Henry Minton

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Henry Minton was a tenor saxophonist and club owner in Harlem, New York. In 1938 he founded Minton's Playhouse, a jazz club on the first floor of the Cecil Hotel on West 118th Street. Before opening his club he had worked in the music world: he was the first Black delegate of the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 and, in the 1930s, manager of the Rhythm Club in Harlem, which Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, James P. Johnson and Earl Hines often visited. That experience gave him a knowledge of the economic and artistic needs of jazz musicians in New York. He was also generous with food and loans, and that made his club a beloved place for musicians.

Music and breakthrough

Minton introduced a standing jam-session policy. Thanks to his contacts at the union, musicians did not have to fear a fine for playing without pay, something the union officially forbade. Dizzy Gillespie recalled that the union's delegates followed musicians around and fined them, but that Minton's was somewhat immune. At the end of 1940 he brought in Teddy Hill as manager.

Influence

It was in those jam sessions in the early 1940s that Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie developed bebop. That made Minton's a key place for modern jazz. The club continued to flourish for about thirty years and closed in 1974.

Listening

In School of Rock

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