Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Manhattan’s Long Lost Era of Loft Jazz
Messy Nessy Chic ^ | July 9, 2021 | MARY KAY MCBRAYER

Posted on 10/23/2021 6:17:47 PM PDT by DoodleBob

Ed Blackwell, Dewey Redman, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden, at Prince Street May 1971 © Val Wilmer

Once upon a time, before Manhattan priced out its young talent, you had to be an artist to live in SoHo. And in the late 1960s and 70s, a cultural phenomenon known as “Loft Jazz” came into existence in downtown Manhattan’s abandoned industrial spaces. Eclectic, edgy and often Black musicians turned Soho’s neglected lofts into places where they both lived, rehearsed, recorded and performed. Before gentrification hit, musicians fled small town America to squat these urban spaces vacated by the manufacturing industry, storing their clothing in filing cabinets and using the fire escape to come and go. They were there out of necessity, but also to flourish. “To those who remembered them fondly”, says Michael Heller in his book Loft Jazz: Improvising New York in the 1970s, Soho’s squats “teemed with artistic opportunity. Where music could be experienced every night on every block, and opening a venue could be as simple as opening your living room.”

Sam Rivers and Joe Daley at Studio Rivbea NYC July, 1976 Photo by Tom Marcello.

© W. Eugene Smith

© W. Eugene Smith

John Coltrane’s drummer Rashied Ali converted his apartment on 77 Greene Street into what was referred to as Ali’s Alley, and founded his label Survival Records there. He built a bar, a bandstand and even served food out of the loft. There would still be a line in the street at 1am for the last set. Although the Alley closed in 1979, its legacy continues in the New York jazz scene today. Rashid Ali explained to the New York Times that jazz lofts “started as places to rehearse and jam. Then like in the 20’s, they turned into ‘rent parties.’ Back in the 60’s, you could get a loft for next to nothing — just to watch the building for a cat who didn’t want to brush the bums off his doorstep. At first, you had to know a musician to get into the loft; then, little by little, the musicians started charging a dollar, dollar fifty, entrance fee.”

© W. Eugene Smith

The converted factories and warehouses allowed music to be free of the constraints that might be present in the smaller nightclubs and venues of Harlem, trending towards more experimental and avant-garde jazz. Each Jazz Loft had its own ambience, just like any venue. Writer Michael Heller defines them by a number of key characteristics, including ” (1) low admission charges or suggested donations, (2) casual atmospheres that blurred the distinction between performer and audience, (3) ownership/administration by musicians, and (4) mixed-use spaces that combined both private living areas and public presentation space.”

Studio We

The Alley was buoyant, communal, and serious, and most folks said it was the best. Studio We, run by trumpeter James DuBois and bassist Juma Sultan, was one of the earliest jazz lofts, at 193 Eldridge Street. In the late 1970s, it was written that “the studio stands apart from the gutted buildings, broken sidewalks and manic sadness of the neighbourhood. Its building is brightly painted. The first floor, which used to he a small cabaret, is now being converted into a jazz club. There is a large bandstand to the right of the entrance; the rest of the space is filled with tables, benches and a bar.”

Sam Rivers on flute / Joe Daley on Euphonium playing at Studio Rivbea jazz loft, July, 1976, New York City © Tom Marcello

Composer and musician, Sam Rivers transformed his loft a few blocks over on Bond Street, and he named it Studio Rivbea. At the time, it was “the first in a series of small converted performance spaces that would comprise what’s now considered NYC’s loft jazz scene.” A series of recordings made at Studio Rivbea during the 1976 Jazz festival were released under the title Wildflowers on the Douglas label.

Ornette Coleman at his loft on Prince Street. Swing Journal (October 1969). Photo by Takahashi Arihara.

Ornette Coleman spent six years in his Jazz Loft at 131 Prince Street, which he came to call “Artist House”. Rehearsals and all-night jam sessions were held on the first floor in a space of about 3500 square feet. It became more of a public venue in 1970 when he and his cousin Jordan cleaned and renovated the downstairs loft, and then booked a regular calendar of events. It stayed very intimate, never serving alcohol but serving as an art gallery in tandem to the concert venue. Not all Jazz Lofts were on a path to becoming formal institutions, in fact, some of them directly opposed the venue model. “You must watch the term ‘loft jazz’ because it’s too limiting. We didn’t come to New York to play in lofts; we came to make a living,” said pianist Muhal Richard Abram. “But an audience can start, and grow until it gets too big for lofts and the music moves to another level. That’s what we’re interested in. That’s what we’re building towards. We will make it. There is no doubt about that”.

Review: 'The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith' - The New York TimesThelonious Monk with his band in 1959, in a scene from the documentary “The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith.” © W. Eugene Smith

Hall Overton © W. Eugene Smith

The loft scene began to decline in the late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly due to a steady rise in rents. Studio Rivbea, which was first owned by Robert DeNiro’s mother, a painter, is today a theater while Number 77 Greene Street, formerly Ali’s Alley is now a clothing store with renovated loft apartments above it. After a new wave of gentrification swept through Lower Manhattan in the mid-2000s, most notable jazz lofts have since become big brand retailers, banks, and luxury apartments. Though their footprint might have been dusted over, photojournalist W. Eugene Smith recognised the Jazz Lofts as something truly special and worth documenting. He lived in a Midtown Jazz loft and immersed himself in the scene, taking over 40,000 photographs and 4,000 hours of audio recordings; jam sessions, conversations between musicians, the building’s ambiance, telephone calls and more. A 2015 documentary highlights Eugene’s work in the jazz lofts.

Since Manhattan’s elite skipped town in the wake of the pandemic, just think of all the sweet jazz that could be made again in those newly abandoned luxury lofts!


TOPICS: History; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: freejazz; loftjazz
I found out that James DuBois, one of the pioneers in loft jazz, passed away this week at 89.

This Free Jazz album titled "Father of Origin" was released by DuBois' business partner, Juma Sultan. It's not for everyone. But when it's on, it is mind-blowing.

1 posted on 10/23/2021 6:17:47 PM PDT by DoodleBob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Slings and Arrows

possible interest ping


2 posted on 10/23/2021 6:22:05 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoodleBob

Mo’ better blues


3 posted on 10/23/2021 6:29:28 PM PDT by Fido969 (45 is Superman!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoodleBob

Great post. Thanks.


4 posted on 10/23/2021 6:34:43 PM PDT by TChad (The MSM, having nuked its own credibility, is now bombing the rubble.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoodleBob

A I R 4-5

Perhaps different numbers, but this notice painted on doors should bring back memories to anyone familiar with that neighborhood in the 60s and 70s.
5 posted on 10/23/2021 6:36:17 PM PDT by Roccus (Prima di ogni altra cosa, siati armati!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SaxxonWoods; fabjr60; nickcarraway; EinNYC; Fester Chugabrew; Attention Surplus Disorder

ping


6 posted on 10/23/2021 6:43:01 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2 )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Gene Eric

Thanks! Very interesting.


7 posted on 10/24/2021 4:51:48 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows (My music: http://hopalongginsberg.com/ | http://mewe.com/i/hopalongginsberg)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: DoodleBob

Fascinating!

I wonder if Rudy Van Gelder was able to record any of those sessions. Years ago I inquired of him about recording “The Boston Brass” for a small record label I was running out of the Band Instrument Capital of the World. He did the project, but the band side-stepped the label (due to funding issues on my part) and recorded jazz tunes. My hope was that the content would be classical in nature.

Another artist (from NYC Greenwich Village) with a release on the same label recently came out with “Greene Street.” He’s a guitarist who has put out several albums over the years. A bit esoteric for the hasty listener, but I find his tone and approaches to be refreshing, with each album having a distinct character of its own.

I’ve had the privilege of assisting a handful of fine jazz artists in the release of their music, but the expenses for promotion causes problems to the extent they are not known well enough.

Brass, jazz, and blues are/were to be the genres represented, throwing open an incredible range of potential content. 21 releases from 1997 to 2015 or so. Most jazz, a few blues, and no brass. Oh well. The label has been mothballed for now.


8 posted on 10/24/2021 4:06:49 PM PDT by Fester Chugabrew (No nation that sanctions the wholesale slaughter of its unborn citizens is fit to endure.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Fester Chugabrew
I'm glad you liked it.

If I may, in the interest of promoting commerce AND good music, I'd recommend you skip on over to Bandcamp. It is a very innovative and DIY platform whereby musicians and labels can release content directly to the world. It has a search and listen function (If you want, you can search under Free Jazz) where you can decide ahead of time if you like it, and purchasing is very simple.

I have no ownership interest in this platform nor to I derive any benefit from promoting it...other than I want music to grow and thrive and not die under the weight of vapid new pop and lethargic old people. Good luck.

9 posted on 10/24/2021 4:47:46 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2 )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: DoodleBob

Thank you. Will check it out.

The music industry was just beginning to experiment with internet distribution, downloads, and streaming when I got involved. All our music came out on CD only at first. Then, in those rare instances where all content was original (no cover songs), we released for streaming and downloads.

I have thought long and hard about how the gatekeepers of broadcast music functioned back in the day. Lots of payola despite laws against it. But you still needed some judicious ears on the part of those who decided what to air. Even in the late 60’s there were scads of 45rpm cutouts in the bins at Ayr-Way. The fact is an enormous amount of substandard music is produced every second any more. I find it challenging to seek and filter.


10 posted on 10/24/2021 5:00:44 PM PDT by Fester Chugabrew (No nation that sanctions the wholesale slaughter of its unborn citizens is fit to endure.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson