Colored Musicians Club is a historic

jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is licens ...

located at 145 Broadway,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, formally founded in 1935 by members of Buffalo Local 533 of the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...

, which was all-

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

due to the segregation of

labor unions A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

. Local 505 had around 500 members at that time. The building had been built between 1880 and 1900 by Charles Zifle, a shoemaker, and later housed a cigar shop and then a pool hall; several labor union locals had used the downstairs offices. In 1934 the owner of a secondhand store fixture business bought the building, just as members of Buffalo Local 505 were considering doing the same, to house their informal social club. The union members rented the upstairs in early 1934, acquired the building early the next year, and obtained a license to operate as club on February 24, 1935. The club was separately incorporated on May 14, 1935; the members did this to avoid its loss to the BLack community if the union locals ever integrated. The incorporation papers stated the club's mission, which was " ofoster the principles of unity and cooperation among the colored musicians of Erie County, N.Y., to develop and promote the civic, social, recreational and physical well-being of its members; to improve and enhance the professional and economic status of its members; to stimulate its members to greater musical expression; to encourage and develop a fuller appreciation of music on the part of its members and the public; and generally to unite its members in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding." The club became an important source of support and community for Black artists in Buffalo, especially in the club's early days in the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. In the next few decades, famous Black performers like

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

, and

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

played there. After protracted negotiations, on January 1, 1969, Local 533 merged with Local 43, the white local, with the new local called "Buffalo Musicians' Association, Local 92"; the club however remained independent. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2018 and a museum about the club and its role in the history of jazz and Buffalo, was created on the first floor that same year.

References

External links

* * 1935 establishments in New York (state) African-American history of New York (state) Jazz clubs in New York (state) Music venues in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York Nightclubs in New York (state) {{BuffaloNY-NRHP-stub