Big Apple Jazz Tours

Gordon leads a very personalized tour, and takes you to places you wouldn't find on your own. He has a load of knowledge and a great love for jazz. We felt so comfortable, and after the Apollo (which was an unexpected surprise) he took us to a little "joint" where there was wonderful live jazz ensemble, and we could dance and have a drink, and even order Chinese food from next door! Without Gordon we would probably have not ventured on our own. We haven;t stopped describing it to others.... all of whom say it was a wonderful idea and where did we find it? Thanks so much, Mona and Sandor Klein

If you're a jazz fan and want to have a deeper understanding of the jazz scene in New York, after you've been to the Blue Note, after the Village Vanguard, then this is the tour for you. Gordon takes you to places most tourists never go. And the people there are welcoming and gracious hosts. And the jazz is the real deal. How we entered a standing room only intimate historical jazz club and I ended up with one of the best seats in the house is a mystery to me but Gordon pulled it off. He felt more like a friend and fellow jazz fan than a tour guide. It's a night I will never forget.

Fun visit to small Harlem clubs! Loved the Soul Food! Gordon made it really easy to get in to the various places, found us great food, gave us history snippets and found us a cab to get back to our hotel. Musicians and club owners were wonderfully welcoming and entertaining. Well worth it! --Dave and Carey from Canada

This was the second experience of this tour. Gordon again impressed with his knowledge of the local jazz scene. These tours should be approached in a relaxed, open minded way and they will be enjoyed even more. The positive spontaneity of what happens is a highlight!

We had a great afternoon/evening on the Harlem Jazz Tour with Gordon. He is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic; if you love Jazz music at all, then this is not to be missed.

very interesting, informative walking tour. some good to GREAT jazz. it was a view into a changing world and Harlem, and where jazz musicians are trying to mix the old with the new. we enjoyed the experience.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening of walking through Harlem with Gordon. He has a very clear love and appreciation of the role the Harlem bars/juke joints played in the history and growth of jazz. He is very knowledgeable about the history of the area and provides lots of context and interesting historical notes. The bars were fun and the music great. An excellent way to spend an evening in NYC!

My husband and I were looking for a jazz tour in Harlem and we decided to do this one 'cause it was very recommended on the internet. I tought people were just being nice on the reviews. But we did had a lot of fun, we enjoyed so much the hole experience! Fistly I really must recognize that Gordon is such a professional but at the same time funny, kind and polite tour guide, with a great knowledge about the history of jazz in Harlem! It was as if we were back in time, everyting was so cool! I quite enjoyed having soul food in a cosy jazz bar, where then even played bossa nova (brazilian music), and I really didn't want to leve the place 'till we took those 2 cabs to reach the second bar, even better, the Paris Blues, where we saw the show of that great saxophonist and then I experimented the sugar hill golden ale beer for the frist time. I truely didn't want to leave when Gordon and part of the group sayed they were leaving (it was about half past midnight) and he indicated another bar. My husband and I and the other very cool american couple (Nicholas, the drummer who kept this secret and unfortunnately we missed one more show) we went to that third bar, where finally we saw the most amazing show, at Showmans. It was amazing!!! Then we took the subway again and reached the hotel by 2 or 3 in the morning, with that clear sensation that it was so worthwile and that we really wanted to do it again! Thank you very much!!!

I booked the Harlem Juke Joint Tour as a gift for my boyfriend because he loves jazz music. Well not only did we go on a wonderful informative tour, we discoved a "new" part of New York City. I had never been to Harlem before but after going on the tour I feel the City got a whole lot bigger for me. I loved the diversity of the various clubs we went to and the people were so welcoming. We experienced the down home feeling at 449 LA Scat. The owner Sandy was a true professional and made us feel right at home. Then, we were off to Paris Blues where the sax player can play all night and you will want him to. Finally, the best for last, Showman's Jazz Club. What a fabulous place. It had to be the best jazz music I have ever heard. I never knew all Harlem had to offer especially relating to jazz. So my boyfriend and I are hooked. We will certainly be booking another tour soon.

Gordon was a great guide.He has a great passion for jazz which he communicated with great ease! Very well planned route and I learned a lot about the Harlem Jazz scene! Thank you.

I wouldn't categorize my wife and I as jazz enthusiasts, but we wanted to try something different from the normal NY attractions. We do like jazz music, but aren't very knowledgeable about the history, the types, etc. So this tour consisted of stops at several different jazz clubs/lounges, as well as dinner at Jacob's which was an experience on its own (in a good way). Gordon was very knowledgeable and made trips on the private bus between jazz clubs very informative and interesting. That being said, as part of the tour, one of the stops that night was at Paris Blues, which ruined our experience. It felt very dodgy inside, the music was uninspiring, we had to sit around aimlessly while the musicians took their time, ate dinner and chatted, and we got ripped off really bad on our drinks. For that reason alone I didn't recommend it to my friends. Too bad, as everything else was top notch.

Great tour, will suit both those who are avid Jazz fans plus those who just have a casual interest or just want to see a different side of New York. The guide focused on taking us to less well know jazz bars that you wouldn't find yourself and hence less touristy and more of a genuine/local experience. In addition the guide takes you past the more mainstream places (like the Apollo and Lenox Lounge) so if you want to go to those you can return in your own time and know where they are. Overall and fun, entertaining and enjoyable experience. Would recommend.

The Great Day in Harlem Jazz Tour was the musical highlight of our stay in New York city. Sympathetic and knowledgeable Gordon brought us to places we would have never entered ourselves. A marvellous way to experience Harlem and jazz ! Genuine, intimate ans with a warm welcome in every club we entered. We're so glad we booked this tour and recommend it to everyone, jazz connoisseur or not.

I enjoy smooth Jazz more, but enjoyed the .entertainment. The guide was very informative and very helpful..Great work.

We were in NY for a week and went out of our way to extend what we did and the jazz tour was simply a fantastic experience. Only problem was that it was over far too quickly.