FOLLOW THE SOUND: NYC R&B CLUBS
Three important "ghost" hang outs on Manhattan's West Side
Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s before hip hop’s takeover of black popular culture, r&b was the coin of the realm when it came to New York clubs catering to black folks. Jazz was always part of the scene, of course, but when it came to an adult crowd with spending cash that liked to dress up, it was music spots with a lively bar and decent food that set the good life tone. For a number of reasons that’s not true in NYC anymore. Part of it has been the way hip hop changed the music game. But changing demographics and massive high rise condo development under Mayors Guiliani and Bloomberg altered the city, particularly Manhattan, in ways that put small, community based businesses in economic peril. Of the three clubs I revisited in the latest Follow the Sound videos, all have been torn down and, in their footprint, are either high rise buildings or locations meant to serve them. As you’ll see these locations served as sites where new talent was showcased amid brown liquor orders and spirited conversation. Two of them, Mikell’s and the Cellar, were in easy walking distance of each other and anchored of their communities. The other, Sweetwaters, was about thirty blocks farther downtown but, in atmosphere and spirit, a cousin of the other two.
Music culture and real estate evaluations are always in a dialogue in NYC and most big cities, but the balance has swung towards development since the ‘80s. Some of that action has moved to Brooklyn, but the range of live musical expression available on a nightly basis in this city has definitely shrunk since my active days reviewing music. Disco made a dent in live music and then hip hop changed the overall musical environment. But the urban planning policies of the city pre and post 9/11 are also part of this change. As I do more videos, and explore more parts of NYC, this is a thread I’ll explore. When old New Yorker’s complaint about the city in the 21st century, often its nostalgia for a musical scene that was systematically bull dozed out of existence.
Like I say “Always follow the sound.”