Articles by Jon Sheckler
From Flock to Shepherd: The Evolution of the Drummer-Led Ensemble in Jazz
by Jon Sheckler
On November 15th, 2017 at 8:30pm, the Jazz Standard in New York City had a line around the block. Starting from the dual entrance of the Jazz Standard jazz club and Blue Smoke restaurant in the direct middle of East 27th Street, the line of people stretched almost to Lexington Avenue, nearly 300 feet. Just after 9:00pm, audience members from the earlier set began to be released. The faces included some of the most prominent members of the New York ...
Continue ReadingThe Great Hall: Perseverance Society Hall and the Beginnings of Jazz, Part 3
by Jon Sheckler
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Part 3: The Great Jazz HallPerseverance Society Hall was a multi-use facility for much of its history. But the chief use of the expansive interior was membership events. The design had even included a unique feature: a musicians' mezzanine was built at the back end of the hall. Just as benevolent societies had taken on responsibilities to the community in the wake of the defunding of the Freedmen's Bureau, the ...
Continue ReadingThe Great Hall: Perseverance Society Hall and the Beginnings of Jazz, Part 2
by Jon Sheckler
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Part 2: The BuildersBenevolence societies were staples of urban culture across the United States. New immigrants were encouraged to register at organizations which would help them find housing, employment, and serve as lenders and insurers. Known as benevolent societies or mutual aid associations, an element of these organizations still exists in the United States, most prominently in the Chinese community which proliferated new Chinese immigrants across the country while also ...
Continue ReadingThe Great Hall: Perseverance Society Hall and the Beginnings of Jazz, Part 1
by Jon Sheckler
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3Part 1: The Hurricane At 11:55 AM on August 29th, 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall. Winds that topped 160 MPH started to make their way up the state of Louisiana from Port Fuchone. The Category 4 storm, the fifth strongest to make landfall in United States history, would keep its maximum strength for the next six hours. Four days earlier, tropical storm 9 began its rapid development into a storm whose ...
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