Historical music clubs jazz up students’ weekend routines

Much of the West Village has changed since the days of the ’50s and ’60s, when musical and literary luminaries like Jack Kerouac, John Coltrane, and Bob Dylan made the neighborhood’s bohemian cafes and smoke-filled clubs famous. But there’s one thing that certainly has not been lost to time: The West Village remains one of the best places to see music in the city and is still the center of New York and the world’s jazz scene.

This week, the Village Vanguard—one of the oldest and most venerated Jazz clubs in New York—is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The Village Vanguard, located on Seventh Avenue, is an intimate basement club where no seat is far away from the music. The largest of jazz legends have graced its stage (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, to name a few), and it continues to attract the biggest names in jazz. The cover here is usually $25 per set with a $10 drink minimum, so it may be a bit above a student’s budget, but it’s worth it to see some of the best musicians out there.

Just a few blocks down Seventh Avenue on West 10th St., is Smalls Jazz Club, which is far younger than the Vanguard—it was opened in 1993—but has a similar old-school ethos. It, too, is in a basement. There are no tables or reservations in this place: just a bar and a bunch of chairs. Smalls, as it name implies, is not the largest venue, but it manages to fit a lot of people. On a crowded night, people will be packed in all the way to the back of the room, some even standing on the stairs. The cover charge here is $20, and unlike at most clubs, that is good for the whole night, not just one set.

One of the most fun places to hear music in the Village is Fat Cat, located on Christopher Street. It is owned by the same people of Smalls but has a far different feel. Fat Cat is a huge basement bar that is more of a social hang out than a jazz club­—there are plenty of pool tables, ping-pong and board games. The cover here is only $3 and they have $3 beers. While music is not the main attraction, there are usually decent musicians playing jazz or blues.

These are only a few of the many places to see music in the West Village. Other venues range from the cheap, bare music bars (55 Bar on Christopher Street) to ones where covers are $40 dollars and full menus are available (Blue Note on West 3rd).

Whether students are seeking out live music, trying to find a good date idea, or just need to get out of Morningside Heights, a safe bet is to take the 1 train downtown and enjoy the vibrant tunes of the jazz hub of the world.