Nightlife
Best Jazz Band
Mingus Big Band
FEZ UNDER TIME CAFE
380 Lafayette Street
212-533-7000


The Mingus Big Band, which performs every Thursday night at Fez, never fails to deliver an evening of music as visceral, pugnacious, cerebral, and soulful as Charles Mingus himself. His widow, the divine Sue Mingus -- whose memoir about surviving Mingus, Tonight at Noon, hits the shelves in April -- always holds court, giving you the closest possible approximation of a wild night at the Five Spot circa 1959. This is a band that grabs you by the lapels. Sets are at 9:30 and 11:30 p.m.; cover is only $18, $10 for students.