Jazz Record Center

Went yesterday for the first time after reading about it on
15 best record stores in NYC. Great selection of quality used and new jazz records. The owner Fred is really helpful with any questions. Picked up a Betty Carter live album, Dexter Gordon, and an Art Blakey LP. Good prices and all in great condition. Will be returning soon now that I’m back to my vinyl listening.

This place is heaven to fans of Jazz music. Not only do they have records, they have CDs too. And so so so so many to look through, some rare records too. I can always find something to buy when I visit, and I have discovered so many Jazz artists I’ve never heard before.
Prices can be a bit hit or miss though. But for a store to house so many Jazz music I can’t complain too much. They can be a bit hard to find since they don’t have a storefront, but with the pictures here on Unilocal and some simple directions its much easier.
Oh yeah, they also have posters, DVDs, books and probably some other stuff I missed too.

Cool spot! Really friendly vibe. Picked up a Japanese Pressing of Duke Ellington’s Money Jungle on vinyl. Would definitely go back.

Fred Cohen is the King of NYC Jazz. This store is everything you could want as a jazz fan in New York — great selection that runs that gamut between cheap and ultra-​high-​end. You most certainly won’t find a very rare record and pay nothing for it, but if you’re in the market for the jewels and have the cash to pay for it, there’s nowhere else in the 5 Boroughs that you can trust to have it. A must visit.

Terrific store for fans of jazz. Impressive selection of LPs, too. If you’re searching for a hard-​to-​find LP, CD, or book, chances are that they’ll have it there.
The store is on the 8^th floor. Outside, hit the buzzer for 804, and you will be let inside.

Jazz Record Center. LE magasin Jazz à New York pour tous les amateurs de musique. Considéré dans certains bouquins comme le meilleur store Jazz of New York.
Mais avant de rentrer dans ce magasin qui est en fait un appartement, il faut rentrer dans cet immeuble situé à la 26^th street. A la devanture, on né croit pas que derrières ces portes, cet ascenseur se trouve un trésor de Musique. Et pour cause. Le choix des disques est varié, vous trouverez autant des vinyles que des CD ou DVDs.
En plus de la diversité, c’est l’accueil et le conseil de Fred; le passionné qu’il est. Il sera là pour vous aider à trouver ce que vous cherchez.
Un CD semble vous intéresser? No problem, Fred vous fait écouter un extrait afin de bien choisir .
Cet univers est particulier mais tellement agréable. Bien évidemment, c’est de la musique Jazz qui tourne en fond. De quoi se mettre dans l’ambiance de cet univers unique.
En plus de la possibilité d’acheter sur place, c’est aussi ONLINE que vous trouverez votre bonheur. Free expédie dans le monde entier.

Simply fantastic.
Great gem in NYC. Massive selection of Jazz albums, books etc. I could spend all day there.
It’s on the 8^th floor of the building and I guarantee its worth the effort to find.
I will be back every time I am in New York!

Jazz Record Center has the best, cleanest, most consistently priced and graded jazz LPs in NYC. From $ 8 reissues to multihundred dollar collectibles, owner Fred Cohen stocks the store with carefully chosen product based on exceptionally high standards. Mail order, books, dvds, t shirts, posters, postcards, CDs and more round out this great store.

One of the three or four best jazz record stores I’ve shopped in 35+ years of collecting. Selection of both used and new LPs was really impressive. Every used record I looked at was immaculate and EX+ condition (maybe I just got lucky, but I don’t think so). Prices were at or just below what I expected to see on used, and were cheaper than Amazon on many new records I saw. It’s a gem and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to find it. Looking forward to going again.

This is a wonderful place! Great selection, decent prices, and a very knowledgable owner. If you’re looking for jazz records in NYC this is it!

(Teenage son) Daaaaaad! We need to go to this Record store asap.
Really? You brought me to the Salvation Army looking for Vinyl records, I wasn’t a happy pappy then. Yessssss, lets go!
We walk 10 blocks and sure enough, there is a plain building. No sign, no banner, no storefront. (Italian/​Greek dad trying not to sound like Marie Barone) See? Its a scam, they want to see how many people they can trick. Hold up, lets check the door.
I walk over and see «Jazz Record Center», I push the button to get buzzed in, what could happen?
We get buzzed up and take the elevator up. Another buzzer, we finally get inside.
This was a total score. Clean, classy and upscale with some old vinyl presses.
My son is in his glory
He finds an artist we both like and I buy him a record from someone he’s never heard of, Charles Mingus.
Great jazz record store (Remember those?) they have rows and rows of classic jazz artists. If your looking for a jazz album, trust me. Jazz Record Center has a large selection for your listening pleasure.
Marie Barone from Everyone Loves Raymond and I both did the same thing. Support our children with their interests.

Amazing store!
It’s almost impossible to find, I went to the listed address and found myself at a locked groundfloor door of an office building. I looked at the registry and saw the button for the store I pushed it and was immediately buzzed in. It would be nice if the building owner would let them put up a nice sign to alert folks to their presence but none of this detracts from the quality of the business itself. I only mention because knowing this may save the reader some time as they won’t walk right past it 2 times as I did.
Great collection of new and used records, DVDs. CDs, Posters, books, etc. The woman who was working there was extremely friendly and knowledgeable.
Defiantly worth a visit one of the greatest music stores I’ve ever visited.

A real find. I practice aikido at the Kokikai Aikido dojo next door. I’ve been doing that for over five years as I write this. And yet, I never knew about the Jazz Record Center. It’s on the upper floor of its building with no signage outside, and I didn’t have a record player until a few months ago, so it stands to reason.
I bought my girlfriend a record player for her birthday. I thought it would be nice to buy her some records to go with it. I fired up Unilocal and found this place. Right next to a regular haunt of mine. And she likes jazz. Seemed like the perfect find. It was. It’s like one of those businesses that you expect to only find in New York. Maybe it will remind you of the way New York used to be, even if you were never there.
The owners are extremely knowledgeable, as you would (should) expect. Browsing around, I happened on a Nina Simone album (gf loves her) so asked about it. The husband in the husband-​wife team (am I making assumptions?) suggested a different one as her «best» album, even though they’re all good. That’s useful advice. I was happy. Girlfriend was happy. To quote Arnold, I’ll be back.

The best jazz record store I have come across in the US. Great selection of records, we got a few really nice original pressing mono’s (incl. one of my favorites Dimensions and Inventions Herbie Hancock) and some very rare Blue Note and Esquire 78’s.
The owner, Fred Cohen, is extremely knowledgable, funny and friendly. We love this place. Been coming here for years, leaving many kilo’s heavier with a significantly thinner wallet.
Prices are actually reasonable, and the quality of the records very good. He also has a big collection of memorabilia and posters. Highly recommended. A place that is filled with passion and that is run with a deep love for music.

Fantastic. Fred, owner, been there for 30 years. Wide range of knowledge and will take the time to assist, familiarize and educate. AND, cheaper than amazon, ebay. Not many brick & stone places can say that. AMAZING!

(Updated 1÷30÷16)
Lots of great jazz vinyl… CDs and jazz-​related books too. The owner is Fred Cohen, author of «Blue Note Records: A Guide for Identifying Original Pressings».
I’ve been frequenting this store for about three years now. The colossal selection of used vinyl is mostly common titles that aren’t very ‘collectible’ per se, but if you time it right you can find some good stuff sifting through their sea of used records. There’s always a handful of highly collectible stuff in the new arrivals section – stuff valued anywhere between $ 100-​$ 300 – but if you’re interested in stuff that’s more expensive than that you’ll have to follow the store on eBay because that’s where all that stuff goes. There’s also a healthy selection of new vinyl from reissue labels like Music Matters and Classic Records and a large CD selection.
The staff is friendly but I get the impression that they’d rather not get involved in lengthy discussions with customers, which again seems to be par for the course when it comes to record stores. Overall though, as good a record store experience as you can get nowadays.

If you collect jazz vinyl, you have to go here when you go to New York. When you get to the address, you won’t think you’re at the right place, but you are. Go in, take the elevator up, and enter suite 804. Lots of amazing condition jazz vinyl — mostly original (although some reissues). Tons of stuff, and I do disagree with another poster here, this is a great place to browse. Allot two hours minimum.

When I was looking for an obscure out-​of-​print record – A Child’s Introduction to Jazz, narrated by Cannonball Adderley – people pointed me toward this place. (At the time, the store had recently moved out of its storefront and into its current office-​building space.) I guess I kept calling Fred for about a year or more, and he finally got it! It was a gatefold first-​pressing that had come in in a collection he’d bought.
It wasn’t overly expensive, either; this is a great store with an excellent selection of jazz LPs and – of course – CDs. It’s worth the trip. (And oh, right – I got a copy of «Jazz Is» by Nat Hentoff and got him to autograph it. Yeah!)

It’s on the eighth floor of a building without a doorman. Buzz up from the street, and if the door bell’s ringing, they’ll ring you in. Otherwise, they’ll send someone down to get you.
I went for the first time just last night, about 30 minutes before closing — they’re open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, if I recall correctly. While I don’t know the layout of the store well yet, I was able to find what I was looking for: the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz on LP ($ 50) and Herbie Hancock’s «Maiden Voyage» on CD (a Japanese reissue of the Blue Note album).
They’ve got a ton of LP’s and CD’s — in two shelving areas, and I’m not sure how the ones in the bins are different from the ones in the cardboard boxes near the front. They also have a bunch of books — all of which appeared to be shelf copies, so I’m not sure how much they actually have in stock to sell. That’d make an awesome research library.
They’re having a $ 5 VHS sale through the end of year, so check that out if you’re interested. All in all, an impressive collection — even though I couldn’t find Freddie Hubbard’s «Mr. Clean» and they don’t carry Cadence magazine — and a shop I’ll return to. Feels more like a store for targeted searches — know what you want when you go in – more than browsing. Not as large or cluttered as Chicago’s Jazz Record Mart.
Proprietor Fred Cohen seems to really know his stuff.

hidden away on the 6^th or 7^th floor of an office building, fred’s jazz center is an emporium for those seeking rare jazz lps, cds, books, dvds, posters…