Left Bank Jazz Society facts for kids
The Left Bank Jazz Society was a special group in Baltimore, Maryland, that helped share and celebrate jazz music. It started in 1964 and quickly became known for putting on amazing concerts. Many famous jazz musicians, like John Coltrane and Duke Ellington, came to perform for the society.
For a long time, recordings of these live shows couldn't be officially released because of various issues. But after the year 2000, many of these recordings finally became available for everyone to enjoy. A few recordings by Joe Henderson were released earlier in the 1990s by Verve Records.
Who Started the Left Bank Jazz Society?
The Left Bank Jazz Society was created by two important people: Vernon L. Welsh and Benny Kearse.
Vernon L. Welsh was born in 1919 and passed away in 2002 in Baltimore. He was very dedicated to jazz. He recorded over 800 live jazz performances during the 1960s and 1970s, mostly at a place called the Famous Ballroom. These recordings were kept safe at the Morgan State University library for many years. Later, a record producer named Joel Dorn from Label M company got these tapes. He started releasing them, and they became very popular with music lovers and critics.
Benny Kearse was born in 1930 in South Carolina and passed away in 1999 in Baltimore. He was the president of the Left Bank Jazz Society for seven years. Under his leadership, the group organized a huge number of concerts, sometimes as many as 47 shows in one season!
Where Did the Concerts Happen?
The very first concert by the Left Bank Jazz Society took place at the Al-Ho Club in Baltimore in 1964. The society moved a few times, but in 1967, it found a long-term home at the Famous Ballroom.
The Famous Ballroom became a legendary spot for jazz music. Some parts of a 1980 documentary film called Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise, which was about the musician Sun Ra, were filmed right there during the Left Bank's time at the venue. Today, the location of the Famous Ballroom is part of the expanded Charles Theatre.
Famous Recordings from the Left Bank
Many incredible jazz albums were recorded live at the Left Bank Jazz Society's concerts. These recordings let us hear the amazing music that was played there.
Live Albums from the Left Bank:
- Jam Gems: Live at the Left Bank by Freddie Hubbard and Jimmy Heath, released by Label M (recorded in 1965)
- Straight, No Chaser by Joe Henderson with The Wynton Kelly Trio, released by Verve (recorded in 1968)
- Four by Joe Henderson with The Wynton Kelly Trio, released by Verve (recorded in 1968)
- The Free Slave by Roy Brooks (recorded in 1970)
- Left Bank Encores by Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons (recorded in 1973)
