Five Spot Jazz [MIKI YAMANAKA QUARTET]

Free ticket reservation on Eventbrite.

*Please note: $15 music cover + 1 drink minimum required at the venue.

Miki Yamanaka- PianoJapanese-born pianist Miki Yamanaka has called New York City home since 2012 and in the past decade has wasted no time establishing herself as one of the leading personalities of her generation on the piano and beyond. Critics laud her “light, expressive touch and solidly crafted, mainstream approach” - Mike Jurkovic (All About Jazz), while audiences delight in not only her playing, but her vibrant personality as well. Yamanaka has gained international recognition from her albums as a leader; her most recent and most celebrated release, “Chance” (Cellar Music), features her NYC rhythm section, Tyrone Allen and Jimmy Macbride. Additionally, Miki has emerged as a leader of the “New York Scene” via her notable residencies at mainstay West Village sister clubs Smalls and Mezzrow. During the pandemic, she developed a successful in-home live-streaming weekly concert series cleverly titled “Miki’s Mood” where she features a veritable who’s who of NYC talent (including her husband and frequent collaborator - drummer Jimmy Macbride). The series showcases her vast knowledge of Jazz standards and tunes, often featuring themed offerings of various composers from both the Great American Songbook as well as iconic Jazz composers🔗www.mikiyamanaka.com

Anthony Orji - tenor Saxophone🔗@ericdolphyf4n

Stanley Ruvinov - Bass🔗@theruvinov

George Greenhill - Drums🔗ggreenhilldrums

A Legacy Reimagined at Hi-Collar

In the late 1950s, the Five Spot Café was more than just a jazz club—it was the cultural heartbeat of downtown New York. Tucked away on Cooper Square and later at 2 St. Marks Place, the original Five Spot was a humble, smoky bar where legends were born and boundaries were broken.

On any given night, you might catch Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane on stage, while artists like Frank O’Hara, Jack Kerouac, and Helen Frankenthaler sipped drinks in the crowd. It was a meeting place for painters, poets, jazz fans, and anyone chasing the electric pulse of something new.

That tiny stage launched what would become the Giants of Jazz: Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy, and Randy Weston—a revolutionary scene alive with sound and soul.

Now, over half a century later, we pay tribute to that spirit—right here in the neighborhood where it all began.

We love the East Village. Its wild heart, its creative spirit, its fearless history—it’s where culture, art, and music have always collided. It’s where people come not just to eat or drink, but to feel something real. That’s why we brought Five Spot back— to honor what was, and to keep it alive.

By day, we are Hi-Collar: a stylish, compact Japanese café serving top-tier coffee, omurice, and a curated selection of sake and whiskey at 231 E 9th St in the East Village.

But on select nights, we dim the lights and bring the music back.

Five Spot Jazz lives again—right here.

The address has changed. The feeling hasn’t.

Host or Publisher Five Spot Jazz