Heard from a friend that this Harlem Jazz Tour was a highlight of her NYC trip and she was 100% correct. Right from the moment I registered all five of us, Gordon was extremely responsive & helpful with every question & request, always getting back to me in a timely fashion with detailed & reassuring information. Days before our scheduled jazz tour, I received a call from Amanda Humes, Gordon's colleague, imforming me that she would be our guide. She was extremely friendly, gave specific details about what to expect & most importantly, asked questions about each of us in order to tailor the tour to our interests & experiences. What a great introduction of what was to come! Amanda then sent each of us a detailed email the day before our tour & we easily knew where to meet her & what to expect in general. This entire evening truly exceeded my expectations! Our group consisted of five women who are longtime friends, two friends from CA, a couple from the Netherlands & a woman from Ottawa and we just blended together so nicely, thanks to Amanda & her knowledge & introductions & games & celebration of special events. She obviously has a deep understanding & respect for the musicians & performers and for Harlem & the history of the area & contributions to jazz, blues, & music in general. She presented this during the experience throughout the night, kept us interested & enlightened us on so many levels of information that went beyond jazz. Her follow up email contained pictures, videos & even more facts, which gave us a wonderful memory of this special evening. Thank you Gordon & Amanda for a fabulous experience! I can't wait to do this with you again. Big Apple Jazz Tours is at the top of my recommendations for anyone visiting NYC or the area. SO worth it - I feel like I made new friends, learned a lot & never would have found these great venues & musicians on my own ( Hamilton's & The Cloak Room). It's hard to describe Amanda, but she definitely came as advertised! I loved her enthusiasm, knowledge, openness, willingness to share & ability to welcome each one of us into her home turf. She engaged us with the musicians & her friends, gave us hints about how react if we actually saw a "famous person" (which we did and he performed unexpectedly!!!) and overall provided an amazing experience. GREAT TIME!!! GREAT PEOPLE!!

One outstanding jazz tour with Gordon! Highly recommended when you are in the Big Apple. Gordon knows so much about jazz, he is a part of the community, he takes you off the beaten path to see the real NY jazz scene. Excellent on so many levels. 🫶

Wow wow wow - Amanda went above and beyond to ensure we had a special experience! We were a group of 5, and she purposefully wanted to get to know us before the experience to ensure we were all comfortable. My mom and husband celebrated their wedding anniversary, and the extra touches she prepared (shout out from both bands and desserts) - were perfection. The bands at both locations were amazing - great talent and very high energy and the most welcoming vibes. Harlem is a gem and Amanda amplifies its shine with her knowledge on the area and her captivating energy!

Our tour guide Amanda made sure that we, along with the rest of our tour, had an unforgettable night in Harlem. The musicians were amazingly talented and the food was a 10/10. Amanda is charismatic, personable, and deeply cares that her guests have the best time possible. She brought the fun! Highly recommend. By far the most unique and enjoyable experience I've had as a visitor to NYC.

Gordon was an incredible tour guide, and friend to our group. We highly recommend his services to anyone in Harlem looking for a great jazz experience!!!!

A must do when you visit NYC. Gordon is extremely knowledgeable and knows everyone and all the cool, non touristy spots in the Harlem jazz scene. Very memorable evening with great people, music, food and drink!

Having lived in NYC for almost two decades, I still learned SO much on this tour. It's a great way to find some truly soulful music. Gordon was so kind and a true fan.

Gordon’s knowledge and enthusiasm over the local Jazz scene makes him an excellent guide. He provided us with a fun filled, high quality and personable experience off the beaten path.

Shirley and I had a fantastic time on our Harlem Juke Joint Tour on Saturday evening. Gordon was the perfect guide, knowledgeable and entertaining and giving us access to places we wouldn't have arranged ourselves. Both venues visited, Patrick's Place and the Porch were brilliant; music, ambience, food, drink and above all authenticity. We were lucky enough to have a lovely group too. Thanks Gordon, we will definitely recommend to others and will be in touch when we have another NYC trip. Cheers, Simon.

This tour was the highlight of our trip to New York City! Our entire family enjoyed the whole tour from start to finish. The artists were incredible. Gordon was amazing. I would highly recommend this to anyone regardless of musical interests is in New York City. We are now all in love with Harlem.

Easily, one of the best nights in NYC! We got to see incredible musicians in intimate spaces. The vibes were immaculate. Gordon & Amanda offered so much intel into the jazz scene.

Gordon is an absolutely wonderful host!! He is incredibly kind, insightful, and passionate about all things jazz. We hosted an event with him and it couldn’t have gone any better. We got to explore two different underground jazz shows and learn about the incredible history of Greenwich Village. Gordon is the go-to for all things NYC jazz, he’s been in the scene for over 20 years and counting and knows everything there is to know. Highly recommend taking a tour with him if you want to open your eyes and ears to the beautiful world of jazz!!

Gordon was an amazing host! He knows a ton about the history of jazz! He is passionate and engaging. He’s a local, who can give you the inside scoop! He gave us lots of flexibility in tailoring the experience to meet our interests. He messaged us beforehand to find out our interest and background. He has a great relationship with the local proprietors of the jazz establishments. We couldn’t recommend Gordon enough!

The experience with Gordon was amazing! We visited two jazz clubs with different styles and wonderful musicians. I totally enjoyed the jazz clubs crawl and the jazz vibes of Harlem! I totally recommend the jazz club experience with Gordon 😄🤗😄

Loved our guide, Amanda. Loved Patrick’s Place- the Harmony Experience was off the charts amazing- just happy happy music! the ambiance was fabulous- so was the food-and the Staff and other diners- overall 5 stars for Patrick’s Place. Also loved the Open Porch- a real multi cultural immersion- we loved that! Was a bit chilly for walking but the night was amazing. Big thanks to Amanda. She just shines. Kate

I love this experience. Gordon is truly a wonderful guide. He puts his guests first. It was great to see his interaction with the musicians and to learn so much about who I was seeing on the stage. I consider this a must do when in NYC. This was my second time and I flew in a day early specifically to experience this again with my son.

Spending the evening meeting and listening to some of the great Harlem jazz musicians was a highlight of our year. Hanging out with the incredibly talented and very sweet Amanda was the perfect Christmas gift! Thank you all very much for a special evening!

Did Harlem tour in NY with Gordon! Gordon was very kind and experienced in touring. I asked too many questions but Gordon was very patient :) He is very professional in touring and explaining about history in Harlem. Soulfood that Gordon recommended was so tasty. Definitely will attend in touring with Gordon again and highly recommend!

We took a private tour for 2 adults and 2 teenagers. Gordon asked us ahead of time what our preferences were and offered us different itineraries from which to choose from. We then finalized the stops the day before, on the phone. Since it was raining on the evening of tour we asked to modify it again and Gordon arranged all bookings to our last minute whishes. He has great knowledge of the Harlem music scene, past and present, and thanks to his connections we were able to spend a wonderful evening, dining, listening to live music and sipping cocktails. We highly recommend taking a tour with Big Apple Jazz to have get a more local feeling of the city, away from the touristy circuits.

NYC provides tens of thousands of opportunities for extraordinary experiences. In our week long trip, the one that jumps out was our Harlem Jazz Tour. Gordon knows the scene inside out and led us to the most fantastic venues and painted vivid historic images of the areas we walked through. He spent a good amount of time before hand finding out what our interests were - phone calls and texts. To be in a city where jazz is living and breathing is a mighty thing! Six out of five stars. Thanks for our experience.

The BEST experience of my life and that’s no exaggeration! Gordon was the most amazing tour guide and he left us convinced that we MUST visit NYC at least EVERY quarter! Thank you Gordon for everything! Love Jazz and wanna Emerson yourself in the culture of Jazz? Trust in Gordon!

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Gordon while he shared his knowledge of the current jazz scene in Harlem as well as the stories from yesteryear. We went to a historical venue off the beaten path to enjoy authentic music from very skilled veteran musicians.

Amanda is so welcoming, so enthusiastic and well connected, we immediately felt lucky. We met players and heard world class jazz in a beautiful park setting, danced, caught a meal and a few drinks in a cozy downstairs speakeasy, then sat almost inside the band at Harlems oldest jazz club. Our son had a chance to play solo in front of these great players and Amanda made this unforgettable experience possible. She was so generous with her time and made sure that our first time in Harlem won’t be our last

A really superb experience. Places I never would have found. Gordon gave a fascinating tour and history of Harlem music. My 2 kids loved it. Highly recommended.

Gordon’s tour was fantastic! This was my second time on his tour and he always has something new to offer. He brought us to hear some incredible jazz and fabulous musicians in spots I would never have found in n my own. Gordon is extremely knowledgeable and provides both historical info as well as stories of his firsthand experience owning a jazz club. Fabulous tour/ highly recommend it!

If you’re looking for a Jazz Tour in New York this is the place to book. Gordon knows all of the best locations and what nights to visit them. We went to two different locations in Harlem and had a great time. Highly recommended.

We took a private jazz tour with Gordon and had a great time! Gordon created an evening schedule based on our prior communication and he gave us an amazing evening of three jazz clubs, three full sets by a variety of incredible jazz artists, and some interesting jazz history along the way. Gordon is experienced and knows everything about the jazz scene in NYC. On top of this, he is genuinely a great guy who fit right in hanging out with my family! Highly recommended!

I have been going to jazz clubs in Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan regularly for twenty years. However, it had been a very long time since I checked out a jazz club in Harlem. My wife got this tour as a gift for us and we had a fantastic time. Gordon took us to some under-the-radar jazz clubs with incredible music! He knew the musicians and club owners, which helped give the experience a very intimate feel. Gordon's deep jazz knowledge and experience in the scene allowed him to point out some fascinating hidden jazz landmarks and share some really cool stories during the walking tour. If you are from out of town and want an authentic New York City jazz experience, this is undoubtedly it! If you are a from New York and want to experience a unique opportunity to dive into Harlem's jazz culture and hear some truly inspiring music, go for it!

Best jazz tour experience. Amanda was super amazing, lovely, friendly and full of live. I enjoyed every experience and learnt a lot about the history of Harlem Jazz

Our guide Gordon was very knowledgeable about the local jazz scene. He had a working relationship with establishment owners and we received VIP treatment. Gordon was able to answer all questions posed by the group and he created a friendly atmosphere where strangers felt comfortable socializing with one another. We were joined by Gordon's associate Amanda who was very welcoming and made us all feel like family. We also had the privilege of hearing her sing. We took the Harlem tour and learned a lot about the area, past and present (including topics not related to jazz). If you are looking for historical content, great music, and good food as well, I highly recommend Big Apple Jazz.