And all of the music from Spike's clubs is streamed, for free, and with very decent sound and video quality! Wonderful for me, living in the Santa Cruz Mountains, no longer able to visit jazz clubs. Last night, I watched a bit of the Louis Hayes set!
Interesting question: Who has owned the most jazz clubs operating at the same time in New York? Spike may hold the modern record, but the mobster Owney Madden, who owned the Cotton Club in the 1920s and '30s, also owned at least a piece of perhaps 20 other nightspots, whose names are not immediately available without research. He also apparently owned part of the toney Stork Club, which would not qualify as "jazz club" in any era.
In the 1940s, Barney Josephon owned both the Cafe Society and the Cafe Society Uptown and both were legit jazz clubs. Max Gordon at one point owned the Village Vanguard and co-owned the upscale Blue Angel supper club in midtown east. The latter had entertainment but wasn't a jazz club. In recent decades, Michael Dorf owned multiple spaces under the Knitting Factory umbrella in multiple cities but I think he had only one spot in New York at a time.
And all of the music from Spike's clubs is streamed, for free, and with very decent sound and video quality! Wonderful for me, living in the Santa Cruz Mountains, no longer able to visit jazz clubs. Last night, I watched a bit of the Louis Hayes set!
wut!
Thanks from New Mexico for this tip.
Lakecia Benjamin at The Pocket over the weekend!!
Got to attend the opening with mingus big band, great night, love the pocket.
looking forward to trying out JC.
Interesting question: Who has owned the most jazz clubs operating at the same time in New York? Spike may hold the modern record, but the mobster Owney Madden, who owned the Cotton Club in the 1920s and '30s, also owned at least a piece of perhaps 20 other nightspots, whose names are not immediately available without research. He also apparently owned part of the toney Stork Club, which would not qualify as "jazz club" in any era.
In the 1940s, Barney Josephon owned both the Cafe Society and the Cafe Society Uptown and both were legit jazz clubs. Max Gordon at one point owned the Village Vanguard and co-owned the upscale Blue Angel supper club in midtown east. The latter had entertainment but wasn't a jazz club. In recent decades, Michael Dorf owned multiple spaces under the Knitting Factory umbrella in multiple cities but I think he had only one spot in New York at a time.
Anybody else got relevant examples?
Hi Mark,
Just watched your film. Magnificent! Thank you. John Campbell turned me on to your book years ago
Jim -- many thanks for your kind words. Love John too, whom I've known forever.
nice to finally meet you Mark.
a little research with Gemini suggests:
1. Al Capone owned "10000" speakeasies in chicago many of which featured live jazz.
2. The Bensusan family owns the blue note franchise with 10 clubs internationally.
[1]The Rise of Jazz and Jukeboxes - Prohibition: An Interactive History https://share.google/Y4YRpUSO5pi3li03q
Nice to meet you too, and thanks for the response!