5 Things You May Not Know About New York Jazz History

New York City is the birthplace of some of the world’s biggest genres of music: Hip Hop, punk rock, and most famously, jazz. As the jazz capital of the world, New York boasts some of the finest and oldest jazz clubs in the world. NYC is the place where the greatest jazz musicians of all time honed their craft. Much of the city’s culture itself originated in jazz. Jazz culture and history are hidden throughout the city, so make sure to stop into a traditional Jazz club. At Birdland Jazz Club, a premier NYC jazz club, you can see what makes jazz such a staple of The Big Apple.

Here are 5 facts about New York City, Jazz Culture, and how the two intertwine.

1. New York was the testing ground for much of jazz’s most significant pieces. Duke Ellington’s “Take The A Train,” Billy Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” and other jazz masterpieces came together through regular nightly performances in jazz clubs around the five boroughs. Performers would often use long performance hours to experiment and fine-tune their songs. Some clubs even allowed performers to record their performances for live albums. Jazz musicians were forced to either memorize entire compositions or refer back to the recordings of performances.

The phrase “The Big Apple” was often used by jazz musicians in their lyrics and spread the title all across the country. When these songs became popular on national radio in the ’30s and ’40s, people outside of New York began referring to the city as ‘The Big Apple.’ Before this, the term was used primarily by city residents when describing horse races. New York has also been called “The jazz mecca.” This motto was coined due to the amount of jazz musicians who move to the city to pursue a career in music.

1. Jazz was often not the only form of entertainment at night clubs in the ’20s and ’30s in New York. Cabaret dancers, storytellers, vaudeville comedians, would often accompany jazz pianists or jazz bands in nightclub performances. These artistic collaborations would later pave the way to jazz musicians working on film and television, improving whole scores for some of the biggest films and TV shows of the ’60s.
2. Even in modern times, New York City can hold onto lost secrets of the world of jazz. In 1996 at the Village Vanguard club in New York City, 8 hours of audio recordings of jazz pianist Bill Evans were discovered. The recordings also featured Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. The trio was noted as having recorded together this one time. Luckily, those recordings have been found for the world to enjoy. The recordings were released in 2012 and have sold more than 30,000 albums worldwide.
3. A few of the legendary jazz clubs of the Harlem renaissance are still open today. Most notably, Birdland Jazz Club is still open, and hosts live Jazz performance every single night. The club was first opened in 1949 by notorious gangster Morris Levy and still boasts the best lineups in jazz music. The club has changed location a few times over the years yet still maintains the intoxicating atmosphere and energy of a jazz club in full swing of the Harlem renaissance.

Come to Birdland Jazz Club in NYC Tonight!

New York will never have a shortage of exciting activities, shows, food, and places to enjoy. Although the city will always be changing and evolving, nothing beats a night out at the jazz club in The Big Apple. Not only is it one of the most New York activities one could experience, but it’s also one of the most economic activities you can enjoy while in the birthplace of jazz. If you’re looking for the essential New York jazz experience, look no further than Birdland Jazz Club.

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