The state of New Jersey was an early American catalyst for jazz from 1925 to the 1950s, particularly Newark. Being so close to New York City, Newark had a degree of hipness, treating patrons to the best in jazz at its then many clubs including the Key Club, Six Steps Down, Club Harold, Sparky J’s and Laurel Garden.
The heated sparks began flying at the height of the great migration and post-prohibition boom during the 1930s, Newark was known as “ticklers town,” where the great innovators of jazz piano like Willie “the Lion” Smith, James P. Johnson (from New Brunswick), Donald Lambert and Fats Waller often converged to perform and jam into the crazy hours of the Jersey dawn.
The author, poet, playwright, activist Amiri Baraka, a native of Newark stated in an interview with AmNews, “I saw Charlie Parker at the Silver Saddle which is now called the Blue Mirror. We used to leave high school to go to the Adams Theater to catch all the big-name jazz musicians.”
A ignited big band sound led swingers and lindy-hoppers to Newark’s Terrace Ballroom, where they flipped and dipped til’ the wee hours with the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Andy Kirk. Song stylist Billie Holiday performed at the cozy Front Room; while tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet and singer, R&B, jazz saxophonist Bull Moose Jackson carried on at the Masonic Temple; Esther Phillips and Tito Puente mixed it up with blues and Latin rhythms at Lloyd’s Manor. These marquee headliners earned their big bucks playing across town to white crowds at Convention Hall and the casino on the Asbury Park boardwalk.
The fiery rhythms of Bebop were introduced to Newark by its native son Babs Gonzalez, who became popular as a singer, songwriter on the New York jazz scene. He penned and recorded the hit song “Oop-Pop-A-Da” with his band Three Bips and a Bop for Blue Note Records. Dizzy Gillespie performed with Gonzalez at Lloyds Manor. Baraka noted, “It was Babs who brought Be Bop to Newark making it one of the focal points of hip music.”
“This was Newark’s Coast district, known as the coast, where working people went after work to have a good time. Roughly from Branford Place to Lincoln Park from MLK to a few blocks of Broad Street,” noted Baraka in his book “Digging: The Afro-American Classical Music.”
Over half a century grooved by as Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey was the place where some of jazz history’s most innovative jazz musicians were recorded like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis Grant Green to younger artists like Jeremy Pelt, as well as recorded Blue Note sessions and Newark’s Savoy Records founded by Herman Lubinsky (1942) that recorded such artists as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, and Big Maybelle.
Loud rhythms of the state’s jazz legacy has reached greater horizons with such institutions as WBGO, the only 24/7 jazz radio station in the tri-state area. The city also seats the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), home of the annual James Moody Jazz Festival and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO).
Just as potent since 2000, is the Bethany Baptist Church Jazz Vespers series that continues to attract jazz enthusiasts on a weekly-basis from September thru June. The free jazz series was co-founded by NEA Jazz Master Dorthaan Kirk and the Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr. (now Emeritus Pastor) of the church, he was honored at their 25th anniversary, held at NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. “It makes me so proud, I can’t believe we did all that,” said Kirk. “I don’t know where the years went.” Kirk has played an integral role in the Newark community for decades earning her the royal title of Newark’s First Lady of Jazz. She was an influential force at WBGO before retiring in 2018 and remains a force in the jazz community as a consultant and mentor to many.
Clement’s Place is recognized as a listening space although jazz notables like Terell Stafford, Dave Stryker, Nat Adderley Jr., and Luciane Dom from Brazil have all performed there. The venue is owned and operated by Rutgers university (Newark campus) Institute of Jazz Studies under the direction of its executive director Wayne Winborn. The space is open September thru June, no cover charge or rsvp required. During operating months Gregory Burrus serves as executive producer. For more information visit Facebook.com.
The jazz art form stretches beyond Newark to Medley’s Bayou in Teaneck, New Jersey with a tasty menu and a weekly lineup of jazz, blues, and sounds in between. Located at 980 Teaneck Road. For information call 201-851-3663.
The native Philadelphian, drummer Rodney Green whose played with the likes of Christian McBride, Greg Osby, and Eric Reed has anchored his own lounge in Teaneck, he named Brvsh Cul7ur3 Jazz Club on 482 Cedar Lane.
Shanghai Jazz, One of New Jersey’s longest running jazz clubs makes its home in Madison, New Jersey. It was founded in 1995 by David Niu and Martha Chang. Known for its Asian cuisine and great jazz is what gives the place its national reputation. They are located at 24 Main Street, open Tuesday through Sunday.
The influential sounds of New Jersey run deep with the inventive brilliance of jazz artists like Wayne Shorter, Sarah Vaughan, Ike Quebec, and Larry Young. Over the years their artistry inspired a rainbow of genres with the likes of hip hop artists Queen Latifah and Ice Tea, R&B and gospel with Cissy Houston and Whitney Houston, Melba Moore and tap dancer choreographer Savion Glover.
New Jersey has never had a sound like Detroit, or the smooth sounds from the West Coast, but through the years it has been a creative incubator for jazz and beyond. The evolution of this creative music will continue for generations with the long-standing commitment of Jazz House Kids dedicated to giving students an artistic edge, under the leadership of Melissa Walker.