Keystone Korner: Portrait of a Jazz Club

 

In the words of Wynton Marsalis, “Keystone Korner was the quintessential jazz club . . . a happy home to people of all persuasions.” During the 1970s, when jazz clubs across America were folding under the onslaught of rock and roll and disco, San Francisco’s Keystone Korner was an oasis for jazz listeners and musicians. Tucked away in the city’s North Beach area, the Keystone became one of the most important jazz spots in the United States. It was so beloved by musicians that superstars McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, and Elvin Jones played a benefit concert to raise money for its liquor license.
 
In this book, award-winning photographer Kathy Sloane shares more than 100 black and white photographs documenting the musicians and regulars, the spontaneous moments and ephemeral scene of this legendary club. Together with these images, she has compiled a fascinating collage of first-hand oral histories that chronicle the Keystone experience. “From the antics of the photo-laden backroom to the underground hype of Ora Harris’ Keystone Kitchen, Sloane and fellow editor Sascha Feinstein leave no stone unturned. They examine the backstories of some of Keystone’s most lovable characters . . . a delightful sensory overload” (Downbeat).