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From now through May 15, the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival 2011 presents several days worth of live performances and discussions about what the jazz drummer Art Blakey called "an American musical art form." All of the shows -- 35 in total -- are either free or cost no more than $10. They are being held at various historic venues in Harlem some of which have been reopened for the occasion. The intention, according to organizers, is to evoke a bygone era when 'jazz' and 'Harlem' were synonymous.
Last night (May 9), T.S. Monk hosted a late night jam session at Minton's Playhouse, a premier club reopened for the festival. The former hotspot is known as the place where his father Thelonious Monk, along with other jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Kenny Clarke and Charlie Christian established the roots of modern jazz. "Of course, for me, it's really a very special place," says T.S., a respected jazz drummer in his own right. "It's probably the most important address for modern jazz."
Located on 118th Street, it was originally opened in 1938 by saxophonist Henry Minton. The performance space became a sanctuary of sorts for musicians who flocked there after other venues like the Cotton Club and Savoy Ballroom closed in order to jam well into the early morning hours.
Since closing in 1974, Minton's has had a rocky history though. It reopened in 2006, only to shut down four years later. For the festival, execs from Jazzmobile, Inc. -- one of three partners involved with the festival -- got permission to use the space from the company who owns the Cecil Hotel, the building which is attached to Minton's. (Restoration of both properties was already underway when Jazzmobile approached them last spring.)
In addition to the reopening of Minton's, the festival is also presenting performances at other historic venues including the Alhambra Ballroom and the Apollo Theater. The latter is planning to recall its own contribution to jazz history with performances presented in a variety show format. "Most people are familiar with Showtime at the Apollo," says trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, who lives two blocks away from the theater. "A lot of people don't know historically about the Benny Carter jazz orchestra. They had the comedy, the dancing, the singing."
Gordon headlines a special show incorporating all the variety show elements on Friday, May 13. The Temple University Big Band, vocalists Carla Cook and Nikki Yanofsky, tap dancer Savion Glover and comedian Robbie Todd are also on the bill that night.
Other performances will also be held at various converted spaces. At the Harlem Gatehouse, Harlem Stage is producing several shows including a Fats Waller Dance Party. Led by pianist Jason Moran in collaboration with bassist Me'shell Ndegeocello, the group is digging into Art Tatum's songbook and revving up the material in order to get the audience dancing. Harlem Stage has added to the ambiance by renaming the Gatehouse, Small's Paradise, where back in the 1920's, people danced along to jazz. "We're treating Fats Waller's music as a vehicle to show how it intersects with house music, with techno, with Afro-beat. That's the stuff I enjoy dancing to," says Moran, who also resides in Harlem. "We're creating an environment where people are free to move to the music, rather than sit in a seat and ponder about it."
Lenox Lounge (Lenox Avenue near 125th Street) is another place the festival will call home this week. In fact, jazz has been swinging there on a regular basis for years and there's a regular jam session that trumpeter Igmar Thomas holds at Creole Restaurant (located on Third Avenue). Now, with the Jazz Shrines Festival, jazz will really be jumping in Harlem this week.