Birds

Three New NYC Jazz Clubs

"On a Sunday night I watched Nitzan Gavrieli—red-bearded, in a black suit with no tie—sit at the Fender Rhodes at Birds and play bebop throwbacks like Dizzy Gillespie’s “Groovin’ High” alongside experimental originals (including one inspired by a drive along a Michigan highway) with Grammy-winning bassist Sam Weber and drummer Dan Pugach; opened on Downing Street in September by siblings Naama and Assaf Tamir, the club is a technically excellent space with a low stage that places the audience nearly level with the band, features cocktails designed by Steve Schneider of nearby Sip & Guzzle, and, as general manager Jack Smith says, exudes a real authenticity where you can’t fake the musicianship." - Megan Krigbaum