Minton's Playhouse   

206 W 118th St
New York, NY 10026
212-864-8346

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The house band, with Thelonious Monk on piano and Kenny Clarke on drums, couldn't even outshine the free-form jam sessions. Jazz historians say that this stage helped birth bop and bebop in the 1940s and 50s, when Minton's was a late-night magnet for New York's top musicians and aficionados. And after being closed for over thirty years, Henry Minton's historic Harlem haunt reopened in 2006 in the same spot, once the Cecil Hotel's ground floor but now part of a housing development. The only changes in the simple space are the burgundy walls and a couple of black-and-white photos of legendary ghosts whose spirits still keep time. A curved bar usually sets a drink minimum, but with sets going well into the wee hours it's more than worth it (there's also usually a cover, in the $10-20 range). Non-jazz geeks shouldn't be discouraged if they don't recognize current performers like Dennis Davis or Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Jazz Quartet. 50 years from now you'll feel just like those lucky bastards who listened to Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie hone their sound here 50 years ago.