Jazz at Cafe Society is a swinging show which tells the true story of Cafe Society, the legendary 1940s New York nightclub which promoted racial equality and progressive causes – and played host to some of the finest musical talent of the 20th century, including Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie and many others.
From its idealistic Left-wing beginnings, through all its struggles and triumphs, to its eventual demise in the anti-Communist hysteria of the late 1940s, Jazz at Cafe Society is a captivating story of a time when Jewish radicals and Black civil rights activists made common cause, when the American Left was a force to be reckoned with, and when some of the greatest jazz and blues talent that ever lived was just a phone call away.
Featuring a stellar cast of vocalists – Gwyneth Herbert, Alexander Stewart and Paris-based China Moses (daughter of jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater), Jazz at Cafe Society is narrated by DJ and BBC Radio presenter Max Reinhardt, who plays club owner Barney Josephson.
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