Smalls Jazz Club Explained

Smalls Jazz Club
Address:183 West 10th Street
Location:Greenwich Village, New York City
Coordinates:40.7344°N -74.0028°W
Type:jazz club
Genre:Jazz
Owner:Spike Wilner
Capacity:74

Smalls Jazz Club is a jazz club at 183 West 10th Street, Greenwich Village, New York City.[1] [2] Established in 1994,[3] it earned a reputation in the 1990s as a "hotbed for New York's jazz talent" with a "well-deserved reputation as one of the best places in the city to see rising talent in the New York jazz scene".[4] [5] Its jazz musicians are noted for being "talented, though largely unknown" while its music is characterized as "modern versions of bebop and hard bop".[6] The club's main room is in a basement with a capacity of 50 people[7] that expanded to 60 people.

History

Smalls Jazz Club was established in 1994 by Mitchell "Mitch" Borden, a former submariner and nurse. Its target audience was characterized as young, bohemian, and talkative. Music commenced every night at 10:30 and at times lasted until 6:00 the following morning.

The entrance fee was US $10.00; no alcohol was served.[8] Musicians who performed in the early years include Ehud Asherie, Omer Avital, Noah Becker, Peter Bernstein, Avishai Cohen, Ari Hoenig, Guillermo Klein, Jason Lindner, Charles Owens, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Grant Stewart, Mark Turner, Tommy Turrentine, Richie Vitale, Michael Weiss, and Myron Walden. The house pianist was Frank Hewitt.[9]

Financial difficulties led Borden to close Smalls on May 31, 2003. The closing was due to declining attendance after the September 11 attacks, rent increases in this neighborhood, and a smoking ban in indoor public places imposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Concerts were moved into the Fat Cat Club next door,[10] which was open four nights a week until 2:00 AM. In 2004, the Brooklyn Jazz Underground premiered with four shows at Smalls.[11]

In early 2006, Borden and musicians Michael "Spike" Wilner and Lee Kostrinsky reopened Smalls.[12] The club was restored and the sound quality was improved. Chairs were bought at 17 stoop sales. A poster of Louis Armstrong from the original Smalls hangs on the wall. There is a full-service bar. Smalls continues to be recommended as a top jazz club.[13] [14] The entrance fee was raised to US$20. The first music set begins at 7:30 PM. Instead of all night jazz sessions, there are two or three sets per night. All concerts are broadcast live on the club's website and are available in replay to subscribers. The renovated club has featured Bruce Barth, Aaron M. Johnson, Sacha Perry, Leon Parker, Steve Slagle, Peter Bernstein, Jimmy Cobb, Steve Davis, Joel Frahm, Kevin Hays, Ethan Iverson, Jazz Incorporated (Jeremy Pelt, Anthony Wonsey, Louis Hayes), David Kikoski, Ryan Kisor, Bill Mobley, Tim Ries, Jim Rotondi, and Neal Smith.

In 2013, the club started recording and streaming its daily performances over the internet.[15] For a subscription fee, audiences could watch archived videos and live performances. The revenues generated from this subscription are split with artists.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the club shifted to live-streaming daily performances over the internet, with minimal audiences allowed at times.[16] [17] The SmallsLive Foundation was created to receive sponsorships for these performances.

Record labels

Since 2007 the club has had record label produced by Luke Kaven,. The new owners of Smalls created the label Smalls Live, which publishes some concerts at the club. It is distributed by Harmonia Mundi.

Smalls Live discography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Zibart, Eve. The Unofficial Guide to New York City . 9 April 2012. 6 April 2010. John Wiley and Sons. 978-0-470-63723-4. 451.
  2. Book: Otis. Ginger Adams. Greenfield. Beth. Louis. Regis St.. New York City. 9 April 2012. 1 August 2010. Lonely Planet. 978-1-74179-591-2. 309.
  3. Web site: About us . smallslive.com . 30 September 2018 .
  4. Book: Traditional Jazz Club of Toronto . Coda . 9 April 2012. 2005. J. Norris. 33 .
  5. Book: Meyers . Joseph . Han . Katie . Davis. Allison. Inside New York 2009. 9 April 2012 . 8 September 2008 . Inside New York. 978-1-892768-41-4. 149.
  6. Book: Shearer, James Edward. Jazz basics: a brief overview with historical documents and recordings . 10 April 2012. August 2002 . Kendall/Hunt . 978-0-7872-9556-1 . 213.
  7. Book: Trager, James . The New York Chronology: The Ultimate Compendium of Events, People, and Anecdotes from the Dutch to the Present. 9 April 2012 . 26 October 2004 . HarperCollins . 978-0-06-074062-7 . 415.
  8. Book: Sandke, Randy . Where the Dark and the Light Folks Meet: Race and the Mythology, Politics, and Business of Jazz. 10 April 2012 . 2010 . Scarecrow Press . 978-0-8108-6652-2. 161.
  9. Book: Jazz Times. 10 April 2012 . 2007 . Jazztimes. 117, 150.
  10. Book: New York Times Guides. The New York Times Guide to New York City 2005 . 9 April 2012. 18 November 2004. New York Times Books . 978-1-930881-10-5 . 316 .
  11. Book: Billboard . 10 April 2012. 16 December 2006. Nielsen Business Media . 42– . 0006-2510.
  12. Book: Dollar, Steve . Jazz Guide: New York City. 10 April 2012. 23 January 2007. New York Review of Books . 978-1-892145-43-7 . 31, 32, 33–.
  13. Web site: Best New York City Music Venues.
  14. Web site: New York Magazine Bar Guide .
  15. News: Chinen. Nate. 2013-07-12. Increasingly, a Jazz Stage Is Digital. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-04-08. 0362-4331.
  16. Web site: 2021-03-22. Smalls Jazz Club, Emblem of Pandemic Perseverance, Shifts Gears Yet Again. 2021-04-08. WBGO. en.
  17. News: Scherstuhl. Alan. 2020-05-31. Live From New York, It's Jazz at a Distance. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-04-08. 0362-4331.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Smalls Jazz Club".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.