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Home , Adam Nussbaum, Bernard Wright, Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Eliane Elias

New York Nights THE OUTRAGEOUS, UNCENSORED ORAL HISTORY OF SEVENTH AVENUE SOUTH— THE ’ ERA-DEFINING CLUB

MARCUS MILLER

JOHN SCOFIELD SEX, DRUGS

& JA Z Z By Shaun Brady THE ORAL (AND NASAL) HISTORY OF SEVENTH AVENUE SOUTH— THE BRECKER BROTHERS’ HARD-PARTYING, BAND-BUILDING, ERA-DEFINING CITY NIGHTCLUB

2 JAZZTIMES • JULY/AUGUST 2016 Seventh AvenueSeventh South words inthe lived of who to those tell its often-riotoustal wordsthe of more than one of its regulars, “sex, and drugs .” Here of is story the and HiramLee and Bullock, ’s Jamaica It Boys. ahub also for, in of Mouth, Street 24th the Band with future David Letterman band members Will notable groups, including Steps Mintzer Bob Ahead, the , Pastorius’ Word Jaco Pastorius, Miles Davis Khan. to It Chaka launch the was also for pad several to 1987,where it aconvergence became point for from Walton everyone Cedar to teur and educator named Kate Greenfield, owned and operatedthe clubfrom 1977 the set. Several months Several set. the after it closed, where you weren’t just asked to leave after listen to music, other musicians— see could really feel comfortable, have adrink, was hangout. acool It was somewhere you Boomer’scalled on Bleecker Street that Cooper,named Bob managed who aclub Mike with and aguy friendly Ibecame (TRUMPETER,CO-OWNER): unique meeting place for cats, pioneers and in-de mand studio musicians, Avenue Seventh South, located at that thoroughfare and Leroy Street inManhattan’s , became onebecame of ’s hippest hangs for ahectic decade. Michaeldecade. and Randy Brecker, along with arestaura of money saved up. Iwanted Idecided interested and infood Ihad alittle bit in acounseling program, but Iwas very working Brooklyn in the Court Criminal KATE GREENFIELD (CO-OWNER): amodestinvestment.he needed might suitable be to resurrect aclub, and found[Cooper] aspacethat he thought I was - e. e. - one—maybe only the one. that kind of music, it was probably first the to have aclub. But inthat generation, for Alley, it so wasn’t unknown for musicians had Ali Studioand Rashied Rivbea (SAXOPHONIST): accident and it continued for 10years. That’s howreally it started. It was a mere investment increased by leaps and bounds. up that we weren’t silent. so modest Our more or less silent but partners, it ended BRECKER: and bought himout. of chips. we gave So himsome money of day the with aracing form and abag know. He would show up middle inthe didn’t know as much as he professed to with him,but it apparent became that he I was going working the to be partner know business the and teach me, since ing forward. have not done it, but we just kept mov things; atthose any moment we could to open arestaurant. It was just one of Randy Breckerisoutofframe is obscured;trumpeter Drummer RichieMorales and bassistMarcusMiller. KazumiWatanabe saxophonist MichaelBrecker, venue in1981.Picturedare tear uptheupstairsmusic right, theBreckerBrothers Chaka Khanhangingat Mike and Iwere meant to be ← W [Cooper] was supposed to [Cooper] ith MilesDavisand JAZZTIMES.COM

Sam Rivers had Ali’s

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATE GREENFIELD & RANDY BRECKER 3 ← Co-owner Kate Greenfield, second from left, hangs with friends upstairs during the club’s opening week in 1977

BRECKER: It was two floors. The music (DRUMMER, THE BRECKER (SAXOPHONIST): The majority [space] was on the second floor and held BROTHERS, ): Bill of the clubs in town were run by proprietors about 120 people, and there was a long Cherry was the real jazz bartender. He that had very specific likes and dislikes bar à la Bradley’s downstairs with a little was such a cool guy. He had the Afro and when it came to jazz music, so they booked section where people could sit and a couple everything, like a character, accordingly. But Seventh Avenue South was of tabletop video games and stools around. if you want to put him in modern terms. wide open. Every kind of music imaginable The first floor became the hang if you didn’t was played in there, and I think they hired want to go upstairs and listen to the music. (COMPOSER, PRODUCER, acts based on the merit of the music alone. KEYBOARDIST): To me, Bill was the first (): I would sit in the back social-media dude. He brought people LEE: This was a time when going into and play Missile Command all night. They from Mikell’s with him down to Seventh a nightclub meant there was so much had a great sit-down Atari arcade game that Avenue South. People used to follow bar- cigarette smoke that you were going to was built into a table. They also had a juke- tenders around. Bartenders were almost have to have your clothes dry-cleaned just box. I think the most played record there of the leaders of their own clan. from walking in. It was very difficult to all was probably [hums] “Blue Train.” Of all walk in and hear lame music. It was one of the tunes that were played on there, I think LEE: There was always a Bill Cherry party the places that you could count on to hear that one set the atmosphere that defined the going on. He wasn’t a crazy, wild guy. He great, great stuff. It wasn’t a snobby place way that room felt. It was just chill. was just a really sweet, sensible guy who where every note you played was being made you feel at home, and a lot of us judged, or a place where the music was LIEBMAN: The upstairs and the downstairs wanted to feel at home. so loose that it ended up being valueless. were two different worlds. Downstairs it There were probably more good notes per was people drinking and hanging and get- MARCUS MILLER (BASSIST): If you had a gig capita played there than anywhere. ting high. Upstairs it was no different, but at Seventh Avenue South, during your we had music. [laughs] We had an excuse. break you could walk three blocks to (GUITARIST): To me, it was Sweet Basil or one more block up to the the center of the jazz world at that time. BILL CHERRY (BARTENDER): I was working at Village Vanguard to see who was hitting There was the Village Vanguard, but this Barbara’s, a small jazz club on West Third over there, so maybe you could catch 10 was the real contemporary jazz scene in and Thompson, after [the Upper West Side minutes of somebody else’s set. There was New York. It was a time when fusion music jazz club] Mikell’s. Kate got to know me and a lot of crosspollination. It was a really didn’t have the bad reputation that it got mentioned that she and Randy and Michael vibrant community, and Seventh Avenue after smooth jazz came along. It was still were opening a spot, and asked if I would South was at the center of it. cutting edge. It was also a meeting place be interested in getting involved from the for jazz musicians and studio musicians; ground up. I had a following, and in the bar (DRUMMER): Mike and Ran- there’s always been a big overlap between business if you have a bartender that has a dy were living the dream. They created those worlds. So it was a place not only to following you can start with at least some- a place where like-minded, like-souled hear great music but also to be part of the thing going on until you can build it up. musicians could play. music world.

4 JAZZTIMES • JULY/AUGUST 2016 BRECKER: You’d be downstairs and see MINTZER: It was never my intention to have casting a radio show from Seventh Avenue hanging out with Hiram a big band. Just on a lark I called all the South and she was working with some Bullock. It was a melting pot of different guys that were playing there, never imagin- promoters in . [The Japanese record styles of music. ing that they’d all be interested in doing this label] Nippon Columbia heard the group and they were, to my surprise. One of the and liked it very much and offered us a FERRONE: It was a mixture of what I, first big band gigs I did there, the club was deal. At the time I was signed to Warner being from England, would call “jazz- full of people and the energy was incredi- Bros. in the United States as a solo artist, so ers,” and studio musicians. Some nights ble. Dave Liebman was in the audience and I couldn’t call that band the you’d go down there and or couldn’t control himself—he stormed the Quintet. I gave it the name Steps, and then would be playing, and bandstand and grabbed ’s we called the group when we then you’d have Jaco Pastorius and the soprano and started playing. were signed to an American label. Brecker Brothers. Some of the greatest players that New York had to offer were JACQUI SMITH PERRINE (WAITRESS): My first LEE: I played there a lot with the 24th Seventh Avenue South guys. husband was Eric Gale, the player, Street Band, which later became the Let- and when we split up I moved to the city terman band. coproduced our MILLER: Downstairs was shoulder to and needed a job. Eventually Michael and I second album and we became so close that shoulder with cats talking stuff to each had a relationship for many years. But I had he saw an opportunity to turn that band, other. would go up to a very good ear for music, and there was a as it was breaking up, into his band for somebody and say, “Man, you wasn’t period of time where I actually booked the With David Letterman. swinging last night.” It was real and place. At that time we were closed on Mon- unfiltered, especially when it’s late at day nights and Jaco, as he was wont to do, MILLER: I would hang out there with the night and everybody’s uninhibited. It showed up at the club wanting to do a gig. guys who became the Jamaica Boys, Lenny was more of a street mentality than a I said the only thing we could do would be White and . I also played school mentality. to open on Monday night and do a special with a group led by a couple of really popu- show, but we couldn’t do any advertising— lar studio singers, Frank and Babi Floyd. BRECKER: I can’t say we were very hands on. we’d just have to announce it during Don Charley Drayton, who was probably 14 at We would play there a lot, and that was our Grolnick’s show that weekend and do it by the time, was the drummer, and Bernard, main function. We put bands together and word of mouth. So Jaco ended up naming at 16 or 17, was playing keyboards. And ev- would either play as the Brecker Brothers the band Word of Mouth. erybody would come down to hear the kids or as the Seventh Avenue South All-Stars, play. They called us the Nursery Rhyme which featured people like Cedar Walton, MIKE MAINIERI (VIBRAPHONIST): The first Band because we were so young. Slide Hampton, Reggie Workman and Al band I put together there was with Michael Foster. We also played there quite a bit with Brecker, , , Eddie MAINIERI: It was a great place to play. Half offshoots of the Average White Band. It was Gomez and myself. We had an offer to go of the audience were musicians. When an exciting time for experimentation. to Japan because a young lady was broad- the place was packed, there was so much energy. What I remember is this rush: You

just didn’t get that in other clubs. But I just ← The Brecker Brothers remember we’d come bursting out, and perform, c. 1980 it didn’t just have to do with the drugs— though that was prevalent. There was so much excitement and electricity in the air some nights. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATE GREENFIELD & RANDY BRECKER OF KATE PHOTOS COURTESY

JAZZTIMES.COM ← (clockwise from above) and friends dig the music, c. 1980; R&B vocal group the Persuasions get the audience involved in ’80; co-owners Randy, Kate and Michael (from top) make GREENFIELD: Watching Wynton start his the cover of Performance career was really exciting. If one of those in March 1979; Miles and young people asked for a drink at the check out end of the night, I would only give them Marcus Miller in ’81 milk and cookies. I was so self-righteous, while at the same time I was being so ridiculous. PAQUITO D’RIVERA (SAXOPHONIST, MARSALIS: It was a lifeline for us. They CLARINETIST): One gave me a gig when nobody knew who I of my first gigs in was. I’m forever grateful to the brothers New York City was at for that. Seventh Avenue South. looked around—well, he Back in Cuba every- didn’t look around, but he GREENFIELD: When body was crazy about realized he was about the would sing at the club, Whitney the Brecker Brothers, only guy in there. After- Houston was a young teenager and she so to have the opportu- wards I’m sitting in the would sing backup. All the record com- nity to work in a club bathroom stall and Stevie pany people would be there to hear her, owned by them was comes in with one of his way before she became famous. tremendous. And then guys. As they’re leaving I invited Randy to play he says, “You know, when BRECKER: Nile Rodgers would come on my second LP for you listen to music like this down and hang when he got done pro- CBS. It was the only time in my life that I …” and then the door closed and I didn’t ducing or playing in the studios. He was hired the owner of a place that I was going hear what he said. So I don’t know if he a great Pac-Man player. to be playing. I paid him like $50. Mike liked it or not. I’m still wondering. was in the audience—he wanted to check GREENFIELD: There were a lot ofSaturday out who the hell this Cuban was who hired (TRUMPETER): We were Night Live after-parties because Mike his brother to play in his own club. booked to play New Year’s Eve in 1982. One and/or Randy would be playing. We couple showed up the whole night. The had a party for when she SCOFIELD: I was playing with my trio with lady of the couple said, “If you guys ever get was on SNL and I made a guitar out of and , known, we can look at it one of two ways: chopped liver. John Belushi lived right and Stevie Wonder came in. There were Either we were the dumb couple that came down the street, so he used to come in about four people in the club, and after or we were the lucky ones.” And we played at 2 in the morning and say, “Give me a

the first tune he clapped real loud and he for them the entire night. bottle of scotch!” GREENFIELD & RANDY BRECKER OF KATE PHOTOS/ARCHIVES COURTESY

6 JAZZTIMES • JULY/AUGUST 2016 BRECKER: Belushi and [Dan] Aykroyd had “I WAS 18, 19 YEARS OLD; I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT their own [ Bar] during era, but after that closed they WAS GOING ON. I JUST ASSUMED IF YOU WERE would come down and smell like they’d been up for a few days. A MUSICIAN, BY THE TIME YOU HIT 28 OR 29 YEARS OLD YOU’RE GOING TO START ACTING A LITTLE ERSKINE: I remember seeing a lot of my jazz heroes at Seventh Avenue South. WEIRD. I DIDN’T KNOW WHY CERTAIN Cedar Walton was playing there one time and I was champing at the bit to sit in. He DRUMMERS WOULD HAVE TO GET DOWN AND invites me onto the bandstand and calls ADJUST THEIR BASS DRUM PEDAL BETWEEN “All Blues,” this jazz waltz. So I played it, and afterwards Cedar complimented me EVERY SONG. I DIDN’T KNOW THAT’S HOW and I said, “Thanks. I was really hoping we were going to do something in 4.” I YOU DID YOUR COCAINE.” — MARCUS MILLER wanted to show off what I thought was my Elvin thing. For years afterward, every time I’d run into Cedar he’d say, “You Erskine. I usually didn’t do this, it was each tune was maybe three lines of music, remember that night at Seventh Avenue someone else’s job, but I paid her. It was just a scratched-out head arrangement; South when you sat in and afterward something like $500 for the trio—cash. A there was a total lack of any discernible you said, ‘I wish we’d played something few minutes later she came over, and in structure, but that’s what Gil wanted. He in 4/4?’” And he’d cock his head and say, her broken English explained that right went in there to have this improvisatory “That was some funny shit.” after I paid her, gave her a sob large ensemble where things unfolded story about how his girlfriend had kicked based on the decisions of the players, with BRECKER: We had at the him out so he didn’t have a place to stay. very little in the way of instruction. club one weekend with his “All-Girl She was a big fan and was starstruck, so Rhythm Section.” That’s how his manager she gave him the money. The next morn- MILLER: I sat next to Gil one night when insisted it be billed, [so you can see] how ing I was walking to a session on 49th Jaco was there. Jaco would play this much things have changed since then as Street, when who turns the corner walk- vibrato-laden melodic stuff and Gil would far as women in jazz goes. Joe’s nickname ing in my direction on the other side of start chuckling to himself. I asked him, was “The Phantom,” and sure enough, the street? Chet! Out of the corner of his “What do you think, Gil?” And he said, Saturday night—no Joe. I was still at the eye he sees me, turns around and starts “Man, it’s just so unabashedly romantic, club at 4:30 a.m. or so, closing up, and up walking quickly in the other direction. it’s cracking me up.” the back stairs comes Joe. He goes into the little dressing room behind the stage SCOFIELD: I remember the night my BRECKER: Jaco played quite a bit, though that and I hear him playing, so I opened the daughter was born. After my wife had was kind of a sad state of affairs towards the door and he said in that soft-spoken but given birth at St. Vincent’s Hospital a end of his career, when he was hanging in super-articulate voice of his, “Ahh, Randy, couple of blocks up from the club, they New York and didn’t really have a place to I thought I’d get here early and practice went to sleep, so I decided to stop by and live. People would always come because it a while.” He thought it was 4:30 in the celebrate for a second. Chet Baker was was Jaco, but it was a tough time for him. afternoon! Just 12 hours off. there, who I idolized. He asked how I was doing and I said, “Great, Chet, my wife GREENFIELD: Oh, my God, talk about FERRONE: One night I was standing at the just had a baby, our first child.” And he lunatics. But when [Jaco] played we had bar and there was a tap at my shoulder. I goes, “Really? John, can I borrow a hun- to have people standing on the stairs stop- turned around and it was Grady Tate. We dred dollars?” As if I hadn’t said anything. ping people from coming up. were chitchatting, and next thing I knew there was a tap on my other shoulder SMITH PERRINE: I don’t want to use the FERRONE: Jaco would wander in and whoever and it was Max Roach. Behind the bar word “steal,” but Gil and Anita Evans was playing, he would just walk up onstage there was one of those gunslinger mir- were my neighbors in the Village and the and plug in and sabotage their entire set. rors where you could see who was stand- Orchestra used to play at Sweet ing behind you, and I remember looking Basil every Monday night. I convinced MILLER: I’m playing the middle of a song up at that mirror and there was Grady them to come and do Monday nights at and I see the head of a Fender Tate and Max Roach having a conversa- Seventh Avenue South. coming up the stairs in front of the tion and me standing in the middle. That bandstand. It was Jaco balancing his bass moment is emblazoned into my brain. MINTZER: I remember playing with the on one hand coming up the stairs to Gil Evans band there. I had all the great announce his arrival. He walked straight BRECKER: [In 1981] had just writing he had done for Miles in my head onto the stage, plugged into my amp, relocated from São Paulo and played at and [I was excited to play] these elaborate, turned all the knobs up to 10, and we the club with Eddie Gomez and Peter 20-page arrangements. So I show up and had a jam session. Whatever I was doing

JAZZTIMES.COM 7 before he arrived turned into what he ERSKINE: When he lobbed that ball over love you and how much you’ve influenced wanted to do, which was fine with me. the net, Jacqui smacked it back double. my life.” We started talking and became I think Miles was even kind of shocked. friends of a kind. (GUITARIST): One time Jaco Everyone was proud of her. got pissed off and threw his bass down the GREENFIELD: Of course we sat there and stairs. He came to my place after that and THOM BEERS (PRODUCER, Deadliest Catch, snorted coke for a couple hours. Sarah got on the phone with Kevin Kaufman, Monster Garage): I was the bartender in Vaughan didn’t have to teach us how to do who used to repair all of Jaco’s basses. Jaco the service bar upstairs, so I served all the that. I can clearly remember her putting it was winking at me as he said, “I had a little musicians. Miles drank the most disgust- on her little pinky nail and quietly snorting accident at Seventh Avenue South and ing drink in the world: Grand Marnier in it. You could hardly hear her doing it. can’t seem to get a sound out of this bass.” a brandy snifter with Coca-Cola. It was Meanwhile, Kevin told me he broke the gnarly. KHAN: That was the peace pipe. It was a thing into three pieces and sent it to him in way of ingratiating yourself with some- a large shoebox. GREENFIELD: One night Michael was playing one—you got a little blow, you were in. and Miles came down. Chaka was there and SCOFIELD: I played there a bunch with the Miles said to her, “Let’s go uptown and shop- MAINIERI: It was a place to go and drink, Gil Evans band, and we were all hanging lift!” Miles Davis and Chaka Khan—like no and it was a time when there was a lot of out in this little back room. Sanborn said, one’s going to notice you. medication going on. People were not sober “Listen guys, I’ve really changed my thing. then, let me put it that way. If you mix all I’ve been drug-free for two months now.” CHAKA KHAN (VOCALIST): I used to take those elements together, you can really stir And Jaco goes, “Free drugs! Where?” That Miles there often. That was our little clique. the pot. It was a sensual place to be. was an ill omen of things to come. We were sitting right in the front one night; we could see right up everybody’s noses. I BRECKER: It was kind of a den of iniquity. LIEBMAN: Miles came down and heard think we were pretty high and the Breckers Scofield there with me. Afterwards we were playing. They were smoking, and then MILLER: I was 18, 19 years old; I didn’t know hung out and I said, “You like the guitar when they ended there was that moment what was going on. I just assumed if you player?” He said, “No.” I told him, “He’s of silence before everyone knows they’ve were a musician, by the time you hit 28 gonna be your next guitar player.” ended and starts clapping. When that or 29 years old you’re going to start acting a little weird. I didn’t know why certain drummers would have to get down and “ONE NIGHT MICHAEL [BRECKER] WAS adjust their bass drum pedals between every PLAYING AND MILES CAME DOWN. CHAKA WAS song. I didn’t know that’s how you did your cocaine between songs. THERE AND MILES SAID TO HER, ‘LET’S GO (PIANIST): There would be so UPTOWN AND SHOPLIFT!’ MILES DAVIS AND much of it that it would be stuck in your CHAKA KHAN—LIKE NO ONE’S GOING TO socks and in your hair. Once, I was going to the bathroom and Randy started fol- NOTICE YOU.” — CO-OWNER KATE GREENFIELD lowing me. I had to turn around and say, “Randy, I’m just going to take a piss.”

SCOFIELD: I don’t remember [Liebman] moment of silence came, Miles said, “Them FERRONE: One night Randy and I just got saying that, but I know he introduced white boys can’t play no horn.” I was like, completely wasted. He ran into the bath- me. Miles said to me, “You sound great, “Beam me up, Scotty. I’m ready to go now.” room and was in there a bit long, so I went kid.” And I said, “Oh, Miles, it’s so great Miles had no filter. He embarrassed me a in after him and climbed up on the sink to to meet you. You’re my idol.” And he lot, but I loved that. look over the stall. Randy was there throw- said, “Shut the fuck up.” ing up, and I was like, “Hey, Randy, what GREENFIELD: Chaka was hanging with me are you doing?” And he made this lasso BRECKER: Once Miles discovered the place at the club, and a friend called and told motion with his hands, finished throwing he would come down quite a bit and me that she was with Sarah Vaughan at up and said, “Right, let’s go back and get wreak havoc with the waitresses. Mikell’s. I said, “Chaka would love to meet started again.” Sarah Vaughan!” It was very sweet watch- SMITH PERRINE: Miles could be quite rude, ing Chaka Khan be totally starstruck. STEVE GADD (DRUMMER): That was before but I wouldn’t take his shit. He was stand- everyone knew that cocaine could be ad- ing next to me and said, “I want to eat your KHAN: Kate introduced me to Sarah dictive. In other words, it was still a party. pussy.” I looked at him and said, “No you Vaughan and she just treated me like a fly Everyone was having a ball. don’t. It stinks.” And he said, “I like you, on the wall. I said, “Fuck that,” and went smarty-pants.” He called me smarty-pants back up to her and said, “At the risk of you LEE: This was a crazy time. I remember every time he saw me after that. killing me, I have to tell you how much I waking up one morning and I had passed

8 JAZZTIMES • JULY/AUGUST 2016 out in the club, and they had locked the doors with me in it. So I wake up next to my bass case to the smell of carpet cleaner, right in time to make my jingle.

FERRONE: I remember playing with the Brecker Brothers and [keyboardist] Mark Gray had a seizure, I guess. The dressing room was a tiny little liquor cabinet back behind the stage, and Mark Gray was back there in this collapsed state.

BRECKER: Something Mark ingested didn’t quite agree with him. He could play but couldn’t hold his head up, so I had to hold him up by his hair during his solos.

MARSALIS: I didn’t really witness that. I saw so much alcohol and drug abuse in the scene I grew up in, it didn’t have any allure for me. We were trying to find some women. I was 20; that’s what I was thinking about.

BRECKER: I was living alone in a nice high-rise apartment in Waterside, right on the East River, and doing a lot of sessions. Some nights I didn’t make it down to the club, and around booty- call time, like 3 a.m., after writing some music I’d call the club and get Jacqui on the phone. I knew her very well and she had a great sense of dark humor. Some of my nefarious “chicks” we gave rather sarcastic, admittedly demean- ing nicknames to: the “Magpies,” the “Beached Whale,” the “Kodiak Bear.” They were on the D list, but what can I say—it was 3 a.m.! So I’d call her and

ask who was there, and she’d give me a rundown using the nicknames and I’d ← (top) Randy say, “OK, put the ‘Beached Whale’ on wild and crazy, but we thought we were Brecker and the phone,” and I’d have that girl come cool. There were many times leaving there Kate Greenfield over for a little late-night fun. at 6 or 7 in the morning. live it up in 1980; adver- SMITH PERRINE: There were these two SMITH PERRINE: There’d be lines of cocaine tisements from skinny girls that always used to put that on the Pac-Man machine at night, when 1985 and an song “I’m Special” [the Pretenders’ “Brass it was closed to the public. We’d be leav- iconic façade in Pocket”] on the jukebox and dance ing and it would literally be daylight. beckon around. They were always scantily clad That was the worst feeling on the planet. and they went home with everybody. I You prayed that it was raining when you think everybody had them—including walked outside and people wearing busi- Michael. That’s part of being with a musi- ness suits were going to work while you cian. We used to call them the “Skank were still in your smoke-covered clothing Sisters,” but that could have just been from the night before. what the waitresses called them. FERRONE: I was surprised at how many GREENFIELD: I’ve been clean almost 33 years, people managed to actually survive those

PHOTOS/ARCHIVES COURTESY OF KATE GREENFIELD & RANDY BRECKER OF KATE PHOTOS/ARCHIVES COURTESY so it seems like a different lifetime. We were years. We were all really worried about

JAZZTIMES.COM Mike, and here we all are, partying like BRECKER: I wasn’t quite that bad. I weaned or didn’t want to do it anymore. I was crazy, going to bed at 5 in the morning. myself off everything a little later, but the last hiding in the office and knitting after I couple years of the existence of the club it be- stopped drinking and drugging, and you SMITH PERRINE: Michael, for a long time, came kind of an AA hangout, which if you’re can’t really run a jazz club hiding from was a [highly] functioning addict. Don trying to sell booze isn’t such a great idea. everybody. Mixing jazz and money is Grolnick, who was Michael’s closest an interesting recipe. It was like we were friend and loved him like a brother, STERN: The vibe changed as Mike changed. supposed to throw the party every night. wrote him this heartfelt letter, and then He got sober and totally turned his shit I had enough checks that I couldn’t cash Don and I found this place in around. They tried to keep it happening but to wallpaper a small room. Once the and got Michael to go there and get clean the business was rough. I remember Mike party was over, it was really over. and sober. That was the beginning of the was really upset about it because he thought end for Michael and I—he eventually it was an amazing place. BRECKER: It never was a moneymaking married his drug therapist. But if that’s endeavor—far from it, unfortunately. what it took, that’s what it took. MILES: Seventh Avenue South basically About a month after the club opened, went out with a whimper. It didn’t go out Mike and I each took a $100 bill out of GREENFIELD: Michael got clean in 1980 with some big bang. the cash register, and that was the only and he helped a lot of us. Michael was so money we ever took out of that club in special, and to watch him evolve—not that SMITH PERRINE: Having become a restau- 10 years! we weren’t interesting, nice, talented people rateur after it closed, I don’t know how when we were getting high, but it was really it ever made money. I don’t think it was ERSKINE: We started playing some other nice to get to know people once you can get managed well. It’s amazing that it stayed places but they were never as much fun. We the drugs and alcohol out and really see the open as long as it did. all miss it, but it was kind of insane for Mike

“I PLAYED THERE A BUNCH WITH THE GIL EVANS BAND, AND [I REMEMBER ONCE] WE WERE ALL HANGING OUT IN THIS LITTLE BACK ROOM. [DAVID] SANBORN SAID, ‘LISTEN GUYS, I’VE REALLY CHANGED MY THING. I’VE BEEN DRUG-FREE FOR TWO MONTHS NOW.’ AND JACO GOES, ‘FREE DRUGS! WHERE?’ THAT WAS AN ILL OMEN OF THINGS TO COME.” —JOHN SCOFIELD

sensitivity that makes people drink and drug BRECKER: After a few years we tried to sell and Randy to be able to furnish that place the way we did. It was almost like knowing the place and a guy came in and restruc- for so long for so many people, and I’m sure people two different ways. tured it, but he never followed through they got tired of it. Barely a trip to New York and bought the place. He didn’t pay any will go by when I won’t find myself walking ERSKINE: When Michael cleaned up, it was taxes the whole time he was in there, so down there and looking at it from across kind of a seismic shift. A lot of people real- we got stuck with those, too. the street to see what it is now. ized we had to stop doing this stuff. I remem- ber speaking with Bob Mintzer and thinking ERSKINE: I remember Stix Hooper had a LEE: I’m not a nostalgic guy, but every how great it was to be hanging out at the club gig, and when he went to play the place was time I drive past where that club was I and actually talking about real things. taped and padlocked for non-payment of get a really sad feeling that it’s not there something, or someone didn’t get bribed anymore. It’s one of the places that FERRONE: When Mike came out of rehab, the right amount, so they shut it down. That should have continued forever. there was another club around the corner was near the beginning of the end. called 55 Grand, which was a renowned GADD: We sort of took it for granted when drug hangout. Mike [wanted to go], so I BRECKER: Eventually we lost the lease. it was happening, but when you look back, thought, “I’ll wander around there and The guy who owned the building was a they had created a little landmark. keep an eye on him.” Mike stood very fan so he was very kind to us, but at one nervously at the bar drinking water, and of point he sold the building to two Indian BRECKER: I think we’d had enough of the course I got involved in all the debauch- gynecologists who were getting divorced. club business. It was just costing too ery. At some point in the evening Mike The wife ended up with the club in the much money, as much fun as it was. Oth- would go home and I’d end up staying un- settlement. Mike went to try to talk some er clubs that opened, like the Blue Note, til all hours. The same thing happened the sense into her, but she really knew what were a little more serious, and it was hard next day, and three nights into that I said, she had. That was the crowning blow. to compete. We were still a homegrown “You’re wearing me out with this. I get operation and couldn’t afford to keep wasted every night while you test yourself GREENFIELD: When I got clean in 1983, I putting money into the place, so we to see if you can get through it.” came to the realization that we couldn’t finally had to bid a fond adieu. JT

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