Clark Monroe opened the Uptown House in the 1930s at 198 West 134th St in
Harlem, in a building which formerly held Barron's Club (where
Duke Ellington worked early in the 1920s) and the Theatrical Grill. From the late 1930s, the club presented
swing jazz;
Billie Holiday held a residence there for three months in 1937. In the early 1940s, the club became known for its
jam sessions, where many of the players involved in the birth of
bebop played together.
Al Tinney led Monroe's
house band, which included
Max Roach,
"Little" Benny Harris,
George Treadwell, and
Victor Coulsen.
Charlie Parker was a featured soloist at the club in 1943. An important live recording of
Charlie Christian features a jam "session at Monroes". Monroe moved the club to
52nd Street in 1943, and opened a second club,
The Spotlite, in December 1944. ==See also==