Iridium's blue-neon sign competes for space between the marquees of fellow tourist magnets. Down a steep flight of stairs, the split-level basement club is packed with a low stage and small candlelit tables. The boxed ceiling lamps, upholstered wall panels and cramped rear corner bar become less obtrusive when the lights go down. Sight lines are clear, unless you sit behind one of the upper level's columns. Sets last a fleeting Times Square hour.

Guests come to hear straightforward acoustic jazz names, like Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner and Jacky Terrasson. The renovated club, which moved from the Lincoln Center area to north Times Square, books classic icons, young lions and talented comers, while avoiding the contemporary avant-garde. Every Monday night, the legendary Les Paul, father of the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack recording, draws American music aficionados from across the globe.