The ‘Wonderful World’ Broadway cast’s favorite live music venues in New York City | New York Theatre Guide

If you can’t get enough of hearing jazz and more at this Broadway musical, set to the songs of Louis Armstrong, here are some other concert venues to check out.

Every inch of New York is filled with music. You’ll hear pop songs blasting from speakers on pedicabs, solo singing and instrumentalizing ringing through subway stations, muzak drifting out from the doors of bars and shops, and of course, live music of all genres filling up the city’s many theatres and concert halls.

As but one example, the Broadway theatre Studio 54 currently hosts A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, which sets the jazz legend’s life story to more than 20 songs he popularized. The big-band orchestra gives Armstrong’s genre-defying sound the richness it deserves, as does the entire company, led by Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart in the title role.

So who better than this cast and creative team, then, to share their own recommendations for where to hear live music in NYC? Their picks include venues large and small, from iconic landmarks to lesser-known clubs showcasing all kinds of genres. Learn more about their favorite NYC live music venues below, and be sure to fit A Wonderful World into your musical itinerary, too.

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The Blue Note has been one of NYC’s premier homes for jazz since 2981. Unlike the swanky Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Blue Note is cozily tucked within a block in Greenwich Village, offering patrons an up-close-and-personal view of established and rising stars. Alongside jazz, the venue also hosts soul, hip-hop, R&B, and funk artists.

“It’s tiny, it’s small, it’s chill, but the talent that goes through there is so immense that it feels like it’s Carnegie Hall,” said Iglehart.

Recommended by: James Monroe Iglehart (Louis Armstrong), Rickey Tripp (choreographer), Jennie Harney-Fleming (Lil Hardin)
Address: 131 W. Third St.
Price: $$-$$$

Of course, attending a concert at the actual Carnegie Hall is an NYC bucket-list item. Renowned worldwide, Carnegie Hall presents everything from symphonies to pops concerts to performances by international choirs, maestros, and even Broadway legends like Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, and Kelli O’Hara — to name just a few recent headliners there.

Recommended by: DeWitt Fleming Jr. (Lincoln Perry and tap choreographer)
Address: 881 Seventh Ave. at the corner of 57th Street
Price: $$-$$$$

The Lincoln Center performing arts complex contains multiple options for live music steps away from each other. Want to hear the New York Philharmonic? Go to David Geffen Hall. Prefer opera? See one at the Metropolitan Opera House. Want to experience music and dance at the same time? See the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater. If you’re lucky, you might even catch the occasional free performance right outside on the plaza.

Learn more about Lincoln Center.

Recommended by: Jimmy Smagula (Joe Glaser)
Address: Lincoln Center Plaza
Price: $$-$$$$

Contrary to the name, Jazz at Lincoln Center is actually located a few blocks away within the Shops at Columbus Circle building. But no matter where it is or what you call it, it’s a premier home for renowned and up-and-coming jazz stars alike. Containing multiple performance spaces ranging in size, Jazz at Lincoln Center offers both grand concert-hall and more intimate cabaret-style experiences.

Recommended by: Christina Sajous (co-director), DeWitt Fleming Jr. (Lincoln Perry and tap choreographer)
Address: 10 Columbus Circle
Price: $$$

Whether you’re there for the annual Christmas Spectacular, a stop on a world-famous musician’s tour, a comedy show, or a movie screening accompanied by a live orchestra, you’re set to experience great entertainment, including music and beyond, at this classic NYC institution.

“It’s iconic,” said James T. Lane, who plays Louis Armstrong at select performances. “Just being in that building makes you feel good — and the acoustics!”

Recommended by: James T. Lane (Louis Armstrong alternate)
Address: 1260 Avenue of the Americas between 49th and 50th Streets
Price: $$-$$$$

Birdland has moved locations many times since its 1949 opening, but one things has always stayed the same: its unmatched lineup of jazz stars, from Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis to John Coltrane and many more modern musicians since. You can say you’ve been to a jazz club that celebs like Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra have visted.

Additionally, the Broadway at Birdland series brings Broadway stars to the venue’s stage, with past headliners including Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, Ariana DeBose, and Glenn Close. Considering that Birdland is in the heart of the Theatre District, it’s a perfect match.

Recommended by: Trista Dollison
Address: 315 W. 44th St. between Eighth and Ninth Avenues
Price: $$$

Tucked away on the cellar level of the Roxy Hotel is the Django, modeled after French nightclubs. This venue has a quiet policy, so it’s recommended that you make a reservation for a little while before the set starts so you can eat, drink, and catch up with your group first. Then, you can fully immerse yourself in the jazz act playing that night.

Recommended by: Jason Forbach (Crooner and others)
Address: 2 Sixth Ave. inside the Roxy Hotel
Price: $$-$$$

Conveniently located right next to A Wonderful World on Broadway, 54 Below is a cabaret venue and restaurant featuring an ever-rotating lineup of concerts, many of which feature Broadway performers. Eat and drink (there is usually a food and beverage minimum) while hearing singers, composers, and more perform your favorite songs or new tunes.

Recommended by: Trista Dollison (standby), Adam Koch (set designer)
Address: 254 W. 54th St. between Eighth Avenue and Broadway
Price: $$-$$$

Sounds of Brazil, S.O.B.’s for short, is one of the city’s most famous places to hear African and Latin music genres. The list of artists who’ve appeared there is too long to name, but it includes Wu-Tang Clan, Marc Anthony, Cardi B, Drake, and many more. In addition to standard concerts, you can hear music there by way of a dance class, a DJ set, and more.

Recommended by: Dionne Figgins (Daisy Parker)
Address: 204 Varick St.
Price: $-$$$

Broadway

Of course, one of the best places to hear live music is at the theatre. Broadway orchestras come in all shapes and sizes — some have a full orchestra, while others have a small, stripped-back band — but they’re always thrilling to hear live. And with so many music genres represented on Broadway, from pop to rock to folk to jazz to country to classic musical theatre, you can go to multiple shows and get a different musical experience at each one.

Don’t know where to start? See A Wonderful World at Studio 54!

Recommended by: Brandon Louis Armstrong (ensemble and descendant of Louis Armstrong), Kim Exum (Alpha Smith), Dionne Figgins
Address: Various theatres
Price: $$-$$$$

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