| Rating |
Date Attended [^] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Excellent Jazz History Walk Through Harlem
|
| Fri, Nov 4, 05 10:00 AM |
crocon |
Male |
50-59 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| This jazz walk through historic districts of Harlem was both enlightening and fun. Mr. Blair knows his history well and imparts information with an excitement for the subject and a sensitivity to his clientele. His love of jazz is palpable. I found the walk extremely informative. I highly recommend this tour for those interested in jazz, harlem or both. |
|
|
Excellent entreč to Harlem,architecture & jazz
|
| Fri, Nov 4, 05 10:00 AM |
janvdlippe |
Male |
50-59 |
International Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| To those of us who last visited New York in 1970, this visit to Harlem was a surprisingly pleasant and charming experience. This part of the city now gives foreigners like us a feeling of complete safety.
We started off at 168th street and quickly found ourselves in the many charming, quiet backstreets of Harlem, where our guide Paul Blair was a constant source of small stories of the streets and some individual buildings, mostly linked to the jazz people of the past. Paul is a little weak on architecture and the different building styles and decorations which we observed, I am certain he can add this to his already strong repertoire of know-how.
When we passed Sylvia's Soulfood restaurant on 126th Street we felt that we had been walking for quite a while. However, as fans of the famous alto saxophonist Charlie Parker we were persuaded to continue south to see Minton's Playhouse at Dewey Square, where restaurations now are underway. We were told this place is opening soon with jazz music on the programme.
Here Paul rounded off the tour by giving the tour participants a CD with music connected to many of the people he had spoken of and many of the sites we had seen, the cover contained excellent notes on the music and of the sites and buildings. We left Paul and the group and took the bus uptown and had late lunch at Sylvia's, nice athmosphere, good food at reasonable prices, the menu is definitely different from what is being offered Midtown and Downtown.
In short, we had an enjoyable day in the company of Paul Blair of SwingStreets. When we return to New York we will certainly join him again for walks in other parts of the city. |
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|
An absolutely wonderful, insightful, upbeat tour
|
| Fri, Nov 11, 05 10:00 AM |
myronalevine |
Male |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Unspecified |
| The tour was fantastic. For anyone looking for an extensive, insightful look at the development of Harlem, with many references to the Harlem jazz scene and its glorious history, this is the tour! Paul's insights extend beyond music; he also points to numerous key sites related to Harlem's and New York's development and the community's political leaders. Paul is a fantastic guide--knowledgeable, friendly, enthusaistic, and upbeat! Be prepared to see a lot! It was well worth it--and a great education too. |
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|
Comprehensive
|
| Sat, Mar 11, 06 11:00 AM |
jsiano3188 |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| Paul Blair has a true love for Harlem and jazz and it is evident when he walks you through historic areas. |
|
|
Informative and enjoyable
|
| Sat, Mar 11, 06 11:00 AM |
thaifoodfan |
Female |
40-49 |
Unspecified |
Individual |
| I'm so glad I chose to do this walk. We had beautiful weather, and it was well-paced. Fascinating historical information.
Bring a big water bottle and wear very comfortable shoes! |
|
|
Take a stroll through jazz history
|
| Sat, Apr 15, 06 11:00 AM |
rosenar |
Male |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| If you want to learn a lot about Harlem's place in jazz history take this tour. Paul Blair knows his stuff and enjoys sharing it with you. He evokes the rich past of the place with plenty of verve and countless anecdotes. If you can remember 10 percent of what he tells you on the tour you'll be fit to lead a tour on your own.
As the editor of "Hot House Jazz", a magazine on the New York jazz scene, and a long-time jazz afficionado, Paul is a missionary for the music. Harlem is hallowed ground for him. Let him lead you through it and you won't be disappointed.
Practical matters: this tour covers a lot of ground so bring the most confortable shoes you own and if it's at all sunny hats, sunglasses, and sunblock will all come in handy. |
|
|
harlem jazz walk
|
| Sun, Apr 30, 06 11:00 AM |
walkny |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
| very knowlegeable tour leader -- much area covered -- |
|
Good start to dig more deeply into jazz in NYC
|
| Sun, May 21, 06 11:00 AM |
811sunny |
Female |
30-39 |
Local |
Individual |
| Apart from the fact that the music was missing during our walk : - ))), we were provided with an indepth knowledge of Harlem with regard to history, architecture and jazz icons. I went home with some ideas for next activities and a nice CD. |
|
|
Fun and delicious
|
| Sun, Aug 13, 06 11:00 AM |
russianblue1 |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Other |
| Glad I took the tour. |
|
|
Harlem Jazz Walk
|
| Sat, Sep 30, 06 11:00 AM |
loissoule |
Female |
70+ |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| This was a wonderful tour. My friend and I saw it advertised three years ago, however, this year was the first time our annual weekend in NYC and the tour conincided. First and foremost I must say that we appreciate the fact that only the two of us and you did not cancel. It was a full 2 1/2 hours and our Tour Guide never made us feel rushed even though we realized there were onnly tow of us He provided us with so many details of the Jazz (our era) and when we had questions he went out of the way to show and answer all our questions. It was above ad beyond our expectations and we plan on taking two of Paul's other tours in the future. |
