Black Hawk (nightclub)

Infobox music venue
name = Black Hawk


caption =
Img_size = 150
location = Turk Street and Hyde Street
Tenderloin District
flagicon|USA San Francisco, California, USA
type = Nightclub
genres = Jazz, Bebop
years_active = 1949 — 1963
capacity = 200

The Black Hawk was a legendary San Francisco nightclub hosting a spectacular range of jazz talents during its heyday from 1949 to 1963. Located on the corner of Turk Street and Hyde Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin District. The owners were Guido Caccienti, and Johnny & Helen Noga.

In 2004, a new building was constructed on the Black Hawk's old location, and is now the 222 Club (dance club & bar). [ [http://www.slimdevices.com/dev_showcase_milesdavis.html Miles Davis at the Blackhawk, San Francisco] ]

History

The Black Hawk was a San Francisco jazz club whose intimate atmosphere was ideal for small jazz groups. In 1959, The fees that the club was able to pay for its jazz acts rose from less than $300 to more than $3,000 a week. [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,825838,00.html New York Time (Monday, August 3, 1959] ] For fourteen years, the best and the brightest in the world of jazz passed through Black Hawk portals. A number of musicians recorded albums at the club, including Cal Tjader, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Shelly Manne, and Mongo Santamaria.

Billie Holiday and Lester Young played their last West Coast club dates here and the Modern Jazz Quartet played its firsts. [Selvin, Joel. "San Francisco, the Musical History Tour: A Guide to Over 200 of the Bay Area", Chronicle Books, page 76, (1996) - ISBN 0811810070] When Charlie Parker was supposed to be opening across town at the Say When Club, he could be found instead jamming at the Hawk. Other notable musicians include Dave Brubeck Quartet, [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,825358,00.html New York Time: Dave Brubeck (Monday, December 2, 1957] ] John Coltrane, [Chambers, Jack. "Milestones: The Music and Times of Miles", Da Capo Press, page 312, (1998) - ISBN 0306808498] Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, [ [http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/PRCD-24019/ Black Hawk: Stan Getz] ] Mary Stallings, Johnny Mathis, [Ewen, David. "All the Years of American Popular Music", Prentice Hall, page 536, (1977) - ISBN 0130224421] Art Blakey, Shorty Rogers, Art Pepper, Art Farmer, Gerry Mulligan, [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/01/26/WEEKEND9942.dtl&hw=Black+Hawk+jazz&sn=002&sc=807%20GERRY%20MULLIGAN Gerry Mulligan at Black Hawk] ] Horace Parlan, and Russ Freeman. Arthur "Art" Tatum, in the last 18 months of his life mainly did concert work, played Black Hawk Club in San Francisco in 1955. [Chilton, John. "Who's who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street", Da Capo Press, page 325, (1985) - ISBN 0306802430]

Sunday afternoon sessions at the Black Hawk offered blowing time to young musicians. A young sextet who was working at the Black Hawk nightclub brought Johnny Mathis in for a Sunday afternoon jam session. It was at the Black Hawk that Helen Noga, co-owner of the club, first heard him sing. She decided that she wanted to manage his career. In early September 1955, Johnny landed a job singing weekends at Ann Dee's 440 Club. After repeated attempts, Helen convinced George Avakian, then head of Jazz A&R at Columbia, to see him. Avakian came to the club, heard Johnny sing and sent the now famous telegram to his record company: "Have found phenomenal 19 year old boy who could go all the way. [ [http://www.marksonderproductions.com/headline/legends_mathis.html Johnny Mathis bio] ]

Billie Holiday's old friend Dr. Herbert Henderson visited Billie when she played dates at the Black Hawk Club in San Francisco during September 1958. . . . Immediately after the Black Hawk booking Billie took part in the first Monterey Jazz Festival, final evening, Sunday October 5, 1958." [Chilton, John. "Billie's Blues: The Billie Holiday Story, 1933-1959", Da Capo Press, page 185, (1989) - ISBN 0306803631] For several months each year, Dave Brubeck, who got his real start at the Black Hawk, returns to the Hawk for an extended series of appearances, playing for consecutive weekends, sometimes for three months at a time. [Michaels, Leonard. "West of the West: Imagining California", University of California Press, page178, (1995) - ISBN 0520201647]

Cal Tjader's "Jazz at the Blackhawk" (1959), recording during a long holiday season gig at San Francisco's Black Hawk club, Tjader patched together a superb program split between straight-ahead jazz and Afro-Cuban workouts. At the time, Tjader had both Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria in his rhythm section; Bobo handles the trap drums during the bop numbers, while the Latin tunes find Willie and Mongo creating even more heat on the timbales and congas. Pianist Vince Guaraldi swings like a madman on "A Night in Tunisia." Other tracks include "I Hadn't Anyone Till You," "Blue and Sentimental," Bill B.," "Stompin' at the Savoy," and "I Love Paris." The Black Hawk was breaking in some excellent new stereo recording equipment at the time of this gig; hence the clear, sharp sound. [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/more.jsp?tp=albums&pid=110343&aid=115537 Cal Tjader: Jazz at the Blackhawk] ]

Shelly Manne's Quintet, "At the Blackhawk, Vol. 1 - 4", was recorded extensively at San Francisco's Black Hawk club for three nights in 1959, four live albums recorded, now documented on five CDs. With trumpeter Joe Gordon, tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca, pianist Victor Feldman, and bassist Monty Budwig was certainly capable of playing high-quality bebop. Highlights include "Step Lightly," "What's New," "Vamp's Blues"). These lengthy performances "Vamp's Blues" is over 19 minutes long. The third volume adds a long version of "Whisper Not" to the original rendition, Cole Porter's "I Am in Love" and the spontaneous 18-minute "Black Hawk Blues." As with the first three sets, the fourth volume adds an alternate take (of "Cabu") to the original program ("Cabu," "Just Squeeze Me," "Nightingale," and a full-length version of their theme, "A Gem from Tiffany"). The lengthy solos are consistently excellent, making this entire series recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans. [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/more.jsp?tp=albums&pid=6992&aid=110642 Shelly Manne's Black Hawk recordings] ]

Thelonious Monk Quartet "At the Blackhawk" (1960), also includes tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and (for a brief period) drummer Billy Higgins is augmented on this live session by two guests: trumpeter Joe Gordon and the tenor of Harold Land. The extra horns uplift the date and add some surprising moments to what otherwise might have been a conventional, but still spirited live session. Highlights include "Let's Call This," "Four in One" and a swinging version of "I'm Getting Sentimental over You." Other tracks "Epistrophy," "Evidence," "San Francisco Holiday," "Round Midnight," "Epistrophy (Closing Theme)" [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/more.jsp?tp=albums&pid=88041&aid=111455 Thelonious Monk Quartet "At the Blackhawk"] ]

Miles Davis "In Person Friday Night at the Blackhawk", Complete, Volume I: This was to be the first recording of a Davis band live in concert for an official album release, with tenor saxophone Hank Mobley, drums Jimmy Cobb, bass Paul Chambers, and piano Wynton Kelly – for two nights in 1961 at the Blackhawk club. Some of this music had been previously released in varying configurations. [ [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=526A Period of Transition: Miles @ the Blackhawk 1961] ] Tracks includes "Oleo", "No Blues," "Bye Bye (Theme)," If I Were a Bell," "Fran Dance," "On Green Dolphin Street", "The Theme," "All Of You," "Neo," "I Thought About You," "Bye Bye Blackbird," "Walkin'," Love, I've Found You. [ [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11726 In Person Friday Night At The Blackhawk, Complete, Volume I] ]

Miles Davis "In Person Saturday Night at the Blackhawk", Complete, Volume II: Tracks include "If I Were a Bell," "So What," "On Green Dolphin Street," "Walkin," "Round Midnight," "Well You Needn't," "Autumn Leaves," "Neo (Teo)," "Two Bass Hit," "Love, I've Found You," "I Thought About You," "Someday My Prince Will Come," "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise". [ [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11727 Miles Davis: In Person Friday Night At The Blackhawk] ]

Mongo Santamaria "At The Black Hawk", in 1962, brought his recently-formed band to the legendary Black Hawk club, showing how an international cast of topflight musicians could be true to both Latin roots and jazz’s spirit of adventure. Cuba was well represented by tenor saxophonist José “Chombo” Silva, who also plays violin on the mellower charanga tracks recorded in New York, and Rolando Lozano, an incredible master of the wooden flute. Another key contributor is the Brazilian João Donato, who is heard on trombone as well as his more familiar piano, while jazz great Laurdine "Pat" Patrick, another of Mongo’s favorites, also puts in a guest appearance. [ [http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/FCD-24734-2/ Mongo Santamaria "At The Black Hawk"] ]

elective discography

ee also

*List of jazz clubs

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazzposters/c1/2500~milesdavisquintetattheblackhawksanfranciscocalifornia1957~10286872.html 1957 Poster: Miles Davis Quintet at the Blackhawk, San Francisco, California]
* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=1970All About Jazz: Shelly Manne & His Men At The Black Hawk]
* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=5391 Dave Brubeck bio]