The Left Bank Jazz Society brought some of the biggest names in jazz to Baltimore, including Duke Ellington, Freddie Hubbard and Carmen McRae.
Hundreds of performances in the 1960s and 70s were hosted by the Left Bank Jazz Society in The Famous Ballroom—now the site of the expanded Charles Theatre in the Station North arts and entertainment district.
Recordings from its hallowed stage are set to be released Saturday, providing a new glimpse into this stunning chapter of jazz history.
Zev Feldmen, founder of Jazz Detective Records and co-producer of the releases joined us to discuss the music and history of the Left Bank Jazz Society.
We are also joined by Katea Stitt, Program Director for jazz station WPFW in Washington, D.C, and daughter of jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt.
The three LPs are a joint project of local label Jazz Detective Records and Vancouver-based Reel to Real Records. They feature legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt on Boppin’ in Baltimore: Live at the Left Bank, Shirley Scott on Queen Talk: Live at the Left Bank and Walter Bishop Jr. on Bish at the Bank: Live in Baltimore.
These LPs are available only at independent music retailers participating in Record Store Day, tomorrow, April 22.
To mark Record Store Day on Saturday, Stitt and Feldmen are set to join a panel discussion on the Left Bank Jazz Society at Joe’s Record Paradise in Silver Spring at 2pm.
