National Jazz Museum in Harlem — New York

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is dedicated to preserving and celebrating jazz in the neighbourhood that was its cultural capital during the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. Located on West 129th Street, the museum sits in the heart of the district where the Cotton Club, the Apollo Theater, the Savoy Ballroom, and Minton's Playhouse defined American music in the 20th century. The museum was founded in 1997 and presents rotating exhibitions, oral history projects, and live performances.

Harlem's role in jazz history is unmatched. Duke Ellington held his residency at the Cotton Club in the late 1920s and 30s, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker developed bebop at Minton's Playhouse on West 118th Street, and Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and countless others performed on Harlem's stages. The museum's collection and programming explore this history while connecting it to contemporary jazz and the ongoing creative life of the neighbourhood.

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem hosts regular concerts, panel discussions, and educational workshops. Its Visitors Center offers listening stations and curated exhibitions, and the museum collaborates with schools and community organisations to keep jazz education alive in the neighbourhood where so much of the music was born.