The Village Vanguard was opened by Max Gordon opened 77 years ago and served as the launching pad for artists as diverse as Harry Belafonte, Comden & Green, Judy Holliday and Barbra Streisand.
The room holds 123 people and hundreds of "live" albums have been recorded here over the years, its "V" shape making it acoustically desirable.
The walls are covered with pics of the jazz legends who have played there (jazz music is now the main attraction although Streisand recorded a tv special here last year to launch her latest album). No food is allowed, drinks are served but no tea or coffee, and there is nowhere like it anywhere else in the USA.
I brought Keala, Jacqui and Staci here to see one of their new idols, last year's Grammy winner for Best New Artist Esperanza Spalding. This angelic faced 24 year old sings and plays the double bass but this time she was sans vocals as part of a new trio, Geri Allen (piano), Spalding (bass) and Terri Lyne Carrington (drums), who are playing two shows a night all this week. And the way Ms. Spalding's fingers fly over that bass I suspect she will leave the Vanguard with her digits worn to her knuckles.
All three gals were expert although it is that hard core, free form jazz that I find a little bit hard to follow. I did enjoy their version of Bernstein's "Lucky To Be Me" but they riffed away on one song for 15 minutes before I realised I was listening to "If I Were A Bell". Silly me. But, another unique New York experience ticked off the bucket list. You can visit their website, villagevanguard.com, for a brief club history.
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