Harlem Jazz Club faces silent future as pandemic halts indoor entertainment
The faint zaps of flashing lights on the façade of Minton’s Playhouse are the only sounds coming from the legendary jazz club where Duke Ellington and Billie Holliday once performed. As New York City businesses have reopened, entertainment venues like Minton’s remain shuttered, leaving a deep hole in Harlem’s formerly vibrant music scene.
“It’s something that we all have to deal with and we need to adapt. That is the reality of it,” said Minton’s owner Raphael Benavides Baccus.
New York City restaurants resumed indoor dining at 25 percent capacity in September 2020, under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s pandemic response plan. Baccus says the jazz club faces a bleak future if the strict guidelines continue into the cold winter months. The maximum capacity for Minton’s Playhouse is 115 people.
“At 25 percent, I think it’s going to be impossible to do live music,” explained Baccus. “It’s looking very scary, you know. I’d be lying to you if I tell you everything is going to be fine.”
The venue’s survival relies on the success of The Cecil Steakhouse, its sister establishment next door, which Baccus also owns. Minton’s Playhouse and The Cecil have shared a menu and hosted guests outdoors since late March, when Gov. Cuomo ordered NYC businesses to shut down in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19.
To make up for lost revenue, Baccus set out a plan to draw in more customers by rebranding the intersection of 118th Street and St. Nicholas Ave as “the most artistic corner in Harlem”. Those who come to dine outdoors at The Cecil are treated to live entertainment including jazz performances, DJ competitions, and drag brunches.
“This gig has really been a game-changer,” said New Jersey-based drag queen Octavia Anyae. She said the competition in New York’s entertainment scene has become even more intense because the pandemic decimated thousands of work opportunities.
“We’re like all sharks in the ocean that are hungry. You know, New York City is home to a lot of drag queens,” said Anyae. “It’s almost like a dog-eat-dog world out here right now.”
Baccus noted that the outdoor shows are proving to be effective, but up to 5 percent of sales revenue goes to purchasing protective gear like masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer for diners and employees.
“PPE materials is an expense that we didn’t have before,” he explained. “They’re out of stock, very difficult to find. So what happens when you find it? You’re gonna end up paying double or triple the price.”
The jazz club is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as the birthplace of bebop. Baccus noted visitors often approached Minton’s with a certain reverence.
“We call it the Cathedral of Bebop, the Cathedral of Jazz,” said Baccus. “For some people, this is sacred ground.”
Inside of Minton’s Playhouse, large portraits of legendary musicians like Louis Armstrong and Thelonius Monk overlook the dimly lit hall like stained glass windows in a house of worship. As the club remains closed, it is used as a storage space for employees and a dressing room for performers.
Musician Wayne Tucker said he never imagined the pandemic would have such an impact on New York City’s nightlife. He last performed at Minton’s on March 6.
“I was still unaware that everything was going to shut down,” said Tucker. “My life was often on tour, and now it’s pretty stationary.”
Tucker now balances three performances at private events or outdoor restaurants three times a week, using his talents to earn additional income.
“We can seek places and ways to perform that we wouldn’t typically utilize, like live streams or albums,” he said. “But to be honest, come winter if things aren’t open indoors, many of us aren’t going to survive off of our art.”
Baccus received loans from the Small Businesses Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program last spring, but the money has since run out. He hopes that there will be another federal round of funding to help entertainment venues like Minton’s reopen.
Minton’s Playhouse has had a turbulent history of closing and reopening since it was established in 1938. It first shut down in 1974 after a fire at The Cecil Hotel, which houses Minton’s on the first floor. The club was remodeled and opened again for a short stint from 2006 to 2010. Baccus has owned and operated the club since 2015 and plans to do all that he can to make sure it withstands the pandemic’s most harsh economic effects.
“I’m willing to give it all I got, you know, to make sure that we stay open. But if it’s not me, somebody has to, only because of what it represents,” said Baccus. “It’s a very special place and it cannot disappear.”