Smalls Jazz Club is a jazz club at 183 West 10th Street, Greenwich Village, New York City.[1][2] Established in 1994,[3] it earned a reputation in the 1990s as a "hotbed for New York's jazz talent" with a "well-deserved reputation as one of the best places in the city to see rising talent in the New York jazz scene".[4][5] Its jazz musicians are noted for being "talented, though largely unknown" while its music is characterized as "modern versions of bebop and hard bop".[6] The club's main room is in a basement with a capacity of 50 people[7] that expanded to 60 people.[8] Smalls Jazz Club should not be confused with Smalls Paradise in Harlem, which was founded in 1925 by Ed Smalls and closed in the 1950s
Smalls Jazz Club was established in 1993 by Mitchell "Mitch" Borden, a former submariner, nurse, and teacher. Its atmosphere was characterized as young, bohemian, and talkative. Music started every night at 10:30 and lasted until 6:00 the following morning. The entrance fee was US $10.00; no alcohol was served.[10] Musicians who performed in the early years include Ehud Asherie, Omer Avital, Noah Becker, Peter Bernstein, Avishai Cohen, Ari Hoenig, Guillermo Klein, Jason Lindner, Charles Owens, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Grant Stewart, Mark Turner, Tommy Turrentine, Richie Vitale, Michael Weiss, and Myron Walden. The house pianist was Frank Hewitt.[11]
Financial difficulties led Borden to close Smalls on May 31, 2003. The closing was due to declining attendance after the September 11 attacks, rent increase in this part of the city, and a smoking ban in indoor public places. Concerts were moved into the Fat Cat Club next door,[12] which was open four nights a week until 2:00 AM. In 2004, the Brooklyn Jazz Underground premiered with four shows at Smalls.[13]
Borden and musicians Michael "Spike" Wilner and Lee Kostrinsky reopened Smalls in early 2006.[8] The club was restored and the sound quality was improved. Chairs were bought at 17 stoop sales. A poster of Louis Armstrong from the original Smalls]] hangs on the wall. There is a full service bar.[8] Smalls continues to be recommended as a top jazz club.[14][15] The entrance fee was raised to US$20. The first music set begins at 7:30 PM. Instead of all night jazz sessions, there are two or three sets per night.[8] All concerts are broadcast live on the club's website and are available in replay to subscribers. The renovated club has featured Bruce Barth, Leon Parker, Peter Bernstein, Jimmy Cobb, Steve Davis, Joel Frahm, Kevin Hays, Ethan Iverson, Jazz Incorporated (Jeremy Pelt, Anthony Wonsey, Louis Hayes), David Kikoski, Ryan Kisor, Bill Mobley, Tim Ries, Jim Rotondi, and Neal Smith
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