It’s hard to think about New York and not think about jazz music. Though the genre was incepted in New Orleans, the sound had many breakthroughs in New York City, and to this day feels like one of the most classic sounds of both the city and the state. New York City is still one of the best places in the world to take in a live jazz show, and the spirit of the jazz still pulses through the streets of the city. To learn more about the history of jazz music in New York, keep reading below.

Jazz started in New Orleans in the early part of the 1900s, but really hit New York City in the 1920s, where it grew along with the speakeasies that dotted the city in the middle of prohibition.
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During that decade, which is known known as the jazz age, legendary jazz artists like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington put New York in the center of the jazz map. After prohibition, jazz clubs took centerstage within the city’s nightlife.
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Over the years, there have been may world-class jazz clubs in New York City, such as The Cotton Club, the Village Vanguard, and Birdland. These clubs became must-see destinations for jazz fans, and helped cement jazz as the cornerstone sound of New York.
Alwin Tong/Wikimedia Commons

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Though the city and the state’s jazz history could go toe-to-toe with anywhere in the world, it’s not just history.
Ed Newman/Wikimedia Commons
To this day, New York City is a destination for jazz. There are many clubs and on any night of the week a visitor can take in some of this amazing music.
Mattjurasek/Wikimedia Commons
Though there have been plenty of musical developments since the heyday of jazz—punk, rap, electronic music—this music still fills such a crucial role in the past and present of New York. We think that any New Yorker should check out a jazz club or two.
Tom Marcello Webster/Wikimedia Commons

Simply put, when many people think about New York, they think about jazz. Which sites from the history of Jazz music in New York have you visited? Let us know in the comments section. For those traveling to New York City to take in a jazz club, we recommend also stopping by Brooklyn Flea, which we think is the best flea market in New York. As far as accommodations in the city, we like the Hyatt Centric Times Square.

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