Jazz clubs are notorious for serving awful food.
SMOKE leads the vanguard in changing that expectation. It originally operated as Augie’s jazz club back in the day.
Then, two employees took it over. Husband and wife Paul Stache and Molly Sparrow Johnson officially opened Smoke Jazz Club on April 9, 1999.
The venue sits at 2751 Broadway, right between 105th and 106th Streets. There is a massive amount of jazz history in this specific area.
The city renamed 106th Street to Duke Ellington Boulevard back in the 1970s.
Ellington actually lived on this very street. Fittingly, SMOKE rests just off this historic musical junction.
Surviving the pandemic
Source / SMOKE Jazz Club
The pandemic hit the city hard. Indoor dining and performances stopped for over two years. However, the owners refused to quit.
The duo displayed a knack for improvisation to steer the club through the COVID-19 era. Management hosted socially distanced sidewalk concerts. Staff set up outdoor dining.
The team even launched a streaming concert series called Smoke Screens.
Eventually, the business needed room to grow. Taking over two adjacent storefronts, a major renovation safely combined the new spaces with the original footprint. The expansion created an attached lounge and relocated the historic full-length bar.
Now, performers enjoy a much larger stage in the main listening room.
The club officially celebrated its grand reopening in July 2022. Legendary saxophonist George Coleman christened the fresh stage.
Superb food, live music, and Grammy nods
Source / SMOKE Jazz Club
Today, SMOKE stands as an internationally recognized haven for live music. The atmosphere remains incredibly warm and vibrant. Guests enjoy top-notch programming every single week.
You can order from a superb full dinner menu featuring classic American cuisine inside a stunning candlelit dining room.
Beyond the food and live shows, the institution also produces new music titles. The brand runs a GRAMMY-nominated record label called Smoke Sessions.
The music truly never stops at SMOKE.
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