The Village Vanguard is, in my view, the world's greatest jazz club. The Vanguard not only has an incredible history and marvelous acoustics, but it continues to book many of the best acts in jazz.

  If you're a jazz fan but you can't make it to the Vanguard, a decent substitute is the NPR Music series Live at the Village Vanguard. I only discovered this series recently, but the folks at NPR and WBGO record one concert every month or so and post the entire thing on the web. Some of the postings also include songs or entire sets you can download to your iPod.

  I was particularly excited to see that NPR recently recorded the Edward Simon trio with Mark Turner. I had hoped to make it to NYC to hear them, as they are two of my very favorite players and fit so naturally together, but I didn't make it.

  Anyway, if you're a jazz fan, it's definitely worth checking out. More proof that the Internet is the greatest invention ever.