A recently found article from the Hartford Courant, tells the story of the founding the the Hartford Jazz Society. Beautifully written by Herbert J. Stoeckel, this piece of Hartford history recounts the very beginnings of what was to become the jazz scene in our city.
Excerpts:
It was a balmy, fragrant midsummer night in 1961… “Let’s talk things over out on the lawn,” suggested the host to his twelve guests. There were cool drinks. The smokers lighted up. Stars twinkled overhead. Fireflies glowed in the dark. Crickets chirped. It was in this idyllic spot that the Hartford Jazz Society, today known far and wide, although young in years, had its beginning. A few hours later, as the dozen charter members began to depart, the society had been formally organized. The host that evening… was Arthur T. Fine… long a postgraduate student of American syncopated music generically termed jazz… In short, Hartford, due to the HJS, has been called the jazz capital of America…
Read the entire article below. Click on the images to view full size.
View or download a PDF here.
