Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club, located along Massachusetts Avenue, has served as a cultural and musical hotspot for generations, welcoming musicians and audience members of all ages and backgrounds.
Founded in 1947 by Joseph Walcott and still family-owned, Wally’s reopened for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic on September 8.
Before Wally’s closed, pianist Kevin Harris and his band, Sphere 427, played every Friday and Saturday night. He said he wants the tradition and creativity of African-American music to incorporate the contemporary sounds of jazz.
“The shutdown was a disruption of all that on a tangible level … but at the same time, that spirit and resilience and creativity didn’t happen,” Harris said.
Gaby Cotter has been a Latin jazz singer at Wally’s since 2016. She said Wally’s closing was difficult for the owners, musicians and community members.
“During the pandemic, they got support from the community,” Cotter said, “They reopened the place completely renovated … it’s still like a very magical little place.”
Although the venue itself underwent changes, manager Frank Poindexter said Wally’s is back to what it used to be – three bands every night, seven days a week.
“We are committed to my grandfather’s legacy,” Poindexter said. “We are also committed to providing a forum for musicians to perform and perfect their craft.”
Bonnie Johnson, producer and host of the 90.5 WICN radio show, Colors of Jazz, said the venue is unique because it creates an intimacy around the live music experience.
Noah Preminger, a professional saxophonist and member of Sphere 427, said college students come to Wally’s to learn from older, professional performers, not just musically, but by hanging out and talking to each other.
“It’s the only jazz venue where people actually hang out in Boston,” he said.
Johnson said the legacy of jazz music is important because it is an African-American art form that lives on from generation to generation and creates a musical foundation of creativity and improvisation.
“Wally’s is like an incubator, so the fact that younger players can come in and play and then be heard by their peers, that to me, is an inspiration for what the future holds for jazz,” she said. .
Preminger said the growing popularity of streaming platforms takes away income from musicians, especially musicians who practice less mainstream styles of music like jazz.
“For an art form that is, frankly, unpopular, it’s essential to have musical venues that support it, otherwise you wouldn’t hear it. It would be left to the consumer to just look it up online,” Preminger said. “It’s important to support black-owned businesses, it’s important to support jazz, and it’s important to pay for the music.”
After its reopening, Poindexter said Wally’s is incorporating its own live stream that will allow more people to experience jazz without worrying about the possibility of contracting COVID-19.
“Wally’s is a tremendous resource for the jazz community and beyond … it’s also a training ground for young musicians … and it’s kind of a throwback,” said JazzBoston President Ken Field.
Nonprofit organizations like JazzBoston advocate for Boston’s jazz community, shining a light on the African-American heritage of jazz and the importance of cross-cultural collaboration in music.
Field said the improvisational nature of jazz creates a shared experience that connects people through interpersonal situations when they create new music and sounds together.
“Jazz is important as a creative art form for several reasons, one of which is the African-American heritage of jazz music,” Field said. “It’s an art form that was developed by the African-American community.”
He said jazz also allows musicians to “collaborate across cultures,” since jazz draws on other influences such as Latin American music.
“The Latino community and people who are willing to do jazz or Latin jazz, or African jazz … they’re so open to giving you a space to perform,” Cotter said. “Places like Wally’s are so important in the community because they allow you to do all of this together and also grow your musicianship.”
Johnson also said a younger audience will keep the spirit of jazz alive by supporting live music.
“There’s a perception that jazz has an older audience, and I disagree,” she said. “I believe this is an urban legend… Young people come because they eat up new music.”
Johnson added that places like Wally’s also elevate the voice of women in jazz and the cultural spirit and legacy of jazz music.
Cotter said she went to Wally’s as a student and finds the club a great place to experiment.
“It doesn’t matter how hard your week has been or how much homework you have to do… [after going to Wally’s] you feel alive again,” she said.
