Iridium Jazz Club
New York, NY 10019-6833
Phone: (212) 582-2121
Fax: (212) 977-4356
- Cross Street:
- 51st Street
- Directions:
- 1 at 50th St; C, E at 50th St; R, W at 49th St
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu, Sun 7pm-12am, Fri-Sat 7pm-1am
Editorial Review for Iridium Jazz Club – by Kerry Burke
The Scene
Iridium's blue-neon sign competes for space between the marquees of fellow tourist magnets. Down a steep flight of stairs, the split-level basement club is packed with a low stage and small candlelit tables. The boxed ceiling lamps, upholstered wall panels and cramped rear corner bar become less obtrusive when the lights go down. Sight lines are clear, unless you sit behind one of the upper level's columns. Sets last a fleeting Times Square hour.
The Draw
Guests come to hear straightforward acoustic jazz names, like Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner and Jacky Terrasson. The renovated club, which moved from the Lincoln Center area to north Times Square, books classic icons, young lions and talented comers, while avoiding the contemporary avant-garde. Every Monday night, the legendary Les Paul, father of the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack recording, draws American music aficionados from across the globe.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Know Before You GoThe 140-person capacity Iridium doubles as supper club. Its upscale menu is accompanied by a staggering 250-bottle wine list.
The ExtrasIridium has a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound system, installed with the assistance of the aforementioned Les Paul, as well as an in-house recording studio.
User Reviews for Iridium Jazz Club
02/19/2008 Posted by yeruria
Iridium is an extremely hard brittle rare metal found in asteroids. The Iridium Jazz club is not much different. Hard to enjoy anything with their brittle wait staff, metallic service, and (assuming you didn't arrive 1.5 hours early) seats on an asteroid behind a obstructed view. Despite making a reservation a week in advance and being given V.I.P. status, then arriving 30 minutes before the show, I had to wait in line outside for 45 minutes before being seated. Fortunately, the environment inside is so volatile and disrupted, that there is no way a show could EVER start on time. Our group of three was greeted by a man who said no tables were left open. He found three seats in the same "Area" for us, meaning three different tables within shouting range of each other. They make you check your coats for the "fire code" where no visible coat check can be found. I just held onto mine. Les Paul is not the greatest musician ever, but its hard to even begin to enjoy the music in such a cramped ugly environment. The service was atrocious. An order of three drinks took 40 minutes to arrive. Ordering another round would've gotten our drinks to us by the time they were funneling us out the door. The drinks were also terrible. Other people around me had incorrect tabs and had to send their checks back to be settled. Be ready to drop $12 per drink for a minimum $20 tab ($4 overhead! 33% profit for the club!) Going to this club is like being lubed up by a gorilla in the back seat of a VW Beetle... with Jazz on the radio. THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR FRIENDS. THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR FOOD OR DRINK. THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR ATMOSPHERE. THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR FUN. You could have a better time by inviting 250 of your closest friends into your 400 sqft studio apartment and having each spitt beer on you, and steal $65 from your wallet.
Pros: leaving.
Cons: arriving, drinking, listening, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting......
02/16/2008 Posted by NYFoodChic
The jazz was sub par and the service was just horrible. I wish I could come on here and rave about this place, considering how excited I was to check it out. However, from the moment I came in contact with the staff, I wanted to leave and go somewhere where they appreciate the fine art of what customer service really is. Go here if you don't mind being ignored for long periods of time by wait staff only to be given an attitude in the end. The overall atmosphere was pretty nice for a jazz club though. I am doing my research to find a nicer jazz club in the area! Any suggestions?
Schedule
| 09/07/2008 | Larry Coryell Organ Trio | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 09/09/2008 | Our Father Who Art Blakey Big Band | tickets |
| 8:30 pm | ||
| 09/10/2008 | Lafayette Harris Trio | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 09/11/2008 | Dave Samuels & The Caribbean Jazz Project | tickets |
| 8:30 pm | ||
| 09/17/2008 | Oleg Kireyev | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 09/19/2008 | Bud Powell Tribute | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 09/24/2008 | Wolfgang Schalk Quartet | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 09/25/2008 | Stanley Jordan Trio | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 10/02/2008 | Kenneth Whalum | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 10/08/2008 | Kenny Garrett Band | tickets |
| 8:30 pm | ||
| 10/15/2008 | Peter Lerner Band | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 10/19/2008 | Eddie Daniels Band | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 10/22/2008 | Hendrick Merkins | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 10/23/2008 | New Jazz Composers Octet | tickets |
| 8:30 pm | ||
| 11/01/2008 | Lionel Hampton Tribute Band | tickets |
| 10:30 pm | ||
| 11/10/2008 | LES PAUL AND HIS TRIO | tickets |
| 8:00 pm |
Users Like You Also Viewed
Studio Mezmor
530 W 28th St
New York, NY 10011
Blue Note
131 W 3rd St
New York, NY 10012-1208
