Jazz Standard, the New York jazz club that lived a short life from 1997 to 2001, has reopened its doors, this time with an adjoining restaurant, Blue Smoke Barbecue. The club remains more or less the same as it was when it closed; James Polsky stills runs the place and the bands that play there will mostly be straightahead jazz groups. The biggest difference is the attached restaurant. Blue Smoke Barbecue will offer Jazz Standard audiences slow-cooked ribs along with fish, fowl and plenty of alcoholic beverages. New York restaurateur Danny Meyer (pictured left), a man made famous in the city for two other four-star eateries (Union Square Café and Gramercy Tavern) and Polsky’s cousin, is the brains of the Blue Smoke operation and is excited about running a restaurant attached to a jazz club. “I’ve always wanted to open a really wonderful ‘joint,'” he says. “Really good barbecue and jazz are delicious soul foods that have provided me with a lot of joy and comfort since childhood.”
Upcoming shows at Jazz Standard/Blue Smoke Barbecue
April 2 – 7: Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya
April 9 – 14: Bill Charlap Trio
April 16 – 21: Donald Harrison Quartet
April 23 – 28: Masters of Groove
April 30- May 5: Danilo Perez Trio
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