Brownstone Jazz
It was a chilly Sunday evening on the first day of June when my friends (Jasmine, Pauleka, and Essence) and I gathered for jazz, brownstones, and Brooklyn. You must understand that Brooklyn is one of the greatest cities in America. It’s Black, urban, modern, and contemporary all at the same time. It smells like Caribbean food and soul food. It sounds like Afrobeats, jazz, hip hop, and gospel. It’s home to everybody. Even once, me. So of course, I caught a flight to listen to jazz music in a restored 19th-century Victorian brownstone in Bed-Stuy with my girls. Let me show you how the night went.
We pulled up to my girl’s brownstone in Clinton Hill from Williamsburg. Quick side note: my girl Jasmine lives in New York a quarter out of the year, which is magnificent in itself. Imagine a Black woman living in such a thriving, vibrant city in her 40s for delicious summers on her own. Super proud of her. That’s freedom in itself.
So she had us over that Sunday before heading 10 minutes down the neighborhood to listen to live jazz together. She prepared treats and delights for us. I admire Jasmine so much, hosting is her love language and she always loves us down.
The Brownstone
Imagine retreating back in time to enjoy live jazz in an intimate, restored 19th-century Victorian brownstone in the historic district of Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. This particular brownstone presented jazz concerts with a piano, bass, drum set, and other acoustic instruments as well. So we knew we were in for a treat.
The area is known for its many famous jazz venues, which have housed legendary performers such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and more. Since jazz music emerged in New Orleans in the early 20th century as a blend of African American musical traditions like blues and ragtime, with influence from European styles, it has become a staple in Black American culture.
Inside the Brownstone
The walls of the room are filled with character and the souls of all the ones who came before us; you can feel it and slightly smell it. The room is drenched in moody lamps that control the entire space with their colorful light bulbs, beaded velvet curtains draped over each doorframe, and mirrors on nearly every wall, creating texture and a never-ending space that sucks you into your uncomfortable chair..
Brownstone Jazz has been sharing its love of jazz for sixteen years and continues to be orchestrated by the same woman who started it all, Betty, and her husband, Eric Lemons, the lead bass player. This 1800s Victorian brownstone houses a small, intimate event for people with a connection to and appreciation for jazz, art, and culture. It is a ticketed event, 21+, BYOBB (bring your own brown bag), and has a dress code, all further enhancing the charm of the space
Brownstone Jazz may transport you to the 1930s, but it relies heavily on 21st-century tools. The show was live-streamed, social accounts were plugged, and the audience was encouraged to share their experience. Maybe, just maybe those who come chasing content will stumble into a genuine appreciation for culture, slipping in with each sip of wine from a plastic cup.
The space encourages conversation and community. There are seven tables, each with four chairs, lined up in two rows with barely enough aisle space for one person to squeeze through without repeatedly saying, “Sorry, excuse me.”
In the first twelve years of its existence, Brownstone Jazz filled the room relying on the “if you know, you know” crowd cultivating an audience of people who needed jazz to keep their blood running, people who closed their eyes with the pianist as his fingers ran across the keys. However, younger generations have been using social media to oversaturate every unique establishment or experience in New York, and Brownstone Jazz has fallen into that category. Over the past few years, their performances have blown up on TikTok and Instagram, and now you can find them under any “What to do in NYC” search.
The Sunday performance was sold out. Each table held two sets of couples who were strangers to each other and then there was the table where my girls and I sat. We enjoyed a bottle of bubbles and rosé while trading life stories and giving each other glances full of excitement every time one of the band members executed a crazy riff.
Between songs, the band offered bits of history, welcoming both jazz novices and seasoned listeners. The crowd was mostly first-timers, locals and visitors alike, drawn in by social media and the promise of a special date night. Still, the room held respect for the music, even if not everyone knew the trivia.
Since my girls and I are jazz heads, we requested a couple of songs toward the end of the set—John Coltrane’s In a Sentimental Mood and Miles Davis’s Blue in Green. The musicians were surprised we knew Blue in Green; it’s one of those quietly popular tracks - if you know, you know. Hearing one of my all-time favorites played live for the first time might’ve been the highlight of the show.
The pianist, Terry Burrus, closed out the night.
Of course, we lingered for a meet-and-greet with the legendary Craig Holiday Haynes, an acclaimed drummer and son of three-time Grammy Award winner Roy Haynes.
Leaving the Brownstone
Gatekeeping culture is easy to criticize. We want to protect intimate, authentic spaces, but nothing can stay untouched forever. We’ve watched niche bars and clubs morph into hotspots for thirty-somethings, where exclusivity fades and nothing feels quite as special. At the same time, many of these spaces depend on demand and social media buzz to survive. Ticket prices rise, and suddenly the economics of supply, demand, and revenue feel very real.
The audience may have changed, but the passion hasn’t. At least not that night. Sitting tipsy in a chair among strangers in a moody room, it didn’t feel like authenticity was lost. Business may be booming, but is it ever worth losing the intimacy that made the space special in the first place?
As much as I’d love to keep this gem to myself, it’s too special not to share. The experience and the shift in mood is worth it. Jazz has grounded and inspired me since I was a kid, and this space reminded me why. Do yourself a favor and add it to your New York list the next time you’re in town. And if you’re a local who’s never been, consider this your sign to plan your next date night or ladies’ night here. Plan ahead for your Brownstone Jazz experience here:
https://www.ticketweb.com/venue/brownstonejazz-brooklyn-ny/417015
The After Dinner
After the brownstone festivities, we found ourselves at an Italian restaurant in Bed-Stuy after walking through a live block party in the street. Man, this is why I love Brooklyn so much. It’s such a vibe.
We ended up at Bar Camillo on Tompkins Ave. We wined and dined ourselves right over delicious conversation, reflecting on the night’s experiences. Eventually, we called it a night and went back to our hotels and home.
There’s something about a Sunday in Brooklyn that feels wide open, like the city is exhaling with you. The music, the conversations, the wandering afterward, it all moves slower, softer, yet somehow fuller. Nights like this remind you that joy doesn’t always announce itself; sometimes it hums in the background, waiting for you to lean in. And in a borough built on history, rhythm, and reinvention, a Sunday can still surprise you with all that’s possible.
What a lovely first day of June.