SMOKE JAZZ CLUB AND COCKTAIL LOUNGE opened it's doors to the public on April 9, 1999. Owned, operated, conceived, designed and renovated by Paul Stache and Frank Christopher, SMOKE is carrying on the twenty year tradition of jazz at this location formerly known as Augie's Jazz Bar. After several years of financial hardship, Augie's was closed in the summer of 1998. Paul and Frank pooled their resources to save the music but, due to reasons beyond their control, they could not save the name Augie's. Augie's customer, Paul Auster penned a novel, which was later turned into a movie staring Harvey Keitel and William Hurt. It is rumored that this story is based on Augie's life. In tribute to Augie's legacy, Paul and Frank named the club after the movie. The name of the movie is SMOKE.

For five months, Paul and Frank holed up inside the space, twelve to seventeen hours a day, giving SMOKE a facelift. Emerging in April of '99, they unveiled to the public one of the most beautiful intimate jazz spots in all of New York City. Plush carpeting, comfortable custom made gothic couch style seating, candle sconces flickering their glow onto the natural red brick walls, candle lit mahogany cocktail tables under the antique chandeliers, with red velvet curtains to match the red velvet upholstered barstools - and that was just the décor. Weeks were spent on designing the room for sound. The attention to every detail has given SMOKE one of the best live sounds in the city. Pianist, David Hazeltine, said, "I love playing this room. It's rare that the piano can be heard as clearly as it is in this club." Pianist, Harold Mabern, calls SMOKE, "The best jazz club in the world." The most exciting thing about being a patron at SMOKE is that SMOKE is so intimate. There are only seventy seats.

Imagine sitting that close to Big George Coleman, or having a drink in between sets with Cecil Payne, or Etta Jones, or Freddy Cole, or Slide Hampton, or Eddie Henderson the list goes on and on. SMOKE is reminiscent of the heyday of Jazz. It's a small little club located Uptown where great jazz practitioners mingle with great jazz lovers. On any given night you never know who might be hanging out at the bar or hit on a tune. One night when the great organist Dr. Lonnie Smith was playing, George Benson and Ronnie Cuber showed up and played an hour and a half set. Lonnie said it was the first time they played together in over twenty-five years. It was magical. One patron was overheard saying after the show, "This was like having George Benson playing live in my living room!" and that sums up what the essence of SMOKE is, great live music in someone's living room. It's like a house party with the best jazz musicians alive today, hanging out and doing what they love, jamming. - Christopher Hall