26th Apr 2008
St. Nick’s Pub
Went last nice to one of the coolest spots I’ve discovered in a while, St. Nick’s Pub, at 773 Saint Nicholas Avenue and 147th St, in Sugar Hill, Harlem.
I’ve been grousing for a while that there are few places in Harlem cool enough to tempt people to come uptown for, but obviously I just haven’t done enough exploring. (A reviewer on CitySearch writes, “For me, it’s worth the trip to harlem from brooklyn.”
The place is so fun, a late-night jazz free-for-all that seems not to have much renovation since it first operated in the 1930s. (I remember seeing somewhere the claim it was the oldest continuously operating jazz club in NYC, but I can’t find the citation again.)
We started the night with the late set at Smoke Jazz Club (105th & Broadway) of the Eric Alexander Quartet, a friend of Sean’s from college. That was fun, though the music a bit serious and bill quite expensive. After the set, we had another drink till about 2am, and then a couple of the party left but the rest (John, two visiting friends of his, and Anya, who made the schlep from Brooklyn, bless her) went to St. Nick’s on Anya’s advice.
By quarter-to-three or so when we got there, the joint was jumping, with a hot jam that must have included 10 or more musicians rotating across the stage and clogging up the narrow hall to the bathrooms and the back courtyard (very urban), where smokers and friends chilled.
The crowd was mostly black, though mixed and we five honkies were made most welcome, including two tourists from Montana and Vermont respectively. Neither had been to NYC in a decade or more; they certainly got their money’s worth for an only-in-NY scene. (In retrospect, I realize it was the night of the Sean Bell verdict, the judge ruling the three cops not guilty for shooting unarmed Bell 50 times on his wedding eve. The city has changed, I guess.)
Anyway, point is check out St. Nick’s Pub. It’s a happening joint. If you can swing it, Monday night is suppose to be the hottest night, with a crazy-ass jam session.
Went last nice to one of the coolest spots I’ve discovered in a while, St. Nick’s Pub, at 773 Saint Nicholas Avenue and 147th St, in Sugar Hill, Harlem.
I’ve been grousing for a while that there are few places in Harlem cool enough to tempt people to come uptown for, but obviously I just haven’t done enough exploring. (A reviewer on CitySearch writes, “For me, it’s worth the trip to harlem from brooklyn.”
The place is so fun, a late-night jazz free-for-all that seems not to have much renovation since it first operated in the 1930s. (I remember seeing somewhere the claim it was the oldest continuously operating jazz club in NYC, but I can’t find the citation again.)
We started the night with the late set at Smoke Jazz Club (105th & Broadway) of the Eric Alexander Quartet, a friend of Sean’s from college. That was fun, though the music a bit serious and bill quite expensive. After the set, we had another drink till about 2am, and then a couple of the party left but the rest (John, two visiting friends of his, and Anya, who made the schlep from Brooklyn, bless her) went to St. Nick’s on Anya’s advice.
By quarter-to-three or so when we got there, the joint was jumping, with a hot jam that must have included 10 or more musicians rotating across the stage and clogging up the narrow hall to the bathrooms and the back courtyard (very urban), where smokers and friends chilled.
The crowd was mostly black, though mixed and we five honkies were made most welcome, including two tourists from Montana and Vermont respectively. Neither had been to NYC in a decade or more; they certainly got their money’s worth for an only-in-NY scene. (In retrospect, I realize it was the night of the Sean Bell verdict, the judge ruling the three cops not guilty for shooting unarmed Bell 50 times on his wedding eve. The city has changed, I guess.)
Anyway, point is check out St. Nick’s Pub. It’s a happening joint. If you can swing it, Monday night is suppose to be the hottest night, with a crazy-ass jam session.
Posted by Rick E. Bruner under 
Uncategorized 
1 Comment »
