Boston speakeasy, supper club a spiritual successor to storied jazz club – WCVB Boston
A Boston speakeasy and supper club that is located beneath the Copley Square Hotel at the corner of Huntington Avenue and Exeter Street is trying to recreate the magic that was in the space in the 1950s when it was home to a storied jazz club.Jazz clubs were in no short supply in Boston in the 50s, and Storyville was among the favorites.”There must have been 25, 30 different types of clubs in the Boston area,” said Tessil Collins, who produces and curates WGBH’s Jazz 24/7 online music station. “Storyville was the main attraction in that as it was the high-end, classy type of club as opposed to what you might call a juke joint.”When jazz greats like Sidney De Paris and Bob Wilber were in Boston, they knew they had to stop by Storyville.”When people were coming to town, like, Louis Armstrong would be playing at Symphony Hall, he would stop in at Storyville to do a set after his show,” Collins said.Storyville closed its doors for good in 1960 because of financial troubles. There have been businesses who have moved in and out of that space on the corner of Huntington and Exeter since then, but Hue is looking to draw inspiration from the jazz club’s success.Much of Storyville’s success was attributed to the jazz community, and Hue pays homage to jazz with a mural featuring the likes of Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald, which was painted by Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs.Rob Eugene, one of the managing partners of Hue, said he hopes to facilitate a dedicated and inclusive community that is similar to what Storyville had in its heyday.”I’m in a space where I do have live music at times. I have a DJ. It’s an entertainment space,” Eugene said. “The only difference now is that in the 50s, even though there were Black musicians here, Black residents in Boston didn’t actually feel comfortable coming to the Back Bay — and now it’s completely different.”Hue celebrated its one-year anniversary over the weekend, and the venue has received multiple certificates of recognition for its success, including from the city of Boston.
A Boston speakeasy and supper club that is located beneath the Copley Square Hotel at the corner of Huntington Avenue and Exeter Street is trying to recreate the magic that was in the space in the 1950s when it was home to a storied jazz club.
Jazz clubs were in no short supply in Boston in the 50s, and Storyville was among the favorites.
“There must have been 25, 30 different types of clubs in the Boston area,” said Tessil Collins, who produces and curates WGBH’s Jazz 24/7 online music station. “Storyville was the main attraction in that as it was the high-end, classy type of club as opposed to what you might call a juke joint.”
When jazz greats like Sidney De Paris and Bob Wilber were in Boston, they knew they had to stop by Storyville.
“When people were coming to town, like, Louis Armstrong would be playing at Symphony Hall, he would stop in at Storyville to do a set after his show,” Collins said.
Storyville closed its doors for good in 1960 because of financial troubles. There have been businesses who have moved in and out of that space on the corner of Huntington and Exeter since then, but Hue is looking to draw inspiration from the jazz club’s success.
Much of Storyville’s success was attributed to the jazz community, and Hue pays homage to jazz with a mural featuring the likes of Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald, which was painted by Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs.
Rob Eugene, one of the managing partners of Hue, said he hopes to facilitate a dedicated and inclusive community that is similar to what Storyville had in its heyday.
“I’m in a space where I do have live music at times. I have a DJ. It’s an entertainment space,” Eugene said. “The only difference now is that in the 50s, even though there were Black musicians here, Black residents in Boston didn’t actually feel comfortable coming to the Back Bay — and now it’s completely different.”
Hue celebrated its one-year anniversary over the weekend, and the venue has received multiple certificates of recognition for its success, including from the city of Boston.
