WHEN Jesse Hameen II, a prominent drummer, was growing up in New Haven after World War II, perhaps 10 jazz clubs thrived within an eight-block radius of his home in the Dixwell neighborhood. Today, the clubs are gone, and with them, the core of a once-vibrant scene.
But jazz in New Haven is showing signs of revival. The New Haven Jazz Festival, which went dark last year after a slow decline, was resurrected last month, luring back to the city favorite sons who have gone on to major performing careers. A performance space, Firehouse 12, is drawing packed houses, providing a possible template for clubs catering to avant-garde tastes. And feeding it all are collectives dedicated to improvised music.
“Jazz was kind of dying," said Mr. Hameen, 67, who played a big part in the revival with his participation in Jazz Haven, a community-based organization that produced this year's festival. “But it's building now."
As late as 1963, when Mr. Hameen left New Haven for Harlem's bright lights, Dixwell was jumping. Clubs like the Playback, run by the French horn player and New Haven native Willie Ruff, and the Monterey Cafe, operated by the former vaudeville star Rufus Greenlee, also a native of New Haven, attracted many of the world's top players.
“New Haven was one of the meccas," Mr. Hameen said.
But jazz in New Haven is showing signs of revival. The New Haven Jazz Festival, which went dark last year after a slow decline, was resurrected last month, luring back to the city favorite sons who have gone on to major performing careers. A performance space, Firehouse 12, is drawing packed houses, providing a possible template for clubs catering to avant-garde tastes. And feeding it all are collectives dedicated to improvised music.
“Jazz was kind of dying," said Mr. Hameen, 67, who played a big part in the revival with his participation in Jazz Haven, a community-based organization that produced this year's festival. “But it's building now."
As late as 1963, when Mr. Hameen left New Haven for Harlem's bright lights, Dixwell was jumping. Clubs like the Playback, run by the French horn player and New Haven native Willie Ruff, and the Monterey Cafe, operated by the former vaudeville star Rufus Greenlee, also a native of New Haven, attracted many of the world's top players.
“New Haven was one of the meccas," Mr. Hameen said.
