Jam Sessions

The weekend late session at FiDi's new listening room: a house rhythm section from 10:30 PM, no cover, one-drink minimum.

Vocalist Alexis Cole's Tuesday-night series for singers, presented with JazzVoice.com: a featured guest vocalist opens, then the jam is open to whoever brought a voice.

Every second Wednesday the Queer Jazz Collective takes over Henrietta Hudson, one of the city's best-loved queer bars for over thirty years. A featured band opens with a set, then queer folks and women musicians are welcome to sit in on the second set. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

The Tribeca Jazz Institute's free monthly jam at Church Street School for Music & Art, with performances by Institute students and a rotating featured ensemble led by a special guest band leader. Stop by to listen, play with some of the top cats of the NYC jazz scene, and enjoy a drink or two. Donations support the Institute's scholarship fund. Sponsored by KEYED UP! and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Smalls' legendary after-hours jam, part of the club's DNA since the 1990s. A rotating host holds down the bandstand after the final set and players sign up into the small hours. No cover for the jam, all musicians welcome.

The weekend daytime edition of the Smalls jam: a rotating host leads the rhythm section from 2 PM, no cover, all musicians welcome to play. A friendlier on-ramp than the late-night session.

A warm and wicked Tuesday session in Chelsea, hosted by house band the Stefano Doglioni Group, welcoming new and returning musicians every week. Stefano is a jazz clarinetist who plays around town and holds it down at The Lost and Found. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist Axel Tosca leads a Thursday-night descarga with his trio, often joined by his mother, the great singer Xiomara Laugart. More show than open mic, but players do get waved up.

Vandoren's own jam, in New York since 2004 and long led by saxophonist Mark Gross. A Vandoren artist headlines a themed first set with a rhythm section, then the second set opens to any musician who wants to sit in. The format started in Paris in 2002 and now runs in a dozen cities from Chicago to Amsterdam.

Resident pianist Richard Clements hosts the Monday night jam at 11th St Bar, a classic Irish pub on East 11th between Avenues A and B, with regulars Joe Magnarelli, Grant Stewart and Taro Okamoto in the house band. No cover; support the bar by ordering food or drink. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

Daily afternoon jam in the club's front café, carrying on the open-door spirit of Barry Harris's original Jazz Cultural Theater. No music charge in the café during the afternoon.

The café's late-evening session on the quieter nights of the week: a hang at the front of the club while the studio shows run in back.

The singers' edition of the café jam: a featured vocalist leads the Sunday afternoon session and the mic stays open, in the café at the front of the club.

The Barry Harris Institute keeps the master's Tuesday tradition going: a free open piano lesson in Harris's method, then a jam to put it to use.

Closeup's nightly closer: the listed band plays a set, then the bandstand opens to the room. A different leader every night, 10:30 PM early in the week and 11:30 PM on weekends.

Open stage, hosted by a featured musician. All levels welcome. Bring your horn or just enjoy the vibe. Cover waived for 9pm Dizzy's Club set attendees.

A spotlight for singers in a welcoming, collaborative jam alongside instrumentalists. Cover waived for 9pm Dizzy's Club set attendees.

Every second and last Saturday the Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman Quartet plays a set at Broadway Dive on the Upper West Side, 8 to 9 PM, followed by an open jam session from 9 to 10 PM. No cover. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

Harlem-based British pianist Wilfie Williams carries on the well-loved Tuesday night session at Penny Jo's on Broadway. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

A featured singer plays one set at Le Chéile, a listening room that seats 40, and a vocal jam follows until 10. Jazz WaHi started the series in 2016 and added the jam in 2022. If the first Monday is a holiday the date moves, so check before you go.

Jazz WaHi's outdoor session at the highest natural point in Manhattan, added during the pandemic and now a Wednesday afternoon fixture from April into late October. Family friendly: bring chairs, blankets, a picnic and the kids. Supported by City Parks Foundation and Partnership for Parks through the NYC Green Fund.

Washington Heights' weekly session, running since February 2015 and past its 600th night. Presented by Jazz WaHi, which moved the jam here from Le Chéile in May 2021. No cover, no minimum, and no long opening set: the music starts when you arrive.

A legendary Dumbo jam led by saxophonist Ray Scro with a rotating cast of superb musicians, at a restaurant that has anchored the neighborhood's food scene for over twenty years. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

A Tuesday-night institution: a serious house band (recent sets have featured Carmen Staaf, Leo Genovese, Tony Scherr and Ben Monder) plays at 8, then the room opens up. No cover, one drink per set, singers and instrumentalists welcome.

Jesse Lynch's monthly Friday night in his Greenpoint loft. A featured band starts at 9:30 and the music runs until 1 AM, with musicians welcome to sit in. The cover goes to the guest players and the cost of the night.

Doors at 5. Around 7 a rotating trio or quartet plays a proper concert set, then at 9 the lights come down and the jam opens: musicians drop in, trade solos and stretch out until midnight. $10 per person is added to the bill for the artists.

A Bed-Stuy Thursday session hosted by saxophonist Matt La Von with drummer Ben Freidkin and a rotating cast of house band regulars, run in partnership with Jazz Generation.

One of Brooklyn's longest-running jam sessions, hosted by saxophonist Matt La Von every Sunday since 2012. After 13 years at 323 Graham Ave, the session moved to sake brewery Kato Sake Works in 2026. Bring your instrument, sip sake, and sit in on standards.

Pianist Matei Predescu hosts Monday nights at the Filthy Diamond, a Black woman-owned neighborhood bar in Bushwick: a 9 PM set, then the jam from 10:30 PM. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

Danny Fernandez's Wednesday night jam at The Ditty in Astoria, running since 2021. His band plays the sets, and anyone who brings an instrument is welcome to sit in. Come to play or come to listen.

Saxophonist Ryan Weisheit and friends hold down Monday nights at The Keep, an eclectic vintage lounge on the Bushwick/Ridgewood border. The band plays a set, then the jam opens up in the second set and runs into the small hours. Cash-only bar; run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

Queens' long-running monthly jam, led since 2016 by saxophonist and flautist Carol Sudhalter with Joe Vincent Tranchina on piano, Eric Lemon on bass and Scott Neumann on drums.

Saxophonist Ray Scro hosts a lively jam every first Thursday at The Hop Shoppe in Stapleton, a great way to meet players on Staten Island over a night of good food and music. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

Every Monday drummer Noel Sagerman and his trio serve up the tunes at The Brightside Tavern in Jersey City, with special guest sit-ins and a jam session to follow. No cover; support the bar by ordering food or drink. Run in partnership with Jazz Generation's KEYED UP! program.

Presented by Ridgewood Jazz and hosted by bassist Michael Feinberg, who founded the Ridgewood Jazz Festival. The house band opens with a set, then the stage opens for the jam.