NEW YORK

Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South, Greenwich Village (001 212 255 4037, www.villagevanguard.com)

£15 cover, two sets per night, 9pm and 11pm. Manhattan’s premier venue for half a century; a roster of international stars keeps the tradition alive. Can be cramped, but unrivalled for atmosphere.

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola Jazz at Lincoln Centre, Broadway at 60th Street (258 9800, www.jalc.org )

£15 cover, two sets per night, plus an after-hours set, Tues through Sat. Dinner from 6.30pm. Super-stylish new venue with fine dining, Manhattan skyline views and top acts. A night to remember.

Iridium 1650 Broadway at 51st Street (582 2121, www.iridiumjazzclub.com)

£15 cover, two sets per night, plus a midnight set at weekends (£5). Midtown basement club with inexpensive dining. Midnight shows offer a chance to see excellent younger performers. The superb Mingus Big Band, taking the music of Charles Mingus to a new generation, plays every Tues. Unmissable.

Apollo Theatre 253 West 125th Street, Harlem (531 5300, www.apollotheater.com)

"A place where stars are born and legends made," ran the billboards in the Thirties, and it’s still true today. Any doubts about the Apollo’s continuing relevance to black music vanished when James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, paid a final visit last year — his gold-plated coffin was paraded through the theatre. History tours offer an insight into the venue that launched Ella Fitzgerald and Luther Vandross among others. The famous Apollo amateur nights continue every Wednesday.

Knitting Factory 74 Leonard Street (219 3132, www.knittingfactory.com)

Two sets a night offer up to six acts in two main performance spaces. Not for the faint-hearted, although occasionally a surprisingly accessible name will appear among listings for post-industrial noise merchants — Graham Parker, the late-Seventies post-punk singer, will perform on April 27.

Smalls 183 West 10th at Seventh Avenue (252 5091, www.fatcatjazz.com)

Times recommends

• A career break to Timbuktu
• Canoe man and Bond boost Panama tourism
• Flybe extras that broke the bank