Café Montmartre
Encyclopedia
Jazzhus Montmartre is a leading jazz club
in Copenhagen, Denmark
that is described as "legendary". Many jazz musicians, including Dexter Gordon
, Stan Getz
, and Chet Baker
, have performed there. It is sometimes also called Cafe Montmartre The Montmartre was located first in the Dahlerupsgade, then from 1961 on in Store Regnegade and finally since 1976 in Nørregade 41 before it closed here in 1995. Since May 1st 2010 is has been re-opened in Store Regnegade 19A by media executive and entrepreneur Rune Bech together with jazz pianist Niels Lan Doky and saxophonist Benjamin Koppel. It is considered to be one of Europe's major jazz clubs for live world class jazz.
. In the beginning the program was dominated by Dixieland-Jazz (then very popular in Denmark). Shortly afterwards Stan Getz
, who lived from 1958 to 1961 with his Swedish wife in Copenhagen, played regularly in the Club. He was followed by other exiled US-American Jazz-musicians like Dexter Gordon
(who lived from 1962 to 1976 in Copenhagen) and Ben Webster
(from 1964 on in Copenhagen and Amsterdam). New Year's Eve 1961 the Club Jazzhus Montmartre reopened under the lead of Herluf Kamp-Larssen in the Store Regnegade. The Montmartre developed into one of the main locations for Jazz in Europe, for long years with Kenny Drew
(p), Alex Riel
(dr) and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
as regular rhythm group, who accompanied guest musicians. From 1976 on it was in the Nøerregade 41 with Kay Sørensen (1938–1988) as owner, known in Denmark as JazzKay. Already during Søerensens time the Club had to offer Pop and Rock for commercial reasons and after his death less and less Jazz was played. The Club was closed in 1995. For two years the new owner Pop Musician Anne Linnet continued a mainly Techno-Music-Club under the old name, and 1995 a Disco replaced the Club. The new main center for Jazz in Copenhagen was from 1991 on the Copenhagen Jazz House (Niels Hemmingsens Gade 10) but now Montmartre is back in its original place in Store Regnegade 19A.
From 1959-1976, the club made jazz history as the European home for jazz giants Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Kenny Drew and many other masters of the 60's and 70'. They all moved to Copenhagen because of Montmartre. The club got under their skin with its special atmosphere and extraordinary people. While living in Copenhagen, the great American jazz icons educated a whole generation of Danish jazz masters, including the famous Danish bass players Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Mads Vinding, Jesper Lundgaard and Bo Stief, drummer Alex Riel, trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, and many others. Among the other giants playing on and off at Montmartre were i.e. Roland Kirk, Oscar Pettiford, Joe Harris, Buddy Tate, Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Bud Powell, Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley, Cecil Taylor, Brew Moore, Harold Goldberg, Lucky Thompson, Archie Shepp, Johnny Griffin, Art Taylor, Booker Erwin, Albert Ayler, Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim), Don Cherry, Rune Gustafsson, Albert 'Tootie' Heath, Eli Thompson, Sonny Rollins, Yusef Lateef, George Russel, Teddy Wilson, Paul Bley, Bill Evans, Eddie Gomez, Richard Boone, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, Keith Jarrett, Miroslav Vitous, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Lee Konitz, Louis Jordan, Charles Mingus, Ken McIntyre, Nat Adderley, Donald Byrd, Tony Williams, Lou Bennett, Phil Woods, Charles McPherson and Dizzy Gillespie.
The re-opening of Montmartre in May 2010 was initiated by serial entrepreneur, journalist and former media executive Rune Bech together with jazz pianist Niels Lan Doky (who after eight months was replaced as music director by saxophonist Benjamin Koppel as of February 2011). The original historic venue were run by former proprietor Herluf Kamp-Larsen in the 60's and 70's, who was present at the re-opening night. When the premises became vacant after many years as a hairdressing school the founders jumped at the opportunity and reopened Montmartre at its original location. Restoring the club became a passion project for a dedicated group of volunteers out of love for jazz and the history of Montmartre, which has often been called "The Village Vanguard of Europe" in homage to its legendary sister club in New York.
Montmartre's co-founder and part-time director, Rune Bech, was originally a foreign correspondent for Politiken from 1989. In 1998 he co-founded the successful health portal NetDoctor.com, and in 2001 became the internet director for the leading Danish broadcaster TV 2 and a member of the executive management team. Rune Bech donated the funding capital for Jazzhus Montmartre that is his con-amore hobby project. In his spare time the serial entrepreneur is helping out at the front desk of Montmartre together with the many dedicated volunteers. Rune Bech had a vision to establish Montmartre as a non-profit organization from which it should not be possible for any private person to take out profit. As a consequence Jazzhus Montmartre is set up as a charity foundation with DR chairman Michael Christiansen as Montmartre's chairman, and Rune Bech and lawyer Christian Schwarz-Hansen as fellow board members.
Before re-opening Jazzhus Montmartre the founders wrote eight missions for the club, The Montmartre Manifesto. In short, Montmartre should be an international landmark of great jazz and a place that discovers and presents new talent with world class potential. It is the ambition "to create a paradise for life lovers with a cozy and sincere ambience". And, most importantly, "Montmartre should be known for its warm, welcoming and homey atmosphere attracting good people that follow their heart in life". The Montmartre Manifesto
The Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel is the Music Director of Montmartre. He is backed up by an Artistic Council whose members are drummer Alex Riel, bass players Mads Vinding and Bo Stief, trumpet player Gerard Presencer and jazz publisher Christian Brorsen. The club is run by a few of part time staffs together with a great team of dedicated volunteers. With a limited audience capacity of only 85 seats, Montmartre is dependent on donations and membership fees from its club, Friends of Montmartre. Some of Denmark's large foundations have supported the re-opening. With its high level of artistic ambition, Montmartre is dependent on support and donations.
The old Jazzhus Montmartre was known for the plaster masks that became an icon for the club in the 1960's. They were created in 1959 by the artist Mogens Gylling and attracted attention around the world as a remarkable work of art. When Montmartre closed in 1976 the masks disappeared, but the Montmartre team convinced Gylling, who still lives outside Copenhagen, to make a reincarnation of his famous wall art with a twist. The ten new masks were put back on the wall by the artist himself during Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2010, an event heavily covered by the media.
Official website http://jazzhusmontmartre.dk Official website
Jazz club
A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music. Jazz clubs have been in large rooms in the eras of Orchestral jazz and big band jazz and when its popularity as a dance music was common...
in Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
that is described as "legendary". Many jazz musicians, including Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
, Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, and Chet Baker
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
, have performed there. It is sometimes also called Cafe Montmartre The Montmartre was located first in the Dahlerupsgade, then from 1961 on in Store Regnegade and finally since 1976 in Nørregade 41 before it closed here in 1995. Since May 1st 2010 is has been re-opened in Store Regnegade 19A by media executive and entrepreneur Rune Bech together with jazz pianist Niels Lan Doky and saxophonist Benjamin Koppel. It is considered to be one of Europe's major jazz clubs for live world class jazz.
History
It was opened in 1959 by Anders Dyrup with a two week stint by George LewisGeorge Lewis
George Lewis may refer to:*George Lowys or Lewis , mayor of Winchelsea*George Lewis , track and field athlete from Trinidad and Tobago*George Lewis , New Orleans jazz clarinettist...
. In the beginning the program was dominated by Dixieland-Jazz (then very popular in Denmark). Shortly afterwards Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, who lived from 1958 to 1961 with his Swedish wife in Copenhagen, played regularly in the Club. He was followed by other exiled US-American Jazz-musicians like Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
(who lived from 1962 to 1976 in Copenhagen) and Ben Webster
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
(from 1964 on in Copenhagen and Amsterdam). New Year's Eve 1961 the Club Jazzhus Montmartre reopened under the lead of Herluf Kamp-Larssen in the Store Regnegade. The Montmartre developed into one of the main locations for Jazz in Europe, for long years with Kenny Drew
Kenny Drew
Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Born in New York City, New York, he first recorded with Howard McGhee in 1949, and over the next two years recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, and Dinah Washington...
(p), Alex Riel
Alex Riel
Alex Riel, , is a Danish jazz and rock drummer. His first group Alex Riel/Palle Mikkelborg Quintet won Montreux Grand Prix Award at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1968 and it was published in Billboards June 1968 edition.-Biography:Riel has recorded with, among others, Kenny Drew, Kenny Werner, Bob...
(dr) and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
- Discography :* My Name Is Albert Ayler 1963 * Kirk in Copenhagen 1963 * Ben Webster in Denmark 1965-1971 Live at Danish Radio studios, Jazzhus Montmartre and Odd Fellow Palæet - Universal Music Denmark*One Flight Up 1964 *Sunday Walk 1969 - Discography :* My Name Is Albert Ayler 1963 (with...
as regular rhythm group, who accompanied guest musicians. From 1976 on it was in the Nøerregade 41 with Kay Sørensen (1938–1988) as owner, known in Denmark as JazzKay. Already during Søerensens time the Club had to offer Pop and Rock for commercial reasons and after his death less and less Jazz was played. The Club was closed in 1995. For two years the new owner Pop Musician Anne Linnet continued a mainly Techno-Music-Club under the old name, and 1995 a Disco replaced the Club. The new main center for Jazz in Copenhagen was from 1991 on the Copenhagen Jazz House (Niels Hemmingsens Gade 10) but now Montmartre is back in its original place in Store Regnegade 19A.
From 1959-1976, the club made jazz history as the European home for jazz giants Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Kenny Drew and many other masters of the 60's and 70'. They all moved to Copenhagen because of Montmartre. The club got under their skin with its special atmosphere and extraordinary people. While living in Copenhagen, the great American jazz icons educated a whole generation of Danish jazz masters, including the famous Danish bass players Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Mads Vinding, Jesper Lundgaard and Bo Stief, drummer Alex Riel, trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, and many others. Among the other giants playing on and off at Montmartre were i.e. Roland Kirk, Oscar Pettiford, Joe Harris, Buddy Tate, Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Bud Powell, Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley, Cecil Taylor, Brew Moore, Harold Goldberg, Lucky Thompson, Archie Shepp, Johnny Griffin, Art Taylor, Booker Erwin, Albert Ayler, Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim), Don Cherry, Rune Gustafsson, Albert 'Tootie' Heath, Eli Thompson, Sonny Rollins, Yusef Lateef, George Russel, Teddy Wilson, Paul Bley, Bill Evans, Eddie Gomez, Richard Boone, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, Keith Jarrett, Miroslav Vitous, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Lee Konitz, Louis Jordan, Charles Mingus, Ken McIntyre, Nat Adderley, Donald Byrd, Tony Williams, Lou Bennett, Phil Woods, Charles McPherson and Dizzy Gillespie.
Re-opening
In May 2010 Jazzhus Montmartre re-opened in its original premesis in Store Regnegade (Great Rain Street) with a high-end international music profile. The re-opening of Jazzhus Montmartre made news around the globe, and the new Jazzhus Montmartre quickly made it back on the map as a top attraction of Copenhagen. The New York Times included Jazzhus Montmartre on its much-hyped list of must-see-places in the city under the headline "Rebirth Of Cool". New York Times: "Rebirth of Cool" - on the re-opening af Jazzhus MontmartreThe re-opening of Montmartre in May 2010 was initiated by serial entrepreneur, journalist and former media executive Rune Bech together with jazz pianist Niels Lan Doky (who after eight months was replaced as music director by saxophonist Benjamin Koppel as of February 2011). The original historic venue were run by former proprietor Herluf Kamp-Larsen in the 60's and 70's, who was present at the re-opening night. When the premises became vacant after many years as a hairdressing school the founders jumped at the opportunity and reopened Montmartre at its original location. Restoring the club became a passion project for a dedicated group of volunteers out of love for jazz and the history of Montmartre, which has often been called "The Village Vanguard of Europe" in homage to its legendary sister club in New York.
Montmartre's co-founder and part-time director, Rune Bech, was originally a foreign correspondent for Politiken from 1989. In 1998 he co-founded the successful health portal NetDoctor.com, and in 2001 became the internet director for the leading Danish broadcaster TV 2 and a member of the executive management team. Rune Bech donated the funding capital for Jazzhus Montmartre that is his con-amore hobby project. In his spare time the serial entrepreneur is helping out at the front desk of Montmartre together with the many dedicated volunteers. Rune Bech had a vision to establish Montmartre as a non-profit organization from which it should not be possible for any private person to take out profit. As a consequence Jazzhus Montmartre is set up as a charity foundation with DR chairman Michael Christiansen as Montmartre's chairman, and Rune Bech and lawyer Christian Schwarz-Hansen as fellow board members.
Before re-opening Jazzhus Montmartre the founders wrote eight missions for the club, The Montmartre Manifesto. In short, Montmartre should be an international landmark of great jazz and a place that discovers and presents new talent with world class potential. It is the ambition "to create a paradise for life lovers with a cozy and sincere ambience". And, most importantly, "Montmartre should be known for its warm, welcoming and homey atmosphere attracting good people that follow their heart in life". The Montmartre Manifesto
The Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel is the Music Director of Montmartre. He is backed up by an Artistic Council whose members are drummer Alex Riel, bass players Mads Vinding and Bo Stief, trumpet player Gerard Presencer and jazz publisher Christian Brorsen. The club is run by a few of part time staffs together with a great team of dedicated volunteers. With a limited audience capacity of only 85 seats, Montmartre is dependent on donations and membership fees from its club, Friends of Montmartre. Some of Denmark's large foundations have supported the re-opening. With its high level of artistic ambition, Montmartre is dependent on support and donations.
The old Jazzhus Montmartre was known for the plaster masks that became an icon for the club in the 1960's. They were created in 1959 by the artist Mogens Gylling and attracted attention around the world as a remarkable work of art. When Montmartre closed in 1976 the masks disappeared, but the Montmartre team convinced Gylling, who still lives outside Copenhagen, to make a reincarnation of his famous wall art with a twist. The ten new masks were put back on the wall by the artist himself during Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2010, an event heavily covered by the media.
Official website http://jazzhusmontmartre.dk Official website
Discography
Live albums documenting concerts in Jazzhus Montmartre include:- Dexter Gordon & Atli Bjorn TrioDexter GordonDexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
: Cry Me a River (SteepleChaseSteeplechaseSteeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
, November 1962) - Roland KirkRahsaan Roland KirkRahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
: Kirk in CopenhagenKirk in CopenhagenKirk in Copenhagen is a live album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk recorded in October, 1963 at the Club Monmartre in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was originally released on the Mercury label in 1963 and features performances by Kirk with Tete Montoliu, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Don Moore...
(Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, October 1963) - Stuff SmithStuff SmithHezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith , better known as Stuff Smith, was a jazz violinist. He is known well for the song "If You're a Viper".-Biography:...
: Live at the Montmartre (Storyville RecordsStoryville RecordsStoryville Records is a large international record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark, specializing in jazz and blues music. Besides its original material, Storyville Records has licensed and reissued many vintage jazz recordings that previously appeared on such labels as Paramount Records,...
, 1965) - Thad JonesThad JonesThaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.-Biography:Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family of ten . Thad Jones was a self taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen...
: Live at MontmartreLive at Montmartre-Track listing:# "I.J." - 8:07# "Flame Games" - 11:30# "Well, I Guess We'll Never Know" - 8:27# "Forever Lovers" - 10:53# "Song Everlasting" - 11:23*Recorded at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen on April 4 & 5, 1985...
(Storyville RecordsStoryville RecordsStoryville Records is a large international record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark, specializing in jazz and blues music. Besides its original material, Storyville Records has licensed and reissued many vintage jazz recordings that previously appeared on such labels as Paramount Records,...
, 1978) - Cecil TaylorCecil TaylorCecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
: Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come (Arista FreedomFreedom RecordsFreedom Records was a jazz record label linked with the producer Alan Bates, as with his Black Lion Records.Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the company was bought by Arista Records.-Discography:*1000 Albert Ayler &...
, 1976)
Literature, Film
- Article in Barry Kernfeld (editor) The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, MacMillan 1991
- Frank Büchmann-Møller, Henrik Wolsgaard-Iversen: "Montmartre. Jazzhuset i St. Regnegade 19, Kbhvn K 1959-1976", Syddansk Universitetsforlag (University Press of Southern Denmark), 2008 & 2010, 300 pages, ISBN: 978-87-7674-297-3 (Danish, with list of concerts)
- Erik Wiedemann "Montmartre 1959–76: Historien om et jazzhus i København", 1997 (Danish)
- Jens Jørn Gjedsted, Thorborg, Niels Christensen "Montmartre gennem 10 år (1976–1986), 1986 (Danish book on occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Club in the new place)
- Between a Smile and a Tear, 2004, Film by Niels Lan DokyNiels Lan DokyNiels Lan Doky is a Danish jazz pianist and record producer.-Biography:He was born in Copenhagen of a Danish mother and Vietnamese father. His father worked as a doctor, but was also a classically trained guitarist so guitar was Niels's first instrument...
External links
- Official website of the re-opening Jazzhus Montmartre