The Jazz Gallery (TJG), located at 1158 Broadway, is celebrating its 30th anniversary, a big deal in a metropolis like New York where storied jazz clubs reign supreme. Since its inception in 1995, TJG has remained in the forefront as a jazz instigator, introducing emerging and established artists whose boundless music swings far beyond floating clouds.
During this celebratory year, The Jazz Gallery will celebrate with its gala on April 28 and special anniversary concerts on April 25-26, a Homage to Jazz Cubano Series featuring Caracas Trio with special guests, saxophonist Yosvany Terry and trumpeter Michael Rodriguez.
TJG’s co-founder Dale Fitzgerald presented the first New York performance by Cuban jazz pianist/composer Chucho Valdes in 1996 at 290 Hudson Street, the nonprofit organization’s original location. It foreshadowed a “Jazz Cubano” series in 2000 that featured original music by a cohort of musicians from Cuba, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Central American countries, who are contributing to this 21st century trans-Atlantic jazz exchange.
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Anniversary concerts to follow include The Trio with Threadgill, Iyer, and Prieto on May 30-31 with saxophonist, flautist, composer and Pulitzer Prize-winner Henry Threadgill, a longtime TJG supporter and performer. Pianist and composer Vijay Iyer and drummer Dafnis Prieto were beneficiaries of TJG residency commissions. And on June 11-14, another supporter and Pulitzer Prize-winning Tyshawn Sorey will perform.
In an effort to relieve his thirst for jazz, Fitzgerald resigned from his academia tower armed with his doctorate in anthropology, and eventually became business manager for trumpeter and composer Roy Hargrove. In 1992, he leased a practice and rehearsal space for Hargrove at 290 Hudson Street in Greenwich Village which morphed into an experimental nonprofit cultural center co-founded by Fitzgerald and WBGO On Air Host Lezlie Harrison. They combined jazz-influenced visual artwork, photography, and creative music into one colorful collage to be experienced as a whole.
“The Jazz Gallery has grown into an international hub — a home for artists from all over the world to collaborate, connect, and share their stories,” said Harrison. “Jazz has always been a global language, and today, when artistic risk and cross-cultural dialogue are more important than ever, The Jazz Gallery remains a vital part of shaping what jazz can become.”
With early growing pains by 2000, the Gallery made a transition to weekly live music (every Thursday, Friday and Saturday with different artists each night). “Unfortunately, the large pool of highly talented young musicians in this city don’t have many venues to perfect their craft and develop an audience,” said Fitzgerald in his bellowing baritone voice during an interview with this AmNews writer in 2006. “This was a great opportunity for us [Rio Sakairi, artistic director and Lezlie] to seriously work with and promote some wonderful artists.” He proudly pointed out the organization’s role in the fledgling careers of pianist Robert Glasper, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, among others. During that interview, the Gallery walls were lined with Isabel Chicquor’s photography exhibit titled “Delirious Rhythm/Ritmo Delirioso,” a photographic essay of Cuba’s music and dance. “Jazz is an international music and I look at the world as an anthropologist,” said Fitzgerald (who died in 2015). Today, TJG has expanded its artist-in-residence opportunities, composition commissions, mentorship programs and inexpensive rehearsal facilities.
I remember those days at 290 Hudson. Upon opening the entrance door, you were faced with a long steep flight of stairs that seemed as though you were about to climb the staircase to heaven. Well, the climb was worth it — the music, the exhibition, an opportunity to chat with musicians. There was only a tall black curtain separating the performing artists’ dressing room from the audience. The capacity of 75 made for a warm friendly atmosphere. And of course, everyone seemed like they were seated in the first row and there was not one bad seat in the house (folding chairs and benches)! It was the place where I first experienced the Roy Hargrove Big Band with singer Gretchen Parlato. A young Lezlie Harrison, whose sultry voice was a mainstay on that tiny stage, had already enticed a cult following that has since escalated into an international fanfare. My joy was extended further by seeing Dr. Lonnie Smith and Peter Bernstein, Jonathan Blake, the young saxophonist Marcus Strickland and pianist James Hurt. “This is a great place because they’re open to musicians who are just starting out at the bottom of the barrel,” said Strickland in 2006. “And people that come here are into the music.”
Patrons immediately notice the absence of clicking glasses or servers scampering around with orders and having to endure that mad dash at the end of each set to collect cover charges. At TJG, patrons are free to just enjoy the music, with no cover charge or harried servers! TJG, located in Manhattan’s Flatiron district since 2012, boasts a duplex venue (on the 5th floor) with a small bar serving soft drinks and wine in a hip Art Deco lounge and its walls are consistently decorated with current exhibitions of artwork or photography. Drinks are allowed in the comfortable music room one flight up.
TJG is a place that welcomes experimentation and mentorship, especially for emerging voices who are pushing beyond tradition. That is the spirit that drives artistic director Rio Sakairi (who began in 2000). She possesses an uncanny intuitiveness that Horace Silver and Art Blakey had for spotting artists who were ready for the launching pad to ascension. Although in many instances TJG audiences are not always familiar with these artists, Sakairi dares to present these artists to TJG. “I don’t really worry about introducing emerging artists because I want The Gallery to be a safe space to experiment, to fail, to learn and grow from that. I think at this point after 30 years, people understand that, especially when we feature young musicians,” said Sakairi during a phone interview. “I’m trying to expand the audiences’ experience. They are looking for interesting and intriguing music. The key is variety and being challenged. I am having fun and I think if I don’t do things to bring me joy, it’s not going to bring joy to anyone else. Music is my heart. To this day I don’t know what made Dale say to me ‘why not do whatever you want,’ and I was like really OK. That still resonates with me.”
The Jazz Gallery 30th anniversary celebration will continue throughout the year with special concerts and events for schedules and updates. Visit jazzgallery.org for more info.