(NEW YORK, NY) -- One of New York City’s premier live music venues, Smoke Jazz Club, has announced its long-awaited reopening. After two years spent reorienting to the pandemic with modified operations including livestreams, sidewalk concerts, and outdoor dining, Smoke Jazz Club makes a momentous return as a world-renowned destination for the best in classic and modern jazz. Acclaimed for its essential music programming and inspired setting, this revered institution has undertaken an impressive expansion and renovation that readies the venerable club for the post-pandemic 21st century.
Despite being closed to indoor performances and dining for over two years, Smoke has survived with a renewed sense of mission and now with a spectacularly renovated, newly expanded space. Smoke’s return brings much-needed hope and rejuvenation to the city and the music community. “Smoke Jazz Club has so much history,” says husband and wife co-owners Paul Stache and Molly Sparrow Johnson. “Despite the struggles of the last few years, we just knew that the music couldn’t stop here. The past couple of years have not been easy for anyone, but having live music back in the club with everyone together, musicians and listeners, seems like a turning point. We are very excited to take this next step.”
Guided by their initial attempts to operate under mandated occupancy restrictions, social distancing regulations, and safety protocols for the staff, musicians, and patrons, Smoke’s expansion achieves all of those goals while still retaining its vibrant atmosphere. “We had already agreed, in principle, with our landlord to take on the two adjacent storefronts before the pandemic,” recounts Johnson, “but it quickly became obvious that combining the new spaces with the jazz club was not only a priority but really a necessity to operate safely. We feel very fortunate that our landlord has been so supportive these last two years.” The addition of these smaller combined spaces serves as an attached lounge featuring the relocated, historic, full-length bar providing more space for audiences and a larger stage for performers in the main listening room– all while preserving the club’s familiar warm ambiance.
Photo by Jimmy Katz
A cultural cornerstone of Upper Manhattan, Smoke Jazz Club opened its doors on April 9, 1999. Since that time, this gem of a jazz joint has become an internationally recognized haven for live music and a vital and beloved home for jazz in the city. The club’s stage has played host to legendary artists and rising stars alike, including Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Hank Jones, Christian McBride, Brad Mehldau, Harold Mabern, Nicholas Payton, Peter Bernstein, Eddie Henderson, Larry Goldings, Chris Potter, Cedar Walton, Steve Turre, Eric Alexander, Bill Charlap, Jimmy Cobb, and countless others.
While the club had already survived economic crashes, fires in the building, and the uncertainty that followed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the pandemic proved to be its most daunting challenge to date. Taking a cue from some of the resourceful performers they’ve presented at the club, Stache and Johnson displayed their own knack for improvisation to steer their club through the COVID-19 era. They inaugurated a streaming concert series, Smoke Screens, along with socially distanced sidewalk concerts and outdoor dining, while continuing to produce new titles on the club’s GRAMMY-nominated record label, Smoke Sessions.
Most importantly, Smoke continues its dedication to presenting scintillating and vibrant programming as a club for jazz lovers run by jazz lovers. “We set the tone on opening night in 1999 with the great George Coleman and Harold Mabern.” says Stache. Fittingly, NEA Jazz Master Coleman returns to christen the new and improved Smoke with a four-night grand reopening concert celebration July 21-24, 2022 (also streaming live worldwide). Other artists slated to perform in the near future include Charles McPherson, Vijay Iyer, Mary Stallings, Bill Charlap, Bobby Watson, Nicholas Payton, Renee Rosnes, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Cyrus Chestnut, Buster Williams, and more.
Located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at the junction of Broadway and 106th Street (aka Duke Ellington Boulevard), Smoke Jazz Club is one of New York City’s premier live music venues. Renowned for offering top-notch programming of accessible, timeless jazz featuring legendary performers, modern masters and rising stars, Smoke stands apart with its candlelit dining room, stellar acoustics, and classic American cuisine. Founded in 1999, SMOKE also boasts a GRAMMY-nominated label, Smoke Sessions Records, and a celebrated streaming concert series, Smoke Screens. For everything else, visit SMOKEjazz.com.
UPCOMING CONCERT SCHEDULE (subject to change):
All showtimes Thu-Sun @ 7:00 p.m. + 9:00 p.m. and additional 10:30 p.m. (Fri & Sat only)
All in-person tickets $40-$60 | Livestream $10
Thu-Sun 7.21-24 Smoke Reopening Celebration: George Coleman Quartet plus special guest Peter Bernstein
George Coleman - tenor saxophone
Peter Bernstein - guitar
Davis Whitfield - piano
Peter Washington - bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
Thu-Sun 7.28-31 Bobby Watson Quartet
Bobby Watson – alto saxophone
Orrin Evans – piano
Curtis Lundy – bass
Victor Jones – drums
Thu-Sun 8.04-7 Louis Hayes & The Cannonball Legacy Band
Jeremy Pelt – trumpet
Vincent Herring – alto saxophone
Rick Germanson – piano
Dezron Douglas – bass
Louis Hayes – drums
Thu-Sun 8.11-14 Mary Stallings
Mary Stallings – vocals
Emmet Cohen – piano
Russell Hall – bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
Thu-Sun 8.18-21 The Heavy Hitters
Jeremy Pelt – trumpet
Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone
Mike LeDonne – piano
Peter Washington – bass
Kenny Washington – bass
Thu-Sun 8.25-28 Rudresh Mahanthappa Trio: Charlie Parker Celebration
Rudresh Mahanthappa – alto saxophone
Harish Raghavan – bass
Rudy Royston – drums
Thu-Sun 9.01-4 Al Foster Quintet: Smoke Sessions cd release
Chris Potter – tenor saxophone
TBA – special guest trumpet
Kevin Hays – piano
Vicente Archer – bass
Al Foster – drums
Thu-Sun 9.08-11 Eddie Henderson Quintet
Eddie Henderson – trumpet
Donald Harrison – alto saxophone
George Cables – piano
Essiet Essiet – bass
Lenny White – drums
Thu-Sun 9.15-18 Vijay Iyer Trio
Vijay Iyer – piano
Harish Raghavan – bass
Tyshawn Sorey – drums
Thu-Sun 9.22-25 One For All
Jim Rotondi – trumpet
Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone
Steve Davis – trombone
David Hazeltine – piano
Peter Washington – bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
SMOKE Jazz Club is located at 2751 Broadway (between 105/106th Streets) in New York, NY.
