We stop for outdoor photos and learn the history of Harlem's legendary and iconic Apollo Theater. When possible, we go inside to see the Wall of Fame and replica of the Tree of Hope in the lobby gift shop.
This was a great experience. Especially the ability to learn about the history of Harlem jazz, and the evolution of Harlem as a community. Our guide, Gordon, was fantastic! Super knowledgeable about the area, the music, and the musicians. One of the highlights was the ability to talk with each of the musicians, as well as enjoy sets at two intimate venues off the beaten track.
Excellent overview of the history of Harlem, focused on its rich jazz heritage. Two wonderful local jazz venues were visited with great food and drinks and wonderfully talented musicians and vocalists. We had lots of fun. Gordon the tour leader was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this tour.
Gordon, our tour guide was awesome. He provided, prior to our tour, an outline of what we were to expect for the evening of Jazz. We had the opportunity to experience some great music. We saw and heard some great up and coming artists, (Saniyah, Danayband). We had the opportunity to visit 3 spots, which we would not have visited on our own. At the start of the tour, we walked a few blocks while Gordon provided information on the history of Jazz in Harlem . Gordon was great, he provided communication, before and after the Jazz tour, including background details on the singers and musicians/bands. Gordon did inform us, before hand, of $30 minimum at one of the bars that we visited, which was not listed in the tour booking. I would highly recommend this tour!!
Gordon, our tour guide, was very attentive, informative, and friendly. He kept us informed the day of the tour and even provided me with suggestions of things to do in the area as we were early. Gordon is extremely knowledgeable about all things jazz! I was very impressed at the end of the night as Gordon advised the owner of the last venue that it was my husband’s birthday. The band sang a personal happy birthday song to him which was unexpected and quite a memorable experience! Great tour!
It was wonderful to get to tap into Gordon’s knowledge of the history and current jazz scene in Harlem and New York in general. We throughly enjoy our tour and have decided to look him up every time we are in the city.
Gordon was a fantastic host! His extensive knowledge of the past and current jazz scene and key players in NYC was impressive. The food was delicious, bands were jumping, and people met-instant friends. We had a wonderful time!
Our family did the Round Midnight tour with Amanda to celebrate my dad’s 86 birthday and it surpassed our expectations. My dad ABSOLUTELY loved it! So much fun and would have never had that same experience going out on our own. Amanda was so much fun and made sure that the night was perfect for our family.
We had an incredible night on the Harlem Jazz tour with Gordon. Gordon has a special bond with the close knit jazz community in Harlem. We started the evening at Bessie’s Place to celebrate the birthday of a local jazz legend with impromptu drop-in performances by local artists..an almost spiritual experience! We finished the evening at a Jamaican restaurant and bar with great food and great music. Gordon is an encyclopedia of New York jazz history and it was a pleasure to spend the evening with him. We highly recommend this tour!
IF YOU LOVE MUSIC LOOK NO FURTHER! Quite Simply one of the BEST NIGHTS my husband and I have EVER EXPERIENCED!!! We met Gordan in Harlem. The communication was first rate from the start - accommodating, attentive and relaxed. We sampled some delicious dishes and heard some incredible live jazz/blues while Gordan spoke to us with a great knowledge and love and passion about musicians and the Harlem scene. We then went to a second bar and the place erupted!!! My god what TALENT! 2 fabulous sets played by crazily talented musicians, it was truly astonishing! We love music and go to many live shows but have never ever heard anything like this! We were on a high for days!!! A night we will treasure forever and a friend in Gordan that we shall keep forever too! We are determined to go back to New York more than ever - and we will DEFINITELY be meeting up with Gordan again to learn from his extensive experiences and knowledge and to listen to Harlem jazz…it lives on…see for yourselves
A fabulous night of entertainment in Harlem, hosted by our charming guide Gordon, a passionate fan of jazz, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the district and its musical history. We began our evening with soul food and tunes in Patrick’s on the Hill, where we met guitarist Michael Howells who played with Dizzy Gillespie before sampling the Red Rooster. Great house band, joined by guest soloists, an evening full of soul and style. We’ve rarely seen such a fashionably dressed crowd who made us very welcome. Harlem has a rich creative and cultural history, and provides another special chapter in New York’s extraordinary story. A highly recommended night out. Thanks Gordon.
This was more than I could have imagined. Gordon made sure we had the best evening ever. The blues at Silvana and the jam session at the New Amsterdam Musical Association were so much fun. One of the best things I did in New York.
Honestly, I was very dissatisfied and felt missing out. I was hoping to visit clubs and listen to several kind of music. Means... a lot of music and some talking. Actually, it was the opposite The first "groove" club was GREAT, but we left right before the real session started and most of croud shuffled in. Very sad since the misic was great and probably got even better. Then... a lot of talking and storyteller but when we got the second club we barely were able to participate the fun. The third club was under renovation, so we bailed. To make a long story short... I should have put 100$ on "real" show, rather than this tour. If you are after storyteller and history ... Gordon is your man. If you after the music .. skip.
If you don’t already know your way around the Harlem jazz scene, Gordon is the way to start. He’s been doing this for decades so knows this works intimately, as he himself owned a club uptown for many years. He took us to hear Phil Young’s House of Blues at the Silvana bar/restaurant - the music was fantastic, all top-flight musicians, led by drummer Phil himself, one of the most engaging musicians I’ve ever heard/seen. What a delight! Very happy crowd there, excellent food and drink too and nice looking place. We also walked all around parts of Harlem, such beautiful architecture! And then went to open-microphone club where we had the great fortune to hearsay player James Carter, who just happened to be there. Very fun, I recommend.
We went out with Gordon and an another couple to see three unique up and coming acts. Gordon knows the history, Gordon knows the clubs, Gordon knows the artists and Gordon knows how to bring it all together for a great night out. I fully recommend this tour to any music lover coming to NYC.
We had a really fun and memorable evening with Amanda and the rest of the group (seven in total). Our friends who live in New York had done a tour with her colleague Gordon before and recommended it to us. Amanda is so personable and gives off great energy; it was hard not to have a good time! She contacted us ahead of time to check our musical tastes, and we immediately felt a rapport and that we would have a great time on her tour. We just said we were in her hands, which we knew would be a good decision. She gave us detailed information before the tour on logistics, the venues and artists we’d see, food and drinks menus etc. Amanda is super organised and puts a lot of effort into organising everything in advance, and giving you background so you can really know who and what you’re seeing and enjoy it. The first venue was the chapel at the Interchurch Center, where the Jazzmobile Organization was hosting bassist/vocalist Mimi Jones and her quartet. Well-attended concert and the band were seriously good, wow! Amanda got us great seats close to the stage. Then we moved on to St Nick’s Jazz Club at the Comedy in Harlem club, where the drummer Craig Holiday Haynes and his trio (plus an excellent guest saxophonist) played a tribute gig to Craig’s late father and jazz icon, Roy Haynes. Again, tremendous musicianship on show, along with two great guest vocalists, including Amanda herself! The club was full of locals – always a good sign – with attentive food and drink service too. We would never have found the club on our own, nor dared to go in as we weren’t locals, but Amanda made everything easy, and we felt really welcome. And it was amazing when Amanda sang a blues number with the band, she was great, wish we could have heard more of her singing. And she added some lovely extra touches for the group like little mementos of the night. We highly recommend this tour, and look forward to visiting some more venues with Amanda or her colleague Gordon the next time we’re in NYC. Thanks Amanda!
Fantastic evening with the amazingly knowledgeable and enthusiastic Gordon - plenty of history, and two fabulous bands, with the Shrine club giving us a colourful and welcoming Saturday-night-in-Harlem experience. Highly recommended!
We had such a wonderful and unique evening! We went to places we would never have known about and learnt so much about jazz, Harlem and its community and history. Gordon is so knowledgeable and friendly, and the community we experienced at each club was amazing. Thank you so much, we can’t wait to come back!
This is a must do experience!!! We had a fabulous evening with Gordon Polatnick of Big Apple Jazz Tours in Harlem. From a wonderful show downstairs at Silvana’s with Phil’s House of Blues Band ( and delicious dinner there too) to the great folks at New Amsterdam Musical Association, (NAMA) ( 100 year old organization!) including Yovanne Pierre and band, we had a truly unique experience and one we will always remember! Gordon’s knowledge, insights and relationships with many of the musicians really added to a very special evening.
Amanda Humes led us on a fun tour of great music in Harlem. She knows all the musicians, which we enjoyed meeting. And she knows the smaller venues with great bands. Never a dull moment with Amanda, and she is also an excellent singer.
We had a super evening visiting two small intimate jazz venues with Gordon. We were able to have Gordon pick us up from the hotel and take us to the venues. The bonus was the wonderful tour of Harlem pointing out great sights such as the Apollo Theater, Duke Ellington Statue and other historical jazz info. Well worth the additional cost for the pickup! If we get back to NYC again, I'll definitely schedule another Jazz tour night.
This was a really fun walking tour and Amanda is a delightful guide! She tells you about parts of jazz and Harlem history, and sites that you would not know of otherwise ( mostly because they don't exist anymore, and there are no blue plaques marking those places). You wouldn't know of these from looking it up on Google so we feel really lucky that Amanda was our guide through this fascinating history! Apart from that, the music venues included in the tour are incredible. Again, these did not show up when I was looking up recommended venues for live jazz gigs, which is a great loss, really- both gigs were amazing musical experiences, and Amanda really involves you in the music-explaining nuances you may not get, giving you background on the band, and you even get to meet the members of the band! It's a truly one of a kind experience, and I can't recommend it enough. If I'm ever in new York again, I'll definitely book this tour once more( even if it's the same venues)!!
Gordon was a great guide. We visited a couple of jazz spots, had some great food, and stopped by some of Harlem's most historic sites. Gordon was extremely knowledgeable and is at the centre of the Harlem jazz scene. Highly recommended!
We had an amazing time. Really appreciated Gordon's knowledge and the two venues we went to. So much fun and such great music. A real highlight of our trip to NYC.
This tour is a favourite of mine and I have taken it twice now. Highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in the culture of Harlem. Gordon’s intimate tour offers a rare insight into the jazz scene whilst providing a safe and enjoyable experience
The highlight of our New York trip. We were hosted by Gordon and treated to world renowned artists. Amanda also popped in to perform. Highly recommend this to music lovers and to experience the rich Harlem culture.
Absolutely phenomenal night with Gordon! We loved hearing Jumaane Smith at Birdland Jazz Club, then taking the subway over to Harlem where we visited an American Legion post with live jazz (and Moët!) on a Sunday night! Absolutely an evening to remember! Thank you, Gordon!
Booking a Harlem tour seemed like a little adventure. This used to be a district where you should no longer be a tourist, at least after dark. But this has changed and you can also take the subway with peace of mind if it's not the middle of the night. But now for the tour: Gordon is sympathetic from the first moment. He knows a lot about Harlem and jazz, knows a lot of stories around every corner. The walk through his favorite neighborhood is peppered with information. He is also interested in the participants of his tour. Ask what prompted you to book the tour. The first thing we do is go to a club you wouldn't have found on your own. You can trust him to make the best choice and the bands are excellent musicians. Afterwards we continue to a restaurant where we also have good food. And again an excellent band! There is a pleasant, family atmosphere there and you even get to talk to the musicians during their break. Excited and with the reverberation of the great music, we then take the Subway back to Lower Manhattan. I can only recommend the tour.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
Reach us by phone
Reach us by email