Archives: UnionHallJazz Gallery I

"Every Monday , the Jazz Foundation of America helps keep the spirit of the music alive by hosting a jam session at the musicians' union in midtown Manhattan. 

The event, produced and funded by the JFA is free and open to the public. The environment offers seasoned veterns a place to meet, perform and network and presents up and comers with the opportunity to find mentors and learn from the originals. It has rightly become a fixture in the Jazz community, as it showcases the music and provides an informal gathering spot for musicians and fans alike. On any given night you could see four generations of musicians, from former members of the Count Basie band to teenage prodigies, all sharing the stage together. There is really nothing else like it in New York." 

Reposted from the JFA website.  

Union Hall Jazz 

Linoleum tiles,formica counters,folding chairs,it's plain, generic. Nothing stands out at first, catches your eye. 

But if you keep coming by on Monday nights eventually you start to see it. See a community. It's a family really with all the love and dysfunction inherant in that gestalt. 

I started photographing there in 2006. Capturing the working musicians who've earned their place on that stage by building solid careers over years. Still working, still getting paid. Still dropping by to jam on Monday night. The old and infirm, too old or too ill to gig but still with the chops and the desire to get up on stage for a number. 

The young turks coming up, taking the stage, sometimes with bravado. Sometimes with tentative, even shy steps. 

The players, the wannabes, the has beens and everyone in between. Their families, friends, supportors, health care aides and the out of town fans. All of them eventually entering my frame. All of them, like me, a part of this community.  

Mark Manley