By Jason M. Rubin
Considering the age of the recordings and the particularities of the venue, the sound quality is very good – certainly more than good enough given the historical value of the amazing music captured there.
Do you believe in ghosts? And can those ghosts play blues? Whatever your answer to the first question, the correct answer to the second is yes. It’s been 36 years since Cambridge’s famous and beloved 1369 Jazz Club closed, the unfortunate victim of a landlord-tenant dispute. Fortunately, a key figure in the club’s history, blues legend Chris Stovall Brown, recently managed to acquire a supply of CDs recorded during the final weeks of 1369. The result: a rare and wonderful recording, for sale while limited stocks last.
On August 15, 1988, the eviction notice went into effect. But the music and the memories remain. Everyone has their own 1369 story. For me, it was the place where I admired the artistry of drummer Alan Dawson, who died in 1996, and saw Branford Marsalis play with Sting just days or weeks before his first tour. But for many, the most important event at the club was the Sunday blues jam party, started by Silas Hubbard Jr. of the famous Hot Ribs. Chris Stovall Brown was the guitarist for the Hot Ribs and served as lead house guitarist for the blues shows at 1369 from 1985 until its closure.
To give a picture of the atmosphere at these blues jams, here is a quote from the Live1369 The CD’s liner notes state: “Admission was free; drink prices were set so that even sober people could be indoctrinated; and a soul food dinner, prepared by drummer Bunny Smith, cost a dollar.” Then-Boston Globe Jazz writer Fernando Gonzalez lamented the club’s impending closure, noting: “To get to the toilets, you have to walk past the stage. If a medium-sized band is playing there, you have to through them.” But that was part of the charm.
In 1992, a documentary film about the 1369 was released entitled A place for jazz was compiled by director Richard Broadman but never found distribution. It can be viewed here. Now that this CD, recorded on two Sunday afternoons in the spring of 1988, is available in limited quantities, fans and those who missed it can enjoy the magic that was created in that small, smoky blues cave. The list of artists, in addition to Silas Hubbard and Chris Stovall Brown, is a trip down memory lane: Watermelon Slim, Earring George Mayweather, Boston Baked Blues, Blues By Butch, Arlene Bennett, Jelly Belly, Lotsa Poppa, James Brown Jr., Shy Five, Kenny Holladay, Professor Harp, Wanetta Jackson and Lady D.
Given the age of the recordings and the specifics of the venue, the sound quality is very good – certainly more than good enough given the historical value of the fantastic music captured therein. To purchase a copy, send $10 via Venmo to Chris Stovall Brown: @CHRIS-BROWN-43218. Include your mailing address in the comments box. When asked for the last four digits of the phone number, enter 7133.
Jason M. Rubin has been a professional author for 40 years. He has written for Art protection since 2012. His books include Villainy forever (2022), a collection of classic fairy tales told from the perspective of the villains; and Old stories retold (2019), a pairing of two historical romance novels: The Grave and the Gaybased on a 17th century English folk ballad; and King of Kingsabout King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, mostly from the Ethiopian tradition. Jason also teaches journaling workshops and is a member of the New England Indie Authors Collective. He has a BA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. You can reach him at http://www.jasonmrubin.com.
