Clark Monroe's Uptown House, sometimes shortened to Monroe's Uptown House or simply Monroe's, was a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Along with Minton's Playhouse, it was one of the two principal jazz clubs in the early history of bebop.

History

Clark Monroe opened the Uptown House in the 1930s at 198 West 134th St in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, in a building which formerly held Barron's Club (where

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

worked early in the 1920s) and the Theatrical Grill. From the late 1930s, the club presented swing jazz;

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

held a residence there for three months in 1937. In the early 1940s, the club became known for its jam sessions, where many of the players involved in the birth of bebop played together.

Al Tinney Allen Tinney (May 28, 1921 – December 11, 2002) was an American jazz pianist. Early life Born in Ansonia, Connecticut, Tinney was a child actor and was a cast member in the original production of George Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bess'' in 1935. ...

led Monroe's

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

, which included Max Roach, "Little" Benny Harris,

George Treadwell George McKinley Treadwell (December 21, 1918 in New Rochelle, New York – May 14, 1967 in New York City) was an American jazz trumpeter and the manager of the Drifters. Treadwell played in the house band at Monroe's in Harlem in 1941– ...

, and

Victor Coulsen Victor "Vic" Coulsen (dates unknown) was an American jazz trumpeter. Often referred to as Vic Coulsen, Vic Coulson, and even Vic Couslen, Coulsen was a member of the resident band at the Monroe's club, under Al Tinney's direction from as early a ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

was a featured soloist at the club in 1943. An important live recording of Charlie Christian features a jam "session at Monroes". Monroe moved the club to

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of ...

in 1943, and opened a second club,

The Spotlite ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, in December 1944.

References

*"Clark Monroe's Uptown House", "Nightclubs and Other Venues", "Al Tinney". '' Grove Jazz'' online. Nightclubs in Manhattan Jazz clubs in New York City Defunct jazz clubs in New York City Music venues completed in 1943 {{jazz-venue-stub

History

See also

References