Description

Jazz is the sound of Harlem, one of New York City’s oldest neighborhoods. That’s why it’s so fitting that one of the best jazz clubs in the world makes its home on the historic corner of 106th Street and Broadway, where the legendary Augie’s Jazz Bar once stood. Named after the acclaimed 1995 movie Smoke, this incarnation carries on the tradition of its legendary predecessor every night of the week with world-class talent like Wynton Marsalis and Ron Carter playing its stage.

Transcript

Male: Smoke is a real jazz club in the old sense of the word. That meaning that you have this support with the audience and the sound and that is so good. The people really are so close. It’s very intimate. And the energy you get back from the audience makes you play better. Frank: Smoke carries on the tradition of jazz at this location. This was a place called “The Oggies” that opened in 1979. Female: There are so many great cities, Chicago, New Orleans, why New York? Male: It’s the epicenter. This is where all the energy is. We’ve all been all over the world and there’s great places out there but for jazz, it’s still the best. You can’t walk out of your apartment and not be ready to play at high level because you’ll never know who’s going to be sitting right there in front of you or waiting on the side of the stage to sit in. When the musicians are done, they’ll be mingling or hanging out at the bar. People who love the music also get to hang out with the cats if they love to. Normally in the jazz club, you get the ambiance and you get the world class music. You might even get the world class acoustics. At Smoke, they’ve got a world class kitchen. You really get the whole package. Even if you didn’t like music and you just wanted to come in and eat and drink, you’d be happy.