By Gregory Burrus | Posted Thursday, April 15, 2021
Back in 2015 while taking my daughter to college, we were snowed in (or was it snowed out?). Believe it or not, Buffalo Airport was fine but Newark Airport was not. Yes, Newark New Jersey Airport was snowed in and no flights were leaving Buffalo for Newark. Hence, we were stuck in Buffalo. We secured a hotel and looked for things to do. Being an avowed live music lover and jazz nut, we made some local calls and scanned the hotel guides. We also put a note out on social media, and our friends in New Jersey who originated from Buffalo supplied us with some great recommendations. So, sit back and enjoy our journey through Buffalo as we discover the live jazz music and show you why you should stop in Buffalo during your travels.
Being instant tourists, we of course came across the famous Anchor Bar which is the home of the original Buffalo Wings, originated in 1964 by Dominic Bellissimo’s mother with her secret sauce. The wings tasted great, the menu contained lots of regular bar-type food favorites, the service was fast and overall the atmosphere was lively and upbeat.
Live Jazz Music - Saxophonist Bilal NuGravee
The treat for us was that the Anchor Bar contained a reason for New Jersey Jazz lovers like us to visit Buffalo – that's right, they had some serious jazz. That night, they had a local Quartet with a really cool musician named Bilal NuGravee who played saxophone. While I didn't have a recording from that night, you can listen to a concert that Bilal NuGravee and the NuGravee Band performed at the Burchfield Penney Art Center which is right next to Buffalo State College.
This was at a three-day John Coltrane festival in celebration of the jazz icon's 93rd birthday.
Bilal NuGravee is a brilliant saxophonist who studied with jazz legends Frank Foster and Archie Shepp, has classical training, and also has more than 40 years of performing various genres of music. Click to take a listen. You’ll love it, as these cats were swinging hard.
Chelsea Burrus hanging at The Terrace at Delaware Park.
Another place for jazz is The Terrace at Delaware Park, located at 199 Lincoln Pkwy, Buffalo. The Terrace offers safe, comfortable sophisticated dine-in seating on their cozy heated patio or fireside dining room. Situated in the Heart of Fredrick Law Olmstead’s Delaware Park, The Terrace offers upscale casual dining with spectacular views and breathtaking sunsets. StepOut Buffalo puts it this way: “It doesn’t get more idyllic than live jazz overlooking Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park. The Terrace features live ‘jazz and cocktails’ every Friday and Saturday night.” Of course, check for adjustments during this pandemic.
Chelsea Burrus on an annual trip visits PAUSA Art House.
The next stop on this jazz lover’s excursion is a bit more of an artistic place called the PAUSA Art House. The Cuban-born violinist Lázara Martinez co-founded PAUSA Art House in 2013. She is currently the sole owner and manager of all PAUSA business operations.
This place has gained a very good live music reputation, or as stated by StepOut Buffalo: “Although it’s relatively new, PAUSA has quickly gained a reputation as a go-to jazz spot. Sure, there are more high-profile places..., but PAUSA reliably books more jazz than those other places. It’s an intimate spot with the vibe changing based on who’s performing.“
Live Jazz/Funk Vocalist - Alice MacArthur
Above is Jazz/Funk Vocalist Alex MacArthur and her band (bottom), with Chelsea Burrus at the PAUSA Art House (top left), and (top right) is the PAUSA Art House Owner Lázara Martinez. The interesting thing was I discovered Alex MacArthur from listening to her magnificent voice at a jam held at The Historic Colored Musicians Club.
“Originally, there was only one Buffalo musicians union, Local 43. This all white Local which was part of the American Federation of Musicians refused to include African American musicians. As a result, a separate union, Buffalo Local 533 was formed on February 3, 1917. Buffalo then became the eighth city in the United States, since the 1896 founding of the American Federation of Musicians, with racially segregated musician’s local unions.” (Men Working Together: The Colored Musicians Club of Buffalo. By Rachel Bernstein, https://www.cmctheclub.com/club-history)
Retired President of Local 533, Dr. Raymond E. Jackson said, “the musicians used to hang out after they finished their jobs at night. You could get a trotter – a plate of pork, a pig foot, a plate of beans and a bottle of beer – for 25 cents. On Sundays, musicians would utilize the club for band rehearsals, taking advantage of the free space and the piano it provided.”
“Musicians sign the door in the performers' lounge. This is a signature by Buffalonian Dr. Lonnie Smith, a world-renowned musician, composer and performer.” Read more from by Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News here.
Live Jazz Music At The Club
The jazz club, which is upstairs, hasn't changed much from back in the day. Now, imagine you can still head on out to a place that, since the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, all the great stars of jazz who came to town stopped in at to jam with their friends and local musicians, such as Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Lena Horne, Art Blakey, James Moody and so many more.
Pictured above bottom is an event where I met Alex McArthur and her band - (top left) with Vocalist Melissa Kate, (top mid) Pianist Walter Kemp III and tong time member, and hall-of-famer, Charles Reedy who remembers one of his highest moments as an invitation by Al Tinney to play a tribute to Charlie Parker at the University at Buffalo. “This invitation from Al came accompanied with the complement that Charles Reedy had a sound close to that of Parker himself which is why he was being selected for the gig. Such fellowship and kind supportive words seem like a signature created by the Buffalo Club.” ("Colored Musicians Club 1918 - Present.” By Rachel Bernstein. http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-cmchistory.html)
I know we felt the camaraderie when we were there for sure, thanks to George Scott (President of the CMC) and other regulars – so much so, that we went back twice before we left town.
I know we felt the camaraderie when we were there for sure, thanks to George Scott (President of the CMC) and other regulars – so much so, that we went back twice before we left town.
The CMC has also organized and sponsored the Queen City Jazz Festival since 2006. As Spectrum News reports, “If you are in the mood for some toe-tapping music, The Historic Colored Musicians Club is holding its tenth annual ‘Queen City Jazz Festival’ Saturday afternoon. The event features food, street shops and of course, jazz music, with more than 15 ensembles hitting the stage. It's the perfect atmosphere to bring your own chair and relax to the music. The festival is located on Michigan Street, between Broadway and William.”
Jazz Museum at The Colored Musicians Club
George Scott, President of the CMC (green shirt), oversees daily operations of the non-profit, runs its interactive first-floor museum, and leads the George Scott Big Band in the club on Monday nights.
The historic Colored Musicians Club in Buffalo is celebrating a major milestone February. The month marks 100 years since the start of Local 533, the union that represented African-American musicians in the city during a time when segregation was legal and enforced.
The Colored Musicians Club is a historic landmark, a museum, a jazz practice space and a jazz club that links Buffalo to the history of Jazz in a unique and very historical way. It is truly a last of its kind left in the U.S.
The Colored Musicians Club is making sure that history is told and not forgotten, as it has a plethora of information on how Buffalo was an epicenter of Black musical influence. The club is going through a much welcomed expansion which can be read about here. Today, the Colored Musicians Club is the only remaining African American club in the entire United States and, as such, it actively encourages historical research and preservation of the history of jazz in Buffalo.
African American Heritage Corridor Archway
Now, there is this unique archway that recently went up that continues the history associated with the Colored Musicians Club – The African American Heritage Corridor Archway, which is described this way by Archway Designer Valeria Cray: “The woman that’s on the archway, she represents a strong woman who has had to carry her out of slavery,” she said. “The baby on her back is coming out of slavery. The baby in her stomach will be born into freedom. The man that’s on the left, he represents the men, the strength that he had to carry his family through so many issues so they could be free.” (“New Archway Marks Buffalo's African American Heritage Corridor.” By Thomas O’Neil-White. https://news.wbfo.org/post/new-archway-marks-buffalos-african-american-heritage-corridor)
According to NPR Station WBFO, “The new archway marks Buffalo's African American Heritage Corridor […] The archway is located between William Street and Broadway, a significant stretch of African American history in Buffalo. The Michigan Avenue Baptist Church was a notable stop on the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves fleeing to Canada. WUFO was the first black-owned radio station in the city and The Colored Musicians Club served as a union hall back when unions were segregated.”
This unique archway is the first archway in the City of Buffalo.
Shout Outs
We have to give a shout out to a few folks who gave some direction in this endeavor:
Ron Carter of East Orange, NJ
WBGO On Air Radio Personality, the fabulous WBGO DJ Sheila Anderson who wrote the book How to Grow as a Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed
Jazz Buffalo, which is dedicated to building jazz awareness and jazz appreciation in the WNY area
Step Out Buffalo sums it up: “Buffalo has a proud and diverse jazz tradition that continues to thrive. You can’t swing a tenor saxophone in this town without hitting at least one great jazz musician.”
Gregory Burrus hanging at Porchfest 2018.
Buffalo Porchfest is a grassroots music festival that turns porches into stages for local bands and musicians for an afternoon. Buffalo Porchfest occurs biannually, every spring and fall, in the Elmwood Village in Buffalo, NY and is organized by volunteers and assisted/supported by the Elmwood Village Association.
Being from Jersey, I can tell you someone in my family makes this trip annually since 2016. Whether you are a musician traveling through, a history buff or a music lover, it's worth a stop over to check out the vibrant live music scene that I discovered. There's real Jazz and History in Buffalo.
About the Author
Gregory enjoys all music genres, but his first love of jazz began as a boy when his mother and father played jazz on the good old record player at home and took him to clubs all over Manhattan. Greg is putting his expertise and knowledge gained from his former business environment to work producing music, art and community events across South Orange, Maplewood, Newark and other towns around the Jersey/NYC area.