Jan 12, 2021
The great jazz clubs of the 1940's and 1950's are
fondly remembered, but what do we actually have to show from that
era? There are live recordings for sure, but how do we try to
recapture the magic that happened inside those hallowed
halls?
In Sittin' In: Jazz Clubs of the 1940s and
1950s (Harper Design), Grammy-nominated historian, archivist,
author, and record executive Jeff Gold offers an unprecedented look
inside the jazz clubs from this era across the United States. In
exclusive interviews, iconic musicians Sonny Rollins and Quincy
Jones as well as preeminent jazz historian Dan Morgenstern give
first-person accounts of the clubs that Rollins called “a
paradisiacal place to be.”
Decades before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s
color barrier, jazz clubs were among the first places in Jim Crow
America where Black and white people mixed in audiences and
onstage. Drawing on an incredible trove of photos and memorabilia,
most of which have never been seen before, Gold gives us a glimpse
at a world that was rich in culture, music, dining, fashion, and
more. There is a fascinating selection of hundreds of souvenir
photos from clubs across the United States to give a clubgoer’s
perspective on a vital side of the jazz club experience that’s
rarely been seen before now.
Podcast 787 is my conversation with Jeff Gold, as we
talk about how he acquired access to such incredible material, and
how he went about letting the world back into both famous and
obscure clubs of the past. Musical selections include a recording
of Thelonius Monk's "52nd Street Theme" from the Royal Roost in
1948, as performed by Charlie Parker (sax), Miles Davis (trumpet),
Curly Russell (bass), and Tadd Dameron Ipiano).