Boston’s Jazz Anchor
In a year in review article at the end of 1989, the Boston Globe’s Fernando Gonzalez said that the then brand-new Scullers Jazz Club “looks like it’s here to stay.” Also in 1989, the Globe’s Steve Morse wrote, “Need a retreat to hear some of the best jazz in town? You can’t go wrong with Scullers, a superb new club with a panoramic view of the Charles River and Boston skyline. The atmosphere is warm, the ambiance low-key and the bookings a breath of fresh air. The intimate, 110-capacity club [has] marble tables, deep-cushioned chairs, Honduran mahogany walls and an upscale but not uppity feel… This club’s a welcome addition — and long overdue in the local jazz world. ”
When Scullers was founded, it filled a hole in the local music scene – while Cambridge and Somerville had several lively jazz spots, Boston had not had a major jazz venue since the Starlight Roof in Kenmore Square closed in 1986. Several other important venues, such as Jonathan Swift’s and Charlie’s Tap, had closed earlier in the decade. Boston needed something like Scullers.
Since the now iconic club will be celebrating its twenty-fifth birthday next year, it’s safe to say that Fernando Gonzalez was right when he said Scullers is here to stay. But why wait until a big anniversary to celebrate Scullers? The Yoko Miwa Trio’s annual Scullers show is next week, November 20, at 8 pm, so get your tickets now.