Category Archives: jazz

Mark your calendar: Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival to take place May 7-13

Posted on February 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

If your were wondering when the second annual Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival will take place this year, we know the dates. According to a news release, the same organizations who put on the first Festival have joined forces once again. The Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile will present a series of concerts and events, May 7-13, 2012, to celebrate the rich legacy of jazz in the uptown community.

The Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival plans to bring both established and emerging artists to Harlem venues and will pay tribute to Club Harlem, Clark Monroe’s Uptown House, Havana San Juan Club, Small’s Paradise, Minton’s Playhouse, Showman’s Café, Park Palace, Lenox Lounge and the Apollo Theater.

In addition to concerts at jazz shrines, other Festival events will take place at Harlem Stage Gatehouse, Columbia University and a variety of locations throughout the Harlem area. So mark your calendars to May 7-13!

Tickets for many of the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival events are available now. For tickets and more information on the Festival and its partners, visit the Harlem Jazz Shrines’ website at www.Harlemjazzshrines.org.

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Posted in art and culture, Community, Events, Harlem, jazz, music

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Watch Savoring Harlem on the Food Network Friday, February 24

Posted on February 20, 2012 | 8 comments


This coming Friday (Feb. 24) at 8 pm our very own celebrity chef, Red Rooster owner, and Harlem local, Marcus Samuelsson, will give Food Network viewers a closer look at Harlem’s food revolution through a special TV program called Savoring Harlem.  In the TV special, Savoring Harlem will showcase the food culture of  several Harlem restaurants, such as Red Rooster Harlem, Melba’s, restaurant pioneer Sylvia’s and more.

Yum! This will be fun to watch and then go out to eat in Harlem afterwards. Turn your tube on at 8 pm to the Food Network!

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Posted in 125th Street, 5 and Diamond Harlem, baking, Bars, bier international, business, Cedric French Bistro and Bar Harlem, Community, drinks, entertainment, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Free!, Harlem, Harlem Tavern, history, jazz, Lenox Avenue, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, Melba's Restaurant Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants

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Is there still a possibility for Andy Shallal’s Busboys and Poets to expand into Harlem?

Posted on December 11, 2011 | 3 comments

Around this time last year, I blogged that Busboys and Poets’ plans to open in Harlem at 2280 Frederick Douglass went bust. Ironically, I am now blogging about them same time, but a year later, asking: is there still a possibility that Busboys and Poets could open in Harlem?  According to a recent article in The Washington Post, there is a smidgen of hope. Andy Shallal, the owner of the Washington, DC eatery and longtime activist, recently told the Post that “he has been courted to put a Busboys in a proposed National Jazz Museum near the Apollo Theater…” How cool would that be if Busboys and Poets opened in Harlem on 125th Street?

Shallal tried landing the retail space at 2280 Frederick Douglass a little over a year ago, but something happened and the deal went south. I wonder if the developer of 2280 FDB is having any regrets now on not cutting a deal with Shallal, especially given all the enormous/positive press coverage Central Harlem has been receiving over the months? The most recent praising news clip comes from The Wall Street Journal.

In my view, the developer of 2280 FDB totally lost out by not scoring something with Busboys and Poets in their commercial space. As the WSJ said, there’s a restaurant boom happening in Harlem. With this recent article in the Post,  there’s hope the folks behind the National Jazz Museum could pick up where 2280 FDB left off and seal the deal with Shallal. Let’s all hope so! I think Busboys and Poets is a perfect fit in Harlem!

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Posted in 125th Street, art and culture, Bars, business, commercial real estate, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, jazz, New York, New York City, NYC, restaurant row, restaurants

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Harlem attracts cool crowds of NYC downtown says Guest of a Guest

Posted on December 1, 2011 | 4 comments



Guest of a Guest, the website co-founded by one of the Winklevoss twins whose been battling Mark Zuckerberg for what seems like ages now, has a feature on Harlem this week. It is quite complimentary, however, it doesn’t say anything new that we Harlemites know already. The article names a list of places to check out and most of them mentioned I agree are great places to visit. However, a true Harlem native writing about Harlem would have dug a bit deeper.

For example, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar gives Red Rooster a run for its money, not only in food, but in ambiance as well. The same goes for Cedric French Bistro and Bar in Harlem! What about mentioning a place in East Harlem? Milk Burger has been endorsed by Anthony Bourdain and his lovely Mrs! Also, when you visit Shrine one can’t miss Yatenga, which is a fun place to hang.

Again, as most of us Harlemites know, there are a ton of cool places to hang in Harlem. Guest of a Guest apparently is just coming around (a bit late) and finding out, but hey, let’s welcome it!

To read the full article, click here.

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Posted in 125th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., art and culture, Bars, bier international, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Harlem Tavern, history, jazz, Lenox Avenue, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, music, New York, New York City, NYC, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants, spending

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Step into Fall Swing Dancing in Harlem

Posted on September 27, 2011 | Leave a comment


The good folks over at Harlem One Stop are letting us know: “it don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that swing.” To get that swing consider the Fall Swing Dance Schedule for Harlem that starts October 3 and runs all the way to December. There are several options for those of us who want to step into Fall Swing dancing.

First up is FREE Swing classes at Wadleigh Performing Arts High School starting at 6:30pm on Monday, October 3. This class appears to be open to all levels. Wadleigh HS is located on 114th Street between Frederick Douglass Blvd and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.

If a beginners Swing class is of more interest, that is taking place Tuesdays starting October 4 from 7-8 p.m. at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Community Center located on 134th between Lenox Avenue and Fifth Ave. This class is asking for a $5 donation.

For advanced Swing dancers, that is taking place on Thursdays starting October 6 from 6-7 p.m. Advance Swing dance classes are happening at the same venue as the beginners class, which is at Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Community Center. The class is also asking for a $5 donation.

And on Fridays, starting October 7 and running through December, are the dance classes for Matures. This class is FREE and is offered at the New Canaan Senior Center.

There you have it! There are dance classes offered in Harlem for every generation, i.e. Gen X to Boomers to Matures!

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Posted in Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., art and culture, Community, entertainment, Events, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Free!, Harlem, health and wellness, jazz, Lenox Avenue

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Live music is the next dish served up at Lido Harlem Monday nights

Posted on September 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

Along with their excellent food, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar is serving up something new on their menu, live music! Stop by this coming Monday, September 12 and see their first musical act, Mavis Swan Poole. Learn more about Swan Poole’s music here.

See you at Lido Harlem, located at 2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd., on Monday!

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Posted in Bars, drinks, entertainment, Events, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, jazz, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, music, restaurant row, restaurants

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The redevelopment of Victoria Theater in Harlem is back on track says The New York Times

Posted on August 31, 2011 | 1 comment


Harlem’s 125th Street is back in the news again. Back in July the City announced the redevelopment of two major, vacant sites on Harlem’s 125th Street. Today, we are hearing from The New York Times that the redevelopment of Victoria Theater “is back on track and will break ground in the second half of next year.” The delay was due to the financial crisis back in 2008.

The entire project, which is being designed by the same architect firm that built the Livmor Condos on Frederick Douglass Blvd., will include two towers above the theater: a rental building in one tower and hotel in the other tower. The first floor will become the new home of the Classical Theater of Harlem, Jazzmobile, the Harlem Arts Alliance and the Apollo Theater Foundation.

If you’re wondering if all this good news that’s been announced about 125th Street is a coincidence, it’s not. According to the Times article, all these changes being announced is due to the city rezoning the street replacing buildings along 125th with “office towers, residential high-rises and cultural institutions. The rezoning was approved just as the real estate market collapsed, and many of the developments did not get off the ground. Several are starting up again.”

This is great news. Who cares about the timing. We will take it! To read the entire article by the Times, click here.

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Posted in 125th Street, art and culture, business, commercial real estate, Community, education, entertainment, Events, film, Harlem, history, jazz, music, New York, New York City, NYC, shopping

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Changing Face of Harlem Director looking for photos of Harlem artist from the 1930s or 1940s

Posted on August 29, 2011 | Leave a comment


The Changing Face of Harlem documentary, which is capturing Harlem’s rebirth of the last decade needs our help. The director of Changing Face of Harlem is looking to use photos-and maybe film footage-of an artist/performer who performed in Harlem during the 1930s or 1940s. If you know of someone who has photos of a Harlem artist from that time period, please go to the Changing Face of Harlem Facebook page or contact the director at shawn@changingfaceofharlem.com. Another option is to email harlemgalinc@gmail.com with your suggestions and HarlemGal Inc. will make sure it get’s passed on to the director.

The second option is to find the family of a Harlem artist/musician/dancer/singer etc. Maybe this amazing person who performed in Harlem back in the day continued their personal legacy through family? If you know of someone who had a mother or father that performed in Harlem the 30s or 40s, the director is looking to use those photos and film footage for her documentary. Again, if you know of someone, use the contact information above.

And last, if you’re wondering why the Changing Face of Harlem director is looking for these photos and film footage, she is working on strengthening the history section of Harlem in her film.

Hope we can help! Have a wonderful day Harlem!

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Posted in 125th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., art and culture, Bars, business, Community, education, entertainment, Events, film, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Frederick Douglass Circle, Harlem, history, jazz, Lenox Avenue, politics, restaurants

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It’s the Harlem re-shuffle says UK-based The Independent

Posted on August 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

Our beloved Harlem is featured bright and big again in the media, but this time in the UK’s travel section of The Independent. According to the article the reporter/ photographer visited Harlem recently and took direction from Thelma Golden, the Director of Studio Museum Harlem, on what to see in Harlem.

Per Golden’s instructions, Chris Coplans stayed at The Aloft Harlem and he raves about it in the article. He also went to the Apollo Theater, El Museo del Barrio, Studio Museum Harlem, and more. Golden encouraged the reporter to visit the Duke Ellington sculpture and to try Senegalese food at Les Ambassades.

What’s interesting about this article is the reporter covered a lot of Harlem ground-from East to West. He also gives Lenox Avenue big props by saying, “If 125th St is the traditional Harlem, then Lenox Avenue between 125th and 126th is very much the emerging “New Harlem”, with an arty vibe and “Village” sidewalk culture.”

To read the full article, click here. To see additional photos on Harlem from the reporter, go here.

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Posted in 125th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., art and culture, Bars, business, commercial real estate, Community, drinks, education, entertainment, fashion, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Free!, Harlem, history, jazz, Lenox Avenue, music, New York, New York City, NYC, real estate, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurants, shopping, spending, The Apollo Theater

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Live@1220 Fifth continues in Spanish Harlem with DJ Devon Craig Johnson

Posted on August 24, 2011 | Leave a comment


The Museum of the City of New York’s  music series continues tonight on its outdoor terrace overlooking Fifth Avenue and Central Park. DJ Devon Craig Johnson is tonight’s musical guest at LIVE@1220 Fifth. “Jazz guitarist, rock drummer, and DJ Devon Craig Johnson will treat audiences to jazz, classical, hip hop, and modern pop. This artist brings an eclectic mix of contemporary styles to his performances.”

The event starts at 6:00 and ends at 9:00 pm. Admission includes after-hours access to the Museum as well as one complimentary cocktail or refreshment.

Live@1220 Fifth ends August 31. Check it out while you can!

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Posted in art and culture, Community, drinks, entertainment, Events, food, Harlem, jazz, music, New York, New York City, NYC

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