'Jazz on Vinyl' Night At The Cellar Embodies Improv’s Spirit
Classic jazz, deep cuts, and, yes, Detroit pizza – in New Haven (Hamden)!
Jazz fans who seek out the “something different” The Cellar on Treadwell’s jazz on vinyl nights offer can hear classic platters like The Jazz Messengers – and a whole lot more. (Photo courtesy Ben Lovejoy)
I have an old friend who teaches middle school and upper school drama in the Boston area. One of his hallmark phrases as productions near their debut, amongst the flurry and hurry, is “leap and the net will appear.”
And so it is, we might be able to say, with any performance, especially one in which there is a lot of space for interpretation and improvisation. Improv is, after all, the very heart of live jazz.
And without stretching the point too much, we might also be able to say the concept of improv can stretch from the note-for-note, measure-for-measure nature of improv on the stage to the overall nature of the audience experience itself. DJ Ben Lovejoy and the partners at The Cellar on Treadwell in Hamden, CT have taken “that leap” with a monthly night of treating the club’s patrons to an evening of jazz on vinyl.
Usually held on the third Thursday of the month, the series, called “Between the Notes: A Night of Jazz on Vinyl,” started in January. And both Ben and club partner Shari Vikmanis are happy with the organic way the concept, which includes sets from Ben, a guest DJ, and then a combined set, is progressing. This month’s session – there is never a cover charge for these nights – comes up Thursday (May 15) at 7, with Eric Otero guesting and taking a closer look (or listen) into smooth jazz from artists such as Jeff Lorber, George Benson, Boney James, and more.
And, as an added element of “mixing it up,” the kitchen features Detroit style pan pizza from Jam City Pizza – in the very capital of the venerated thin-crust New Haven “a-beetz.”
Ben found himself with a free night and a hankering to spin more jazz after a standing gig in West Hartford ended in August 2024 when the venue closed. So he put out the word and Shari and the folks at Cellar were intrigued.
“We do mostly live music,” Shari told 8495Jazz, “and we are always interested in trying some different kinds of things. One of the things we pride ourselves on is not being dedicated to any one particular genre. People think of The Cellar as a heavy metal bar – we do a lot of metal shows, but we also do singer-songwriter, we do hip-hop – we basically do everything. What piqued my interest was, I liked the idea of an all-vinyl DJ night.
“It’s really unique and cool and it’s hard to find DJs who are willing to schlep all their vinyl for things like that.”
Ben feels the events are a culmination of sorts of what has been a natural trajectory in his journey as a musical curator.
“I think I own about 300 jazz records,” he said, “and part of what led me to jazz music was sort of twofold – the more I listened to, and the more I was playing music out, you could not deny the music I was most drawn to had roots in jazz. Eighty to 90 percent of what I play is rooted in Black music. So I felt sort of obligated to learn what the roots were of a lot of the music I was drawn to. And as I did that, the more and more I became appreciative of jazz.”
And, he said, the fact he is there to read the room and play off the vibe in making selections, as well as guide the experience, allows him to introduce music to his listeners they would likely not get through listening to something like a “personalized” stream.
“The algorithm is designed to regurgitate a lot of what you are interacting with the most, and you can find yourself tunneled into spaces and genres where you don’t get outside of that. I don’t sit there and just play Miles Davis from start to finish. I drift into jazz-funk. I play early 1970s stuff, or early modern UK jazz. I try to blend sets you can see tie back.”
Jazz on vinyl nights also reinforce the role of the DJ as one who presents many artists throughout a show, whereas a live show will, understandably, be focused on one musician or set of musicians locked into their own style of play. A listener can walk away from a show with all kinds of rabbit holes to further explore, should they want to.
“Also, when Ben brings in his guest selectors they are all introducing a different style,” Shari said. “I think that is cool for the people coming in – they will be exposed to something different every time even in the same genre of jazz.”
In the larger sense across greater New Haven, too, the Cellar’s jazz vinyl nights are “something different” in the city’s very active jazz scene, which features numerous nights of live music and jam sessions promoted by Nick Di Maria and the New Haven Jazz Underground, Cafe Nine, and Jazz Haven.
Vinyl nights have become increasingly popular nationwide since the Covid lockdowns of 2020 – even Mezzrow, one of the hallmark clubs in Greenwich Village, now features a late-night “vinyl happy hour” Monday through Thursday. Ben said it’s a trend toward a more casual and homey approach to entertaining, and after only four months he is already seeing some “regulars” who seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. It’s a trend Shari said backs up what she and her partners are in business for.
“This business is all about making people happy and supporting the local community, whether it’s musicians or someone like Ben who had an idea to do something different,” she said. “That is why we got into the business of the Cellar and what drives us every single day.
“Would we love to see a packed house every single night? Of course, but if we can see the people who are there are having a good time, and we’re having a good time and Ben’s having a good time and everybody leaves happy, then I feel like we did our job.”
Hugh Masekela’s “The Big Apple,” from 1972, is one of the deep cuts Ben Lovejoy introduces listeners to at “Between The Notes: Jazz on Vinyl” at The Cellar on Treadwell.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
To alleviate confusion, ticket prices quoted now mention service fees as included or as additional; if fees are not mentioned, there are none to our knowledge. Because fees differ according to ticket type, service fee amounts are not included here but are available on venue web sites.
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
United Theater, Westerly, RI
Jazz On A School Night (United Music School jazz concert), Thursday, May 15, 6:30 pm. Tix at door, $10 suggested.
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
St. Augustine's African Orthodox Church, Cambridge, MA
John Kordalewski, Craig Harris, and Wes Brown (trombone, combo), 4 pm. Suggested donation $20.
Other Shows This Week
Milford Arts Council, Milford, CT
Jonathan Barber and Visions Ahead (drums, combo), Friday, May 16, 7:30 pm. $44 including service fee.
The Parlour, Providence, RI
The John Allmark/Dino Govoni Quintet (trumpet, combo), Thursday, May 15, 8 pm. GA $11.33 including fee.
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
Ted Rosenthal Quintet (piano, combo), Thursday, May 15, 7:30 pm. $20.76.
Palace Theater Poli Club, Waterbury, CT
Dan Moretti Quintet (sax, combo), Friday, May 16, 7 and 9 pm. GA $40 including service fee.
Side Door, Old Lyme, CT
Ken Peplowski Quartet (clarinet, sax, combo), Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, 8 pm. GA $49.16 including service fee.
Elicit Brewing Co., Manchester, CT
Hartford Jazz Orchestra, Monday, May 12, 7:30 pm. Free.
Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT
Patrick Zimmerli and the EMP House band (sax, combo), Friday, May 16, 8:30 pm ($20) and 10 pm ($15).
Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY
Joey Alexander Trio (piano, combo), Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, 7 and 9:30 pm. GA $43 including service fee.
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
Patrick Zimmerli Quartet (sax, combo), Thursday, May 15, 7:30 pm. $30 suggested donation.
Congregation Mishkan Israel, Hamden CT
Afro-Semitic Experience, Exodus to Emancipation, Tuesday, May 13, 7 pm. $18.
River Room, Willimantic, CT
Cafe Trio + (cafe music combo), Saturday, May 17, 8 pm. $33.85 including service fee.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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