Jazzmobile, Inc. To Launch Residency At Minton's Playhouse

Jazzmobile Inc. and Harlem Jazz Enterprises have entered into a new partnership to present live music at the iconic Minton's Playhouse jazz club, 206 West 118th Street, in Harlem. This open-ended residency will begin on Independence Day with pianist Nat Adderley, Jr. and will continue every Thursday evening with a world-class jazz band. The Summer lineup will be announced at the opening celebration on July 4.

Timothy Greenfield, Jazzmobile's Chairman of the Board, said, We are excited for this opportunity to expand our programming year-round, something the Jazzmobile audience has been requesting for years. We're looking forward to presenting Jazzmobile artists as well as introducing new talent as a part of this residency at one of the world's most renowned jazz venues. For Jazzmobile Director, Robin Bell-Stevens, this is a dream come true to be able to present great jazz artists in the same club where my father, a former Duke Ellington bassist, Dr. Aaron Bell, once performed.

I've always wanted to have a jazz supper club where the food and the music are equal in quality. I wanted to recreate the feel of elegance in jazz clubs, and I believe we have done this with Minton's, said Richard Parsons of Harlem Jazz Enterprises. Jazzmobile, a leading curator of jazz events throughout Harlem and the five boroughs, is the perfect partner to continue the legacy of presenting great music here. Raphael Benavides of Minton's Playhouse (a partner) stated, As we continue to expand our programming, Thursday nights at Minton's will be the place to be for jazz lovers from the area and around the world.

The opening celebration on July 4 will have a set time of 7:30 8:30 pm; at 9:00 pm, jazz fans will be able to watch the fireworks via large-screen television. The second and final set will be from 9:00 - 10:00 pm.

The Jazzmobile Residency concerts will be presented on following Thursdays with set times at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm. The classic Minton's Playhouse restaurant will be available for appetizers and dinner each week.

One of the most important shrines in the history of jazz, Minton's Playhouse in Harlem was the place where Bebop was born and where the foundations of modern jazz were established. Founded in 1938 by the saxophonist Henry Minton, the club became the setting for a revolution in jazz. Among the legends who graced the stage were Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Billy Eckstine, Erroll Garner and more. After a fire, the club closed in 1974, but more than 30 years later, it reopened in 2006. Today, Minton's remains the home of some of the world's finest jazz. For reservations and more information, visit mintonsharlem.com.

Jazzmobile, is the oldest not-for-profit arts organization created just for jazz in the country. In 2019 Jazzmobile is presenting SUMMERFEST, New York City's longest running Jazz Festival, all summer long. Founded in 1964 by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor and philanthropist Ms. Daphne Arnstein with NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath, Jazzmobile has a mission to present, preserve, promote, and propagate America's classical jazz through quality music education and performance programs. To learn more, visit jazzmobile.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.