Old Boston Jazz Clubs
Michael Kinsella
Hey folks,
Am writing a piece (fiction) looking for info on old Boston Jazz Clubs such
as the Hi-Hat, etc. Where they were, what they are now, names locations,
dates. etc. Anything would be helpful.
(I'm sure I'll get something from Jack on this....)
Thanks Very Much,
Michael
--
Jack Woker
>
> Hey folks,
> Am writing a piece (fiction) looking for info on old Boston Jazz Clubs such
> as the Hi-Hat, etc. Where they were, what they are now, names locations,
> dates. etc. Anything would be helpful.
The Hi-Hat is slightly before my time, but I certainly know it by
reputation. I believe it was located on Massachusetts Ave, near the
intersection of Huntington Ave (near Symphony Hall). In the sixties, I
frequented three clubs:
The Jazz Workshop, on Boylston Street near Copley Square. I saw
Miles, Trane, Roland Kirk, Kenny Dorham, Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Wes
Montgomery, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Mingus, Horace Silver,
Art Blakey, Lee Konitz, and many others there from the mid-60's thru the
mid-70's.
Connolly's, on Columbus Ave near Roxbury Crossing, was also a regular
haunt. I saw Roland Kirk, Johnny Hartman, Larry Young, Donald Byrd, Roy
Haynes, Sonny Stitt there, to name a few.
Lennie's, located on Rt. 1 in Peabody, about 10 miles north of Boston,
was also a great club. Miles, Kirk (again), Dizzy, Monk, Phil Woods,
Illinois Jacquet, Buddy Rich, Mingus, Bill Evans are a few of the people
I saw there.
Varty's was open for a year or two in the mid-60's. It was in the
basement of the Bradford Hotel on Tremont Street. I remember seeing
Horace Silver and Art Blakey there, and perhaps a few others before it
became a rock dance club.
jack
Steve LeBlanc
I think it may have been on Boylston St. near Copley, but I was young
then... too young to appreciate good jazz.
Steve LeBlanc
Ashby, Ma.
Jack Woker wrote in message <36B3D3...@ix.netcom.com>...
Jay Livingston
wrote:
>Wasn't there also a place called Paul's Mall (sp?) or some such?
>I think it may have been on Boylston St. near Copley,
Yes, there was. I saw Mose Allison there. I also saw Jackie and Roy
there, and what reminded me of them is that on Friday at a Brazilian
music concert (Joyce, Claudio Roditi, Paquito) they were in the
audience (Roy is on the board of the society that sponsored the gig).
And what about Storyville?
Steve LeBlanc
and while we're on the subject, how about some comments
and recommendations or non-recommendations for the Boston
and surrounding area today.
I like Scullers and the Iron Horse in NorthHampton
course, I don;t get out much
Steve
Jay Livingston wrote in message <36b448e6...@news.erols.com>...
Michael Kinsella
I do remember hearing about Storyville, wasn't it in Kenmore square
somewhere???
Michael
Steve LeBlanc <r...@tiac.net> wrote in message
news:791mi7$l...@news-central.tiac.net...
Michael Fitzgerald
> Hey folks,
> Am writing a piece (fiction) looking for info on old Boston Jazz Clubs such
> as the Hi-Hat, etc. Where they were, what they are now, names locations,
> dates. etc. Anything would be helpful.
When I was researching Gigi Gryce's time in Boston, several
suggestions were made as to people who had good knowledge of the older
scene there. One in particular, Stu Vandermark - a researcher who
specializes in Boston jazz, would be a very worthwhile contact for
your project.
The Grove Dictionary of Jazz also might have some factual info. Check
the section on nightclubs.
Mike
Zapbailey
> Hey folks,
> Am writing a piece (fiction) looking for info on old Boston Jazz Clubs such
> as the Hi-Hat, etc. Where they were, what they are now, names locations,
> dates. etc. Anything would be helpful.
There was also a place calles the Stables that was located near the
Prudential center (in fact I think it was demolished to make way for the Pru).
It was so named because it either was the old building where the Boston Police
stabled their horses, or it was near it. Also, Benny Golson wrote the tune
Stablemates in its honor. This is according to an older guy I play with
regularly who was around then. There are still lots of guys around who you
could talk to to get the first hand story, and I think there's something called
the Boston Jazz Historical Society- If you're interested, I could dig out the
info. Also (unrelated topic), are you originally from a town 30 miles north of
Boston? Later..
Art Bailey
Jack Woker
>
> Wasn't there also a place called Paul's Mall (sp?) or some such?
> then... too young to appreciate good jazz.
Paul's Mall was a "sister" club to the Jazz Workshop, located at the
same address. Both clubs were located in the basement, and one would
take the same stairs down to enter either club. When I first started
going there around 1965, the Workshop mostly featured jazz, and the
somewhat larger and plusher Paul's Mall was more likely to book singers,
comedians, and slightly more "pop" acts. By the mid-70's, these
distictions had blurred, and occasionally jazz acts like Sonny Rollins
played there. Usually, the music at Paul's Mall was not jazz, and I can
remember Bob Marley, B.J. Thomas, Randy Newman, et al being typical of
the bookings there.
jack
JONPOLLACK
knowledge of the Stable(s?). However, I can pass along that the notes (by Tom
Wilson) to the Transition LP "Jazz In A Stable" have some information
concerning this venue:
"Almost two years ago Boston's Jazz Workshop closed its doors and jazz lovers
turned sadly away They had not long to lament because word began to get around
that the Workshop was reopening at a hill-billy clup called the Stable on
Huntington Avenue cross [sic] from George Wein's Storyville. In its earliest
days the Stable drew almost all its audience support from the musicians
themselves. However, after two or three months of operation manager Dick
O'Donnell's dark horse paid off. The crowds began to come: students from
Harvard and Boston University, young and old fans from Roxbury, Newton, and
Boston proper. A no-cover, no-minimum policy, half a buck drinks, and a
bandstand open to all competent performers have made the Stable one of Boston's
most attractive music clubs."
Jack Woker
>
> I didn't get to the Boston area until 1976, so I obviously have no first hand
> knowledge of the Stable(s?). However, I can pass along that the notes (by Tom
> Wilson) to the Transition LP "Jazz In A Stable" have some information
> concerning this venue:
>
> "Almost two years ago Boston's Jazz Workshop closed its doors
A clarification - these notes are from the mid-50's, and the Jazz
Workshop to which they refer is an older club, not the one that was
active in the 60's and 70's on Boylston Street.
jack
Mike Zimbouski
Mike Z
Zapbailey
This discussion reminds me of a story a trombonist named John Demasi told
me- it's somewhat connected to the topic since it took place at the Hi Hat on
Mass Ave. Serge Chaloff was working there with his group. The owner apparantly
thought it would be a great idea if Serge and Stan Getz appeared together-
reuniting two of the four brothers. Serge says " I'll give Stan a call right
now!"
(slur your speech a little when you read this) "Stan?...Stan baby- it's
Serge..yeah baby! Serge! Solid! Listen man, there's a SCENE at the Hi Hat...
yeah man a SCENE! (heh heh heh) Can you make the Scene, baby?..ALL RIGHT! yeah
baby... yeah...what?..no Stan, I'M the star...no..no Stan, I'M the
star!!...wha?...F*&k ME???!!! F%$K YOU STAN!!" (SLAM)
"Stan says he can't make the scene."
MKlemanbop
Was Lennie's demolished when it closed? If not, what business/store occupies
the old Lennie's?
Marla
Jack Woker
> the old Lennie's?
The building is is still standing. Last time I went by there it was a
restaurant called the Carriage House (I think).
jack
oaks...@my-dejanews.com
ste...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
> Michael Kinsella wrote:
> >
> > Hey folks,
> > Am writing a piece (fiction) looking for info on old Boston Jazz Clubs such
> > as the Hi-Hat, etc. Where they were, what they are now, names locations,
> > dates. etc. Anything would be helpful.
>
> reputation. I believe it was located on Massachusetts Ave, near the
> intersection of Huntington Ave (near Symphony Hall). In the sixties, I
> frequented three clubs:
>
> The Jazz Workshop, on Boylston Street near Copley Square. I saw
> Miles, Trane, Roland Kirk, Kenny Dorham, Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Wes
> Montgomery, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Mingus, Horace Silver,
> Art Blakey, Lee Konitz, and many others there from the mid-60's thru the
> mid-70's.
>
> Connolly's, on Columbus Ave near Roxbury Crossing, was also a regular
> haunt. I saw Roland Kirk, Johnny Hartman, Larry Young, Donald Byrd, Roy
> Haynes, Sonny Stitt there, to name a few.
>
> Lennie's, located on Rt. 1 in Peabody, about 10 miles north of Boston,
> was also a great club. Miles, Kirk (again), Dizzy, Monk, Phil Woods,
> Illinois Jacquet, Buddy Rich, Mingus, Bill Evans are a few of the people
> I saw there.
>
> Varty's was open for a year or two in the mid-60's. It was in the
> basement of the Bradford Hotel on Tremont Street. I remember seeing
> Horace Silver and Art Blakey there, and perhaps a few others before it
> became a rock dance club.
>
> jack
Don’t forget the Western Front over on Western Avenue in Cambridge. Plus the
after-hours club in Roxbury. Also Mother’s Lounge down by North Station. Lot
of great music in those spots.
oakstaff
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oaks...@my-dejanews.com
livin...@mail.montclair.edu (Jay Livingston) wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:02:36 -0500, "Steve LeBlanc" <r...@tiac.net>
>
> >Wasn't there also a place called Paul's Mall (sp?) or some such?
> >I think it may have been on Boylston St. near Copley,
>
> there, and what reminded me of them is that on Friday at a Brazilian
> music concert (Joyce, Claudio Roditi, Paquito) they were in the
> audience (Roy is on the board of the society that sponsored the gig).
>
> And what about Storyville?
>
Also appearing in Paul’s Mall was the Don Ellis Big Band with Roy Haynes
performing with them for a night. Fantastic!
oaks...@my-dejanews.com
"Michael Kinsella" <max...@mediaone.net> wrote:
> Thanks for all of your help guys.
> I do remember hearing about Storyville, wasn't it in Kenmore square
> somewhere???
>
> Michael
Storyville was a little before my time there, but I believe it was near Copley
Square, just around from the downtown library.
John Weaver
now- home of the Herb Pomeroy band. J. Weaver
jfre...@securitydynamics.com
ky...@star.net (Mike Zimbouski) wrote:
> Wasn't the Roseland Ballroom located in Dudley Square?
>
> Mike Z
>
What about the Totem Pole in Newton and there was another in Dedham
(Crosley's??), out in Framingham there was a club that Bird was recorded at
an the Meadows too
Jerry Freedman,Jr
JONPOLLACK
>What about the Totem Pole in Newton and there was another in Dedham
(Crosley's??), out in Framingham there was a club that Bird was recorded at
an the Meadows too<
Jerry:
I think the club in Dedham might have been Mosley's (can someone confirm
this?). The club in Framingham where Bird was recorded was called Christy's
(or was it Christie's?).
- Jon
David Gascon
I thought the first Lennie's burned, & then he reopened in another
location (the Village Green?) for awhile.
Jack Woker
There was a fire at Lennie's around 1970, and Lennie reopened his club
at the Village Green, a restaurant down the street. I attended the
Village Green a couple of times - the room was bigger, but somehow the
feeling wasn't the same. The old Lennie's building is still standing,
however - I've driven by it many times, as I only live a few miles from
it.
jack
Jack Woker
> this?). The club in Framingham where Bird was recorded was called Christy's
> (or was it Christie's?).
Moseley's (or Mosely's - not sure of the spelling) was the neme. I
think the full name was Moseley's On the Charles. They were still
presenting big bands for dancing into the 80's.
jack
David Gascon
How about Lennie himself - is he still around?
Jack Woker
Yes. Got out of the music business in the early 70's. About 6 or 7
years ago, Steve Schwartz of WGBH had Lennie on his show for 5 hours of
stories and reminiscences - it was most entertaining!
JACK
David Gascon
Wow! I missed that show - do you suppose Steve will ever repeat it?
Jack Woker
> >
> > Yes. Got out of the music business in the early 70's. About 6 or 7
> > years ago, Steve Schwartz of WGBH had Lennie on his show for 5 hours of
> > stories and reminiscences - it was most entertaining!
> >
>
I doubt it- Steve usually does his show live, as he did that night. I
wonder if he has a tape of it - might be worth a phone call.
jack