ; Hot House magazine at www.hothousjazz.com  and Jazz Improv at www.jazzimprov.com

On Sunday and Monday nights, guitar virtuoso Gene Bertoncini plays solo at La Madeleine om west 43 Street.

Other great New York jazz venues are

The Blue Note, Iridium,Birdland,  Smalls. Smoke, Sweet Rhythm but there are many more smaller venues for intimate listening.

If you want to contact me by e mail for more information please e mail  swinginfox@swinginfox.com

e view taken from Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz At Lincoln Center

New York Jazz Radio

Those who have XM satellite radio should tune to Real Jazz with host and jazz director Maxx Myrick, who is always playing a great mix of straight-ahead jazz...the real deal!! 

WKCR is the Columbia University radio station and has some great jazz hosted by Phil Schaap, a workd-renowned authority on everything relating to jazz.

WBGO.FM is located in New Jersey, but can often be heard in Manhattan. 

OTHER JAZZ THINGS TO DO

Want to buy some jazz CD's?  Barnes & Nobel at 66th street & Broadway has a large selection of re-issues and current CD releases. 

 If you are a jazz history buff and want to get a taste of what jazz was like in New York City in the early 20's, '30's and '40s, check out www,bigapplejazz.com  There are bus tours that can be arranged and now there is a store called EZz;s woodshed, where you can hear live jazz by some excellent New York City groups.

Student players and those who want to bring their "axe" and sit in... 

One of the most important things I did as a student player was to have the opportunity to sit in on a jam session. While there are fewer and fewer clubs to do that in, even in a city as big as New York, there still are some important venues where the jam session takes place. If you're visiting the big Apple, MONDAYS seem to be "Jam night." Check out the following:

SMALL'S - a great spot in Greenwich Village for sitting in after hours. 

CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE 1485 Broadway Tel. 212-769-6969
(Here there's a singer's open mike on Saturdays/Sundays in the afternoon, in addition to a Monday late night Jam session).

I hope the above information will be helpful to anyone visiting, or planning to come to New York to play. It's a very competitive jazz scene and some of the best players have come here or live here. On the positive side, it really makes you work harder to get your chops up and offers some fine, free playing/listening experiences.

Lenore Raphael.

e mail me swinginfox@swinginfox.com

www.lenoreraphael.com   www.swinginfox.com