Timothy Greenfield, Jazzmobile’s Chairman of the Board, said, “We are excited for this opportunity to expand our programming year-round, something the Jazzmobile audience has been requesting for years. We’re looking forward to presenting Jazzmobile artists as well as introducing new talent as a part of this residency at one of the world’s most renowned jazz venues.” For Jazzmobile Director, Robin Bell-Stevens, this is “…a dream come true to be able to present great jazz artists in the same club where my father, a former Duke Ellington bassist, Dr. Aaron Bell, once performed.”

One of the most important shrines in the history of jazz, Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem was the place where Bebop was born and where the foundations of modern jazz were established. Founded in 1938 by the saxophonist Henry Minton, the club became the setting for a revolution in jazz. Among the legends who graced the stage were Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Billy Eckstine, Erroll Garner and more. After a fire, the club closed in 1974, but more than 30 years later, it reopened in 2006. Today, Minton’s remains the home of some of the world’s finest jazz. For reservations and more information, visit mintonsharlem.com. 

Jazzmobile, is the oldest not-for-profit arts organization created just for jazz in the country. In 2019 Jazzmobile is presenting SUMMERFEST, New York City’s longest running Jazz Festival, all summer long. Founded in 1964 by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor and philanthropist Ms. Daphne Arnstein with NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath, Jazzmobile has a mission to present, preserve, promote, and propagate America’s classical jazz through quality music education and performance programs. To learn more, visit jazzmobile.org.