Interview Qs by Ben Jagodzinski
Q: Do you remember the first time you heard or went to 55 Bar? What were your first impressions? Who was playing?
1986 or 7. Leni and Mike Stern had come to Fat Tuesdays to hear me with Carla Bley, so I went to 55 to see Leni’s band. She had Larry Willis, Harvey Swartz and Paul Motion playing. There were a few people there, all the lights were on and there was sawdust on the floor. It felt alternative, bohemian. Interesting. It was like the inside of an old cigar box, wood everywhere.
Q: Were there photos of jazz luminaries covering the walls or were the walls mostly bare? We’re the floors still covered in linoleum or had they been scrapped away to wooden boards? Was the ceiling in poor condition yet?
It wasn’t a jazz place yet; no luminaries in sight. The owner’s father was a painter, his wild stuff was up. Or maybe that was later. I didn’t notice the ceiling falling apart until after I started playing there.
Q: Did you ever go to another bar/venue called 55 Grand St? What do you remember about it? Who was playing?
That place had already closed when I got to NYC; I was never there. But because Mike and Leni lived above it, people would confuse it with the 55 Bar – they often thought Stern owned it. I still get asked that sometimes, all these years later.
Q: When did you start performing at 55 Bar? In what context? Which other artists were performing there during this time?
Around 1987. Leni had a regular Sunday night there and she got me into her band. That’s what got me started as a sideman in NYC, really. Most of the good bass players and drummers in town passed through that rhythm section at some point and I played with them all. They had other gigs too and my name got out there. Other than Mike’s regular Mondays and Wednesdays I can’t remember specifically who else was playing back then. KJ Denhert, maybe.
Q: Was there still a jukebox? Pinball machine? Telephone booth? Popcorn machine?
All of that, yeah. It was a funky joint. Like a speakeasy, a honky-tonk. A dump. “THE Dump,” as Mike ruefully called it.
Q: Jaco Pastorious died in September of 1987. What do you know about his history at the club? Did you ever meet him?
I don’t think he played there much; couple of times, maybe. By the time the club started rolling he was already into his downward spiral. I used to see him around but I never met him.
Q: During these early years of music at 55 Bar, what was the audience like (their attitude towards the music/performances)? Was it considered a “jazz club”/music-venue or more a bar that had live music? What was the atmosphere like in the bar during this time?
It was mostly bar regulars. Heavy drinkers. Coke heads, junkies. Nice enough people, for the most part. The music was just a tolerated add-on to the serious business of getting high. Mike was packing them in though, and that started pulling in more music heads to the other nights too. The old regulars were puzzled by that, amused. It was always thick with smoke – intolerable on breaks between sets. We used to escape to the coffee shop across the street.
Q: 55 Bar is located on the infamous Christopher st and surrounded by historic LGBTQ establishments. Has this had an impact on the bar, the music, the audience?
If so I didn’t notice it much except during the Pride Parade, when the zoo factor would become too intense to play there.
Q: During this time did bands perform there 7-days a week? We’re there 2 bands a day?
It wasn’t 7 nights in the beginning, and the 2-band thing came later too. We used to play 3 sets, though.
Q: Was there a cover change for the music?
On some nights. I think it was $12 for the musi