Sweet Basil was a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

club in New York City's

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

, located at 88 Seventh Avenue South. Founded in 1974 by Sharif Esmat, it was considered among the most prominent New York City jazz clubs of its day. Many jazz albums were recorded live at Sweet Basil, including

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

's '' Iwontunwonsi'',

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

's '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (1989) and '' Solar: Live at Sweet Basil'', and the Jean-Michel Pilc Trio's ''Together: Live at Sweet Basil''. From 1981 to 1992, the club was owned by Phyllis Litoff and her husband Mel Litoff.Janas, Marci
"The Wellspring of Sweet Basil: Mel Litoff and Phyllis Weisbart Litoff"
''Oberlin Alumni Magazine'', Vol. 103, No. 3, Winter 2005/2006. The club closed in April 2001.

Recorded performances

Recorded performances at the club include:Discogs

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

bzw. Cook/Morton: ''Penguin Guide to Jazz''. * 1977 –

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a Cello, cellist who has reco ...

: ''

Piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...

) * 1977 –

Junior Mance Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. (October 10, 1928 – January 17, 2021), known as Junior Mance, was an American jazz pianist and composer. Biography Early life (1928–1947) Mance was born in Evanston, Illinois. When he was five years old, Mance st ...

: ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (Flying Disk) * 1977 –

Cecil McBee Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American jazz bassist. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a sideman to a number of classic jazz albums. Biography Early life and career McBee was b ...

Sextet with

Chico Freeman Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Award ...

: '' Music from the Source'' and ''Compassion'' (Enja) * 1978 – '' Jim Hall/

Red Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet. Biography Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz ...

'' (Artists House) * 1981 –

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009), was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Sh ...

: ''Lover, Come Back to Me'' * 1983 -

Hamiet Bluiett Hamiet Bluiett (; September 16, 1940 – October 4, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument was the baritone saxophone, and he was considered one of the finest players of this instrument. A membe ...

: ''Bearer Of The Holy Flame'' (Black Fire – BF19931) * 1983 –

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934), previously known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

with

Carlos Ward Carlos Ward (born May 1, 1940, in Ancón, Panama) is a funk and jazz alto saxophonist and flautist. He is best known as a member of the Funk and disco band BT Express as well as a jazz sideman. Biography Ward was raised in Panama City, and at a ...

: ''Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 1'' (Ekapa) * 1983 –

Valery Ponomarev Valery Ponomarev, Russian: Вале́рий Миха́йлович Пономарёв, ''Valery Mikhaylovich Ponomaryov'', (born 20 January 1943) is a Russian-born jazz trumpeter. He has lived in the United States since 1973. Ponomarev became inte ...

with

Don Braden Donald Kirk Braden (born November 20, 1963) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flautist. Career Braden was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 20, 1963, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He began playing tenor sax at age 13 and starte ...

John Hicks Sir John Richard Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economics ...

''At Sweet Basil'' (Reservoir) * 1984 – Leroy Jenkins: ''

Urban Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrati ...

'' (Black Saint) * 1984 – David Murray Big Band: '' Live at Sweet Basil Volume 1'' & '' Live at Sweet Basil Volume 2'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italy, Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History ...

) * 1984 –

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian Americans, Canadian–American jazz pianist, Music arranger, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators i ...

& The Monday Night Orchestra: '' Live at Sweet Basil'', '' Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 2'' (Gramavision) * 1985 –

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

& the

Jazz Messengers The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the o ...

''Live At Sweet Basil'' (GNP Crescendo) (Paddle Wheel) * 1985 –

& the

'' Hard Champion'' (Evidence) * 1985 – Gunter Hampel New York Orchestra: ''Fresh Heat: Live at Sweet Basil'' (Birth) with

Jeanne Lee Jeanne Lee (January 29, 1939 – October 25, 2000) was an American jazz singer, poet and composer. Best known for a wide range of vocal styles she mastered, Lee collaborated with numerous distinguished composers and performers who included Gunte ...

Perry Robinson Perry Morris Robinson (September 17, 1938 – December 2, 2018) was an American jazz clarinetist and composer. He was the son of composer Earl Robinson. Early life and education Robinson was born and grew up in New York City. He attended the Len ...

, Mark Whitecage, Thomas Keyserling,

Curtis Fowlkes Curtis Fowlkes (March 19, 1950 – August 31, 2023) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. He was a founding member of The Jazz Passengers. He had a twin brother James May Fowlkes and his parents were James Ray and Rosa May Fowlkes. Caree ...

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant ...

, Bob Stewart, Marvin Smitty Smith u.a. * 1985 –

& the

: '' Dr Jeckyle'' (Evidence) * 1985 –

& the

: ''New Year's Eve At Sweet Basil'' (Evidence) * 1985 –

& the

: '' Farewell'' (released 1990) (King) * 1986 – Gil Evans & The Monday Night Orchestra: '' Bud and Bird'', '' Farewell'' (Electric Bird/King) * 1986 –

The Jazztet The Jazztet was a jazz sextet, co-founded in 1959 by trumpeter Art Farmer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, always featuring the founders along with a trombonist and a piano-bass-drums rhythm section. In its first phase, the Jazztet lasted unti ...

(led by

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

and

Benny Golson Benny Golson (January 25, 1929 – September 21, 2024) was an American bebop and hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a p ...

): ''Back to the City,'' ''Real Time'' (Contemporary) * 1986 –

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...

/ Donald Harrison: ''Eric Dolphy & Booker Little Remembered Live at Sweet Basil, Vol. 1 & 2'' (Evidence) with

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

, Richard Davis,

Ed Blackwell Edward Joseph Blackwell (October 10, 1929 – October 7, 1992) was an American jazz drummer, best known known for his work with saxophonist Ornette Coleman. Biography Blackwell was born in New Orleans on October 10, 1929. His career began ther ...

* 1987 –

: '' The Super Quartet Live at Sweet Basil'' (Paddle Wheel) * 1988 –

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

: '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

) * 1988 –

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was ...

Quintet: ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (

Sonet Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) are standardized protocols that transfer multiple digital bit streams synchronously over optical fiber using lasers or highly coherent light from light-emitting diodes ...

) * 1988 –

Sonny Greenwich Sonny Greenwich, (born January 1, 1936) is a Canadian guitarist. He has played in major Canadian and American cities including a concert at Carnegie Hall. He has performed with musicians such as Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, Mc ...

: ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (Justin Time) * 1988 – Oliver Jones: ''Cookin' at Sweet Basil'' (

Justin Time Records Justin Time Records is a Canadian record company and independent record label founded in Montreal by Jim West. It was established in 1983 and specialises in jazz and blues. Although Justin Time initially recorded Canadian musicians such as Oliver ...

) * 1989 – Richard Davis: ''One for Frederick – Live at Sweet Basil'' ( Hep) * 1989 –

: '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (King) * 1989 – Uli Lenz/

Joe Chambers Joe Chambers (born June 25, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer. In the 1960s and 1970s, Chambers gigged with many high-profile artists such as Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, and Chick Corea an ...

: ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (Enja) * 1990 –

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It ...

: '' Autumn Leaves'' (Sweet Basil) * 1990 - Nat Adderley: '' Work Song: Live at Sweet Basil'' (Sweet Basil) * 1990 − ''Richard Davis and Friends live at Sweet Basil'' (Evidence) with Ricky Ford,

Cecil Bridgewater Cecil Bridgewater (born October 10, 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Biography Bridgewater was born in Urbana, Illinois and studied at the University of Illinois. He and brother Ron formed the Bridgewater Brothers Band in 1969, ...

Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

George Cables George Andrew Cables (born November 14, 1944) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Cables was born in New York City, United States. He was initially taught piano by his mother. He then studied at the High School of Performing Art ...

Ronnie Burrage Ronnie Burrage (born James Ronaldo Burrage October 19, 1959) is an American jazz drummer. His style draws from jazz, funk, and soul. Career He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Burrage sang in the St. Louis Cathedral boys' choir f ...

* 1991 – Steve Grossman: ''In New York'' (Dreyfus) * 1991 –

Steve Lacy Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, '' ...

Sextet – '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (RCA Novus) * 1991 – McCoy Tyner: '' Solar: Live at Sweet Basil'' (Sweet Basil Records) * 1992 –

Joanne Brackeen Joanne Brackeen (born Joanne Grogan; July 26, 1938) is an American jazz pianist and music educator. Music career Brackeen was born in Ventura, California, United States, and attended the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She was a fan of pop p ...

: '' Turnaround'' (Evidence) * 1992 – Anders Bergcrantz: ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

/ DIW) * 1992 –

Nick Brignola Nicholas Thomas "Nick" Brignola (July 17, 1936 – February 8, 2002) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. Biography Brignola was born on July 17, 1936, in Troy, New York. He was born into a musical family in which his father played the t ...

: ''Live At Sweet Basil - Fist Set'' (Reservoir) * 1992 –

: ''Things Ain't What They Used to Be: Last Set At Sweet Basil'' (Reservoir) * 1992 – ''The Enja Band live at Sweet Basil'' (Enja) with Willie Williams, Gust Tsilis,

Uri Caine Uri Caine (born June 8, 1956) is an American classical music, classical and jazz pianist and composer from Philadelphia. Biography Early years Caine was born on June 8, 1956, in Philadelphia, to Burton Caine (1928–2023), a professor at Temple ...

, Michael Formanek,

Cecil Brooks III Cecil Brooks III (born 1959) is an American jazz drummer and record producer who has worked with Arthur Blythe, Russell Gunn, John Hicks, Andrew Hill, Etta Jones, Roseanna Vitro, Hannibal Lokumbe, and Jimmy Ponder. A native of the Homewood n ...

* 1992 –

Doc Cheatham Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, better known as Doc Cheatham (June 13, 1905 – June 2, 1997), was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He is also the grandfather of musician Theo Croker. Early life Doc Cheatham was born in Nashvi ...

: ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (Jazzology) * 1992 – Art Farmer Quintet: ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (Evidence) * 1992 –

Dave Matthews David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved frequently between South Africa, ...

/ Manhattan Jazz Quintet: ''Manteca'' (Evidence) * 1993 –

Wolfgang Muthspiel Wolfgang Muthspiel (born 2 March 1965) is an Austrian jazz guitarist and record label owner. He is the brother of musician Christian Muthspiel. Music career When he was six, he began playing violin, and at fourteen he moved on to classical gui ...

Group: ''In & Out'' (Amadeo) * 1995 –

: '' Iwontunwonsi – Live at Sweet Basil'' (Sound Hills) * 1995 – Cecil Taylor: '' Amewa – Live at Sweet Basil'' (Sound Hills) * 1998 –

Greg Osby Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960) is an American saxophonist and composer. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with Jak ...

: '' Banned in New York'' (Blue Note) * 1999 – Michele Rosewoman: ''Guardians of the Light'' ( Enja) * 2000 –

: ''Live at Sweet Basil 2'' (Savant)

References

{{Authority control Former music venues in New York City Jazz clubs in New York City 1974 establishments in New York City Drinking establishments in Greenwich Village Music venues completed in 1974 2001 disestablishments in New York (state) Entertainment companies established in 1974 Companies disestablished in 2001