Historical Marker
Harlem YMCA
Historical marker location:
180 West 135th Street, New York, New York
( Marker is on West 135th Street east of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, on the left when traveling west.)
Marker installed: 1999
New York City Designated Landmark.
The first recorded jazz concert took place in New York City in 1917, featuring a band led by the pianist James Reese Europe. Jazz music would go on to become a defining feature of New York's cultural scene, with legendary clubs like the Cotton Club and the Village Vanguard.