Jazz Week in Boston seems to be kind of a neat event — it’s like a city wide, week long festival to which the entire city is completely … oblivious. But no matter, for fans of jazz, this is a glorious week. Of course, time and financial constraints mean that I’m seeking out the highest quality free events for the week. (I might break down and go check out Lionel Loueke at Regatta Bar.)
I was able to check out a nice talk by Dick Vacca titled “From Savoy to Storyville: Boston in the 40s and 50s.” He discussed Boston’s jazz history – at a time when downtown was littered with dance halls with jazz big bands, with no dancing allowed on Sundays, of course. Weaving a story through some of the biggest little names in the world of jazz, Vacca opened up a world of Sabby Lewis, Sandy and the Rhythm Kings, Herb Pomeroy, and others that I’m hoping to explore soon. He told of Ace Recording and legendary venues that reminded me that I was probably born in the wrong generation of music.
The brief questions turned out to be even more informative, as it turned out that one of the audience members penned the liner notes of a rare George Wein album, sparking a dialogue with Vacca regarding his upcoming book on Boston jazz. Additionally, another person in the audience recanted his tale of helping Sabby Lewis during his return to the piano after a car accident temporarily ended Lewis’s career.
It was an intimate conversation with Vacca and the other jazz lovers curious about the history of Boston jazz, and it reminded me once again what a rich cultural tradition this town enjoys, even in the world of jazz.
