Alexander Claffy brings a heavyweight quartet to Smoke on Thanksgiving Eve

The Harlem bassist leads Jaleel Shaw, Benny Benack III and Bill Stewart through a late set on Broadway, Wednesday, Nov. 25.

The night before Thanksgiving, the city half-empties out, and the people who stay tend to go looking for something good. Up on Broadway near 106th Street, there's an answer. Bassist Alexander Claffy plays Smoke Jazz & Supper Club on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 10 p.m., leading a band with Jaleel Shaw, Benny Benack III and Bill Stewart. The date was announced Nov. 2, and reservations go through Smoke's own ticketing.

Claffy is one of the busiest bassists in New York jazz. He's a bassist, composer and arranger who lives in Harlem and is described as one of the most working bass players on the city's scene, according to his bio at Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia, where he recorded *Alive in Philadelphia Vol. 1*. When he isn't touring festivals and clubs as a leader, the same bio notes, he's on the bandstand at New York's top rooms: Birdland, the Blue Note, Dizzy's Club, Smalls and Smoke itself.

The company he keeps says a lot. He's played in a trio with pianist Brad Mehldau and drummer Joe Farnsworth, a lineup Chris' Jazz Cafe has booked, and he's led his own trio with Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone as special guest (Chris' Jazz Cafe). His recordings include *Standards: What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?* (HighResAudio), and he keeps a calendar at claffy.me.

For this one he's put together a band that will draw musicians to the room as well as fans: Jaleel Shaw, Benny Benack III and Bill Stewart. A 10 p.m. set on a holiday-eve Wednesday has a way of turning into one of those nights people talk about afterward, the kind where the room is full of players who stayed in town.

A late set, a heavy band and a room that has been doing this since 1999.

Then there's Smoke. The club sits at 2751 Broadway, in the space that was Augie's Jazz Bar from 1976 to 1998, according to its history). Paul Stache, who'd worked at Augie's as a server and bartender, opened Smoke in 1999 with Frank Christopher, whom he met behind that bar. After Augie's closed, Stache went to the building's landlord because, as he's put it, he wanted "the music to continue." The club went dark for more than two years during the pandemic and reopened in 2022, expanded with an attached lounge, as Time Out covered at the time. It's also home to the Smoke Sessions Records label, and in 2024 the club marked its 25th anniversary, which West Side Rag celebrated in an interview with Stache.

It's a supper club, so plan on dinner or at least a drink with the set, and book ahead: Smoke is an intimate room, and a band like this one fills it. Take the 1 train to 103rd or 110th and walk.

If you're staying in the city for the holiday, this is the way to start it. Reserve now, get there a little early, and let the bass do the talking.

Sources: Alexander Claffy Alive in Philadelphia Vol. 1 (Chris' Jazz Cafe) (chrisjazzcafe.com); Brad Mehldau, Alexander Claffy, Joe Farnsworth (Chris' Jazz Cafe) (chrisjazzcafe.com); Bassist Alexander Claffy Trio, Featuring Special Guest Pianist Makoto Ozone (Chris' Jazz Cafe) (chrisjazzcafe.com); Standards: What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? – Alexander Claffy (HighResAudio) (prelive.highresaudio.com); Smoke (jazz club) (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org); The iconic Smoke Jazz Club is finally reopening next month (Time Out) (timeout.com); There's a World-Class Jazz Club in Your Backyard: An Interview with the Owner of Smoke (West Side Rag) (westsiderag.com); Alexander Claffy at Smoke tickets (go.smokejazz.com)