145 Broadway Street | Buffalo, NY 14203 | |
About: Founded in 1918, the Buffalo Colored Musicians Club was an offspring of the recently formed black musician’s union, Buffalo Local 533. This club, which was a separate entity from Local 533, gave the members a sense of community outside of their professional and family environments. The Club moved to its current location in 1935 and received its first charter the next year. In the 1950s, as more jazz bands became racially integrated, many black unions struggled to maintain influence against their more powerful white counterparts. When unions were ordered to desegregate in the 1960s, many black unions lost their real estate in mergers. The Colored Musicians Club, however, was saved and remained intact, due in large part to its independence from the local union.
Today, the club stands as a testament to Buffalo’s rich African American jazz history and community. In 1979, the Club was designated as a local historic landmark. The Colored Musicians Club is the only remaining African American jazz club in the United States and, as such, it actively encourages historical research and preservation of the history of jazz in Buffalo.
Community Event at Colored Musicians Club Photos and text courtesy Colored Musicians Club |
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