Balcones |
It turns out that for a few years, starting in the mid 40s the space where the restaurant is (combined with the psychic's joint next door and the little market next to that) was Billy Berg's.
Billy Berg's was a nightclub. Okay, not just a nightclub, but a nightclub of Happenings!
For starters it was the first commercial nightclub in Hollywood to be fully integrated - from stage to audience black and white could at last hang out together.
The room was opened in Feb of '45 by Coleman Hawkins. Next up on the bill in May was the brilliant and 'vout-oreenie' Slim Gaillard (the man who coined the term 'groovy'). You'll be hearing more from Slim shortly, but if you don't know him, sniff around the web a lil bit and get informed. You'll be glad.
Right after Slim's residency, Berg brought in way-out Harry The Hipster:
Harry Gibson (who, btw, coined the term 'hipster') was a whacked out, Harlem jivin', boogie woogie piano pounding blond white kid from the Bronx who's career was re-discovered in the 70s.
Harry The Hipster Gibson on stage at Billy Berg's, Aug. '45 |
When he hit it at Berg's he was fresh, trending and in the know. Berg asked the Hipster to recommend a hot act from 52nd street for him to bring out for the club. Harry didn't even hesitate. He told the impresario of this cat named Dizzy who had a quintet that was 'gone daddy, I mean gone!' And there was another cat in the act called Bird who was stratospheric!
Parker and Gillespie |
On December 10th, 1945, Bop hit town and Hollywood went into orbit. Kind of. The first set came and went with no Charlie Parker. The second set -- same thing. Parker was not nodding off in some hotel room as you might suspect, he was in fact backstage in the dressing room consuming two complete orders of Comida Conquistador (a huge Mexican sampler platter that was the kitchen's specialty) and drinking tumblers of gin. Finally when The Bird was stuffed, he entered the showroom from the back blowing a crazy solo on "Cherokee". Weaving his way through the audience, a hail of notes was shooting out of the horn like a tommy gun. One by one, the rhythm section fell in with him and by the time he hit the stage, the whole band was cooking, but plenty. The crowd, it is safe to say, went wild.
Bird on stage at Berg's |
The place was packed for the first two weeks mostly out of curiosity, but ultimately the crowds tapered off to be pretty much just other jazz musicians. Los Angeles simply wasn't ready. This was the land of warmth and flowers and beaches and melody. They were having trouble wrapping their sun-baked minds around a sound that was so icy/hot, so full of smoke and concrete and dope and flat ninths and sharp elevenths. L.A. was still speaking hep; they hadn't yet moved into hip.
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One night in 1946 Hoagy Carmichael was enjoying an evening at Berg's club when he heard a familiar sound.
Hoagy Carmichael (2nd from L.) and party at Berg's |
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Ad from the Los Angeles Eagle |
Then it was December 15th, 1948, that the incomparable Lady Day began an engagement at the club. At this point in her life, drug busts and prison sentences behind her, unpredictable things had a way of cropping up. And so we shouldn't be too surprised that on New Year's Eve a rumble broke out in the kitchen with Billie smack in the middle of it all. Before all was said and done, Lady had smashed every dish she could get her hands on and her lover-of-the-moment, Johnny Levy, had buried a butcher knife into the shoulder of some poor bastard bystander that wasn't even involved in the fracas. Holiday and Levy were hauled off to jail.
Billie leaves the courthouse. |
Here is an audio clip that was recorded on her opening night of a beautiful tune called "Maybe You'll Be There". Holiday is backed up by Red Norvo and the boys:
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I don't know how long into the 50s Billy Berg's stayed in business, but I do know that I have a new place in the neighborhood to go and feel some way out vibes.....
3 comments:
crazy man....crazy!!
That's some sensational jazz -- Hawkins, Diz, Bird, Louis, Teagarden, Lady Day, Red Norvo. I wouldn't be surprised if Anita O'Day appeared there as well.
Good stuff! How many times I sat at KFC, shoveling in disgusting food on a lunch break, staring at that building. I never knowd!
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