Early years Max Gordon opened the Village Vanguard in 1934 on Charles Street and
Greenwich Avenue in
Manhattan, New York City. He intended it to be a forum for poets and artists as well as a site for musical performances. Due to insufficient facilities, Gordon was refused a cabaret license from the police department and was unable to create the club that he envisioned. In his autobiography he wrote: "I knew if I was ever to get anywhere in the nightclub business, I'd have to find another place with two johns, two exits, two hundred feet away from a church or synagogue or school, and with the rent under $100 a month." In 1934, he moved his business and purchased the Golden Triangle, a
speakeasy at 178 Seventh Avenue South. The Golden Triangle opened its doors in 1935. The Golden Triangle's basement facility structure resembled that of an
isosceles triangle. After purchasing the property, Gordon changed the name of the club to the Village Vanguard. Like its prototype on Charles Street, the Vanguard was dedicated to
poetry readings and
folk music. During the 1930s and 1940s, visitors to the club heard poetry read by
Maxwell Bodenheim and
Harry Kemp, blues and folk music by
Lead Belly, and Caribbean calypso by the
Duke of Iron. Comedians such as
Phil Leeds performed stand-up routines.
Jazz , March 1947
Lorraine Gordon, Max Gordon's wife, wrote: "The biggest reason my pals and I went to the Vanguard, though, was because there were jazz jam sessions in the afternoons on Sundays. You could go hear Lester Young, Ben Webster, all the greatest jazz musicians for fifty cents at the door, or something like that." In the 1930s and 1940s,
Sidney Bechet,
Una Mae Carlisle,
Art Hodes, and
Mary Lou Williams performed at the Vanguard. According to Lorraine Gordon, "in time, Max began to book acts, often three a night. Many proved to be high-caliber jazzmen." In 1940,
Roy Eldridge performed at the Vanguard. His performance and his dedicated fans raised the possibility that jazz could be the main attraction. As modern
jazz developed in the 1940s, small groups began to dominate the Vanguard. College students and artists in Greenwich Village took an interest in jazz. In 1940, a resident trio was formed by
Eddie Heywood,
Zutty Singleton, and
Jimmy Hamilton. and
Benny Bailey in 1977 By 1957, as one commentator writes, "Gordon reversed his policy, putting jazz at the top of the bill and letting the folknicks…and the comics…fill it out. Thus the Vanguard booked
Miles Davis,
Horace Silver,
Thelonious Monk,
Gerry Mulligan, the
Modern Jazz Quartet,
Jimmy Giuffre,
Sonny Rollins,
Anita O'Day,
Charlie Mingus,
Bill Evans (a regular),
Stan Getz,
Carmen McRae." The booking of Monk demonstrated the Vanguard's ability to take a relatively unknown musician and help launch their career. The story began with the first ever encounter between Max and Lorraine, who met in the Bluebell Bakery, a "homey little Fire Island joint." After Lorraine walked in and spotted Max (who she knew to be the Vanguard's owner), she proposed that he showcase Monk at the club for a week. Max agreed and on September 14, 1948, Monk opened at the Vanguard. The reception was not ideal. "[N]obody came. None of the so-called jazz critics. None of the so-called cognoscenti. Zilch." Max Gordon died on May 11, 1989. The day after, Lorraine closed the Vanguard; the following day, she reopened it and continued to run the place. On June 9, 2018, Lorraine Gordon died of a stroke at age 95. ==Recordings==