>> THAT WAS RON CARTER AND HE

WAS PLAYING JAZZ.

HE IS A MASTER MUSICIAN, ONE

OF THE BEST AROUND.

MY NAME IS DORIS HEINZE AND

I'M A SINGER.

I TRY TO BE A GOOD ONE.

I SING SHOW TUNES, GOSPEL,

SPIRITUAL, SOME BLUES AND

ESPECIALLY JAZZ.

NOW, I APPRECIATE ALL FORMS OF

MUSIC, OPERA, COUNTRY AND

WESTERN, THERE ARE MANY FORMS

OF ART, BUT I PUT JAZZ RIGHT

AT THE TOP AND I THINK A LOT

OF OTHER PEOPLE FEEL THE SAME

WAY.

BUT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS,

THE JAZZ SCENE HERE IN THE

TWIN CITIES HAS BEEN DORMANT,

FOR SOME TIME, TOO LONG.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE HAD TUNNEL

VISION ABOUT MUSIC.

AND WHEN I WAS FIRST BOOKED

HERE, IN 1959, THERE WERE MANY

JAZZ CLUBS IN TOWN.

THERE WAS HERBS, THE PADDED

CELL, THE KEY CLUB, THE FLAME,

FREDDY'S.

FREDDY'S USED TO HAVE LIKE

ELLA FITZGERALD, SARAH WAND,

BILLY, BUT BY THE TIME THEY

CAME BACK FROM THEIR FIRST

TOUR IN JAPAN IN 1963, THEY

WERE ALL GONE.

FREDDY'S HAD TURNED INTO A

PLACE CALLED VIN VENT VAN GOGH

GOGHS, NO MORE JAZZ.

NOW IT'S BEGINNING TO COME

BACK.

JAZZ IS BEGINNING TO BECOME

ALIVE AGAIN IN THE TWIN

CITIES. IN FACT, YOU MIGHT SAY THAT

IT'S BURGEONING.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> IN THE TWIN CITIES, WE GET

JAZZ THAT'S BIG NAME,

ORCHESTRA HALL SIZE, AND

AVENUE ON GUARD, WALKER ARTS

CENTER SIZE.

AVON GUARD.

SINCE MORE CLUB JAZZ, LESSER

KNOWN BUT RECORDED TALENTS

COME THROUGH IOWA THAN HERE,

WE ASK LOCAL PROMOTERS ABOUT

CLUBS, ABOUT NAME TALENT, AND

ABOUT THE LOCAL SCENE.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> WHAT I DO IS I TRY TO BRING

IN BASICALLY CONCERT MUSIC.

PEOPLE WHO ARE WRITING CHAMBER

MUSIC IN THE 20th CENTURY.

IT'S NOT THE KIND OF MUSIC

THAT YOU GO TO A NIGHTCLUB

FOR.

IT'S MUSIC THAT YOU GO AND YOU

SIT AND LISTEN TO INTENSELY

FOR ONE HOUR TO TWO-HOUR

PERIOD.

>> ALTHOUGH THERE REMAIN MANY

PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO JAZZ WHO

ONLY ENJOY LISTENING TO IT IN

A CLUB ATMOSPHERE, NICE, DARK,

SMOKY CLUB WHERE THEY CAN SIT

AND SIP BORBON.

>> THE LONGHORN WAS THE LAST

CLUB TO ATTEMPT JAZZ

REGULARLY.

THEY HAD PROBLEMS.

>> YOU CAN'T KEEP A ROOM OPEN

JUST FOR EVERY FOUR TO SIX

WEEKS BRINGING IN THE GUEST

ACT.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE

ROOM OPEN BY LOCAL SUPPORT,

FOR YOUR IN-TOWN GROUPS.

WHICH WE WEREN'T GETTING.

YOU KNOW?

AND THAT WOULD BE THE PRIMARY

REASON, I WOULD THINK.

>> HOW DID THE NATIONAL GROUPS

DO?

>> NATIONAL GROUPS DID GOOD,

YOU KNOW, BUT THEN WE STARTED

BRINGING IN THEM SOONER.

INSTEAD OF EVERY FOUR TO SIX,

EVERY, LIKE, THREE TO FOUR, OR

THREE TO FIVE.

AND THEN, WELL, WHAT HAPPENED

THEN IS IT WOULD BE TOO SOON.

>> SO YOU WERE SPLITTING YOUR

AUDIENCE TOO MUCH?

>> YEAH.

REALLY.

AND IT'S A SMALL AUDIENCE TO

BEGIN WITH.

[ ♪♪ ]

♪ JAZZ ♪

>> THE NUMBER OF CLUBS

FEATURING JAZZ HAS INCREASED

SINCE 1978.

THE YEAR THE LONGHORNS STOPPED

BOOKING JAZZ REGULARLY.

>> WELL, THERE'S JAZZ IN MORE

TWIN CITIES BARS, CLUBS, AND

RESTAURANTS THAN I THINK

THERE'S EVER BEEN.

SO, LOCAL JAZZ MUSICIANS ARE

PROBABLY FINDING MORE WORK

THAN THEY HAVE IN A LONG

TIMEMENT

NOW, IN MANY CASES, IT'S ONLY

ONE NIGHT A WEEK, SO I DON'T

WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION

THAT -- THAT IT'S A THRIVING

KIND OF A SCENE.

JAZZ MUSICIANS ARE WORKING

CONSTANTLY.

BECAUSE I'M SURE THEY AREN'T.

>> MANY PLACES PLAY JAZZ NOW,

BUT IT'S MOSTLY A SECONDARY

THING.

ONE NIGHT A WEEK, TWO NIGHTS A

WEEK, OR THE PRIMARY PURPOSE

OF THE PLACE IS TO SERVE FOOD

OR SOMETHING ELSE.

>> THE PLACE WHERE THE MOST

JAZZ HAPPENS HAS NOT BEEN A

JAZZ CLUB IN THE AUDIENCE

SENSE.

BUT MORE A MUSIC CLUB

ATTRACTING JAZZ MUSICIANS.

>> THE RAINBOW GALLERY IS A

PLACE WHERE THE MUSICIANS CAN

COME TOGETHER AND HANG OUT,

PLAY ANY KIND OF MUSIC THEY

WANT TO.

ESPECIALLY CREATIVE.

I THINK THAT IT CAN ALSO BE AN

OPEN SET FOR OTHER THINGS TO

OCCUR.

AND IN OTHER WAYS, I THINK

IT'S JUST A SURVIVAL STUDIO.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> IT'S DIFFICULT TO RUN THE

PLACE IN THE WINTER BECAUSE

THEY HEAT WITH WOOD.

SO WE CLOSE DOWN IN THE

WINTER.

OTHERWISE IT'S KIND OF ALL

RIGHT, ESPECIALLY IF THE

GROUPS BRING IN THEIR OWN

PEOPLE.

THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE

THIS PLACE GO.

>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MAKE --

>> WELL, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE

A PUBLICITY MACHINERY THAT WE

COULD TURN OUT FOR EACH AND

EVERY GROUP THAT WE HAVE,

THEY'RE SO DIFFERENT.

SO EACH GROUP THAT

SUCCESSFULLY BRINGS PEOPLE IN

HERE USUALLY HAS SOME KIND OF

A NETWORK OF BRINGING THE

PEOPLE IN.

LIKE THEIR FRIENDS.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> I FEEL THAT JAZZ CAN MAKE

IT IN THE CITIES IF IT'S

PROMOTED RIGHT.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> WE HAVE ENTERTAINERS NOW

THAT WOULD GLADLY COME INTO I

CLUB LIKE THIS, DO EVERYTHING,

JUST FOR THE EXPOSURE.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> SOMETHING THAT LEADERS, I

THINK, GOOD LEADERS IN THIS

AREA.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> WHAT MAKES THIS CLUB

DIFFERENT FROM ANY CLUB IN

TOWN IS THAT WE SPECIALIZE IN

ENTERTAINMENT.

[ ♪♪ ]

[ ♪♪ ]

>> ENTER THE RIVER VIEW SUPPER

CLUB.

OWNER JIM FULLER KNOWS HE'S

TAKING A RISK, BUT HE FEELS

HIS TWO MANAGERS CAN MAKE THE

CLUB WORK.

>> WE PLAN ON HAVING JAZZ IN

HERE AT LEAST FOUR NIGHTS A

WEEK, FOUR TO FIVE NIGHTS A

WEEK.

AND TO COMPLEMENT IT, WE PLAN

ON HAVING BROADWAY, BROADWAY

ENTERTAINMENT TWO NIGHTS A

WEEK.

LET'S SAY A JAZZ MUSICIAN HAS

A COUPLE ALBUMS OUT, WE KNOW

HE'S GOOD, BUT HE -- HE'S NOT

REALLY WELL-KNOWN.

>> WOULD YOU BRING HIM IN?

>> ACCORDING TO THE EXPOSURE

THAT HE'S GOT INTO THE CITY OF

MINNEAPOLIS, YOU KNOW, IN THIS

PARTICULAR AREA.

>> THE ONLY CITIES WITH A

SUCCESSFUL JAZZ SCENE WHERE

BIG NAMES COME WITH SOME

REGULARITY ARE CITIES THAT HAD

AT LEAST ONE FULL-TIME JAZZ

STATION.

>> YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS TO ME

THAT RECORD COMPANIES HAVE A

TENDENCY TO MAKE TRENDS AND

THE REALITY IS THAT WHETHER

THE RECORD HAPPENS TO

ACCIDENTALLY SELL OUT THE

RECORDS, THE REMAINING

COMPANIES IMITATE THAT SOUND

RATHER THAN TRYING TO FIND A

NEW SOUND TO -- NOT SO MUCH

COMPETE WITH THIS ALREADY

SELLING SOUND BUT TO GIVE THE

LISTENER ANOTHER VIABLE OPTION

TO TURN THE RADIO ON TO.

[ ♪♪ ]

>> SO THE RIVER VIEW MAY

BECOME THE TWIN CITIES JAZZ

CLUB, EVEN THOUGH THEY'LL

BRING ORCHESTRA HALL-SIZE

TALENT IN AT FIRST.

ONCE THINGS SETTLE IN, THE

AREA COULD SEE SOME NEW NAMES,

EVEN THE RAINBOW IS

CONSIDERING BRINGING IN AN

OCCASIONAL OUT-OF-TOWN TALENT

AND EVERYONE AGREES THAT THAT

WOULD BE A GOOD THING.

>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO

HAVE WELL-KNOWN, ESPECIALLY

NAMED JAZZ TALENT COMING

THROUGH THIS TOWN BECAUSE IT

BRINGS A SURGE OF ENERGY FROM

OTHER PLACES THAT THE PEOPLE

HERE CAN CONTACT WITH.

>> OH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT

THAT A CLUB LIKE THE RIVER

VIEW OCCASIONALLY BRING IN

NAMED JAZZ PERFORMER BECAUSE

IT GIVES THE CLUB SOME STATURE

AND THEN IT MAKES IT BETTER

FOR LOCAL MUSICIANS TO PLAY IN

THE CLUB THAT HAS SOME RENOWN.

>> IT MAKES YOU THINK THAT

YOU'RE WORKING, YOU KNOW,

YOU'RE WORKING IN A JAZZ

COMMUNITY THAT'S INTERNATIONAL

IN SCALE AND IT IS

INTERNATIONAL IN SCALE.

>> IN THE END, ONE MIGHT THINK

IT WOULDN'T MATTER MUCH

WHETHER TOURING GROUPS CAME TO

A CLUB OR A CONCERT HALL, AS

LONG AS THEY CAME.

BUT AS JAZZ BASSIST RON CARTER

POINTS OUT, A GOOD CLUB IS

WHERE THE INTERACTION IS

STRONGEST, AND WHERE THE

STANDARDS ARE SET FOR BOTH THE

MUSICIANS AND THE AUDIENCE.

>> I THINK A CLUB IS WHERE THE

REAL WORK IS REALLY DONE.

I MEAN, YOU CAN PRACTICE AT

HOME, YOUR HOT LIPS, YOUR

SCALES, YOUR MELODIES FOREVER.

BUT BEING IN THE COMPANY OF

OTHER PLAYERS, IN AN

ENVIRONMENT LIKE THIS OLD

COFFEE HOUSE, FOR EXAMPLE,

WHERE THERE'S A GROUP OF

LISTENERS WHO ARE EXPECTING A

CERTAIN LEVEL OF CREATIVE TO

TAKE PLACE ALL THE TIME, YOU

KNOW, THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO

ACCEPT AN ERROR OR MAY NOT

EVEN BE AWARE IF SOMETHING IS

NOT QUITE RIGHT BUT THEY'RE

NOT TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH

WHAT'S HAPPENING.

THIS LEVEL OF PUBLIC SCRUTINY

AND PEER GROUP PRESSURE IS

WHERE ALL THE DEVELOPMENT

REALLY START TO TAKE PLACE.

SO THAT WHEN THIS GROUP GOES

TO A CONCERT HALL WHAT YOU SEE

IS THE DIAMOND, THE NIGHTCLUB

IS WHERE IT STARTS TO GET

FORMED.

[ ♪♪ ]

[ ♪♪ ]

[ ♪♪ ]