By Ernest Barteldes-NewYork Press
In the spring of 1994, a jazz aficionado named Mitch Borden started the West Village–based Smalls Jazz Club, an after-hours basement where musicians and fans came together to celebrate the music they loved. Back then, things were quite different:There was a $10 cover charge and a loose BYOB policy.The music went on pretty much until the sun came up—a laidback scene quite different from other mainstream jazz venues in Manhattan. For starters, patrons not only brought six-packs from the neighborhood deli but also brought pizza, Chinese food or whatever munchies they could get.
But that was then. These days Smalls has a full bar and heftier cover charge, but the spirit remains. [Read More]