Jazz Mondays

Matt Chasen is an important figure in Hartford’s Jazz community. As a musician, educator and historian of this art-form, Matt has recently been documenting many of the important concerts and activities of our jazz scene. Here, he pays tribute to one of Hartford’s continuing and endearing jazz traditions.

As hard as it is to believe, Monday, October 22, 2018 marks the eleven year anniversary of the first “Jazz Mondays” or what at that time was called the “Monday Night Jazz Jam” performance at Black Eyed Sally’s Southern Kitchen and Bar in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, just across the street from the historic, scenic and picturesque Bushnell Park, and only several blocks from Connecticut’s MASTERFUL State Capitol Complex.

There are a handful of people who need to be thanked, saluted, highlighted and put into the spotlight for the invaluable work that they contributed over the years to ensuring that what is now known as “Jazz Mondays” would continue unabated from one week to the next. Saxophonist Yunie Mojica and trombonist Raynel Frazier collectively managed and booked the series for a period of time, including after they had both moved from Hartford, Connecticut to New York, New York, which was certainly no easy task. Drummer Rob Griffith, saxophonist John Phillips-Sandy and drummer Cory Sims were also collectively responsible for booking and managing the series for quite some time as all three were based in the area after graduating from The Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz within The University of Hartford’s Hartt School in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Eventually, trumpeter Haneef N Nelson took over the duties of booking, managing, coordinating and handling partial promotion for “Jazz Mondays”, which is a platform that he has held for a handful of years now. Haneef has done an IMMENSE amount of work throughout his time at the helm, in order to bring as much attention to the CRITICAL, VITAL and EXTREMELY IMPORTANT role that the “Jazz Mondays” series at Black Eyed Sally’s Southern Kitchen and Bar plays in the activities of not merely the “jazz” contingency of the musical community within Greater Hartford, Connecticut, but the music and artistic scenes as a whole.

Haneef has done things such as having every Monday night performance filmed and interviewing the bandleader in-between the conclusion of the house band’s set and the commencement of the jam session. He has managed to bring NUMEROUS New York City musicians and artists from points elsewhere into Black Eyed Sally’s, while also still retaining the core value of attempting to showcase the PLETHORA of artistic talent that is coming out of the Hartford, Connecticut musical universe. He is a champion of giving young, up-and-coming musicians an opportunity to lead a band of their own in a reputable, well-known and established local venue that has quite a bit of prominence when placed up next to comparable venues around the Northeast.

The number of Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, Western Connecticut State University, University of Connecticut, New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, William Paterson University, University of Rhode Island, Rutgers University, Purchase College, New York University, Manhattan School of Music, The New School and Oberlin Conservatory graduates that have performed on the stage of Black Eyed Sally’s over the years is truly incredible, because it speaks to the fact that those who might not have the biggest names are just as welcome as infamous veterans from Hartford, Connecticut and points elsewhere.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge such heavyweights and critical contributors to the preservation of “Jazz Mondays” at Black Eyed Sally’s Southern Kitchen and Bar as trombonist Steve Davis, bassist Nat Reeves, bassist Dezron L Douglas, saxophonist Lummie Spann, trumpeter Josh Evans, bassist Stephen King Porter, drummer Ben Bilello, pianist Craig Hartley, pianist Jen Clark Allen, saxophonist Raymond McMorrin, drummer Jonathan Barber, saxophonist Kris Allen, saxophonist Frank Kozyra, saxophonist Kris Jensen, guitarist Rich Goldstein, saxophonist Peter Greenfogel, pianist Chris Casey, bassist Matt Dwonszyk, pianist Warren Byrd, multi-instrumentalist Saskia Laroo, drummer and percussionist Jocelyn Pleasant, pianist and keyboardist Damian King Solomon Curtis, conguero Nelson Bello, trombonist Emmett Goods, aficionado Sharon Girard, aficionado Larry Girard, photographers Hampton G. Lewis, Joseph Chandler, Ray Shaw, Bill Shea, Andrew James, Frank Poulin, Maurice D. Robertson (Hartford Jazz Society Board Member and WWUH 91.3 FM D.J.), The Hartford Jazz Society for their unwavering investment and support in the “jazz” community collectively, Ken Laster (Hartford Jazz Society Board Member and WWUH 91.3 FM D.J.), Claire Laster, Sherman Schlar, Sharon Churchill (Real Art Ways Board Member), Steven Konover, Thomas Chopp, Hannah Chopp, Alan Wilson, David Wilson, Bruce Wilson, Dan Fine, Andres Chaparro (world renown visual artist, former promoter and Hartford Jazz Society Board Member) and a number of other local musicians who have been regular features and faces at Black Eyed Sally’s over the years.

Please continue to come out from one Monday to the next, because it is ONLY through the support of the community, and that includes support of both musicians and venues, that an establishment such as Black Eyed Sally’s Southern Kitchen and Bar continues to provide a setting in which musicians can hone and perfect their craft in front of a receptive and enthusiastic audience. A HUGE thank you to bartender Brian T. Lee, hostess/waitress Haylan Victoria and the entire staff of Black Eyed Sally’s Southern Kitchen and Bar. We couldn’t even remotely begin to do this without you!

by Matt Chasen, from Facebook post Oct 21, 2018