Think back 20 years ago, when summer rolled around everyone knew that Friday Night Jazz at The Firehouse Farmer’s Market, 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue was the place to be.
Folks from all over came to this part of the city to sit on their lawn chairs, benches, and grass to hear the sounds of local artists who had made names for themselves in the music industry. There was nothing else like this Friday night affair in this part of the city — it was a major highlight of summer festivities in the community. Just how did Friday Night Jazz (FNJ) at The Firehouse Farmer’s Market come about? Denise King, a local and International performing artist, was the mastermind behind this legendary summer series, and this is her story…
“Sometime before May in the year 2000, I had the idea to open a jazz club in my neighborhood at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue. That area of West Philly, between 50th and 40th streets, Spruce Street to Springfield Avenue, had beautiful architecture, a mix of ethnicities, cultures, restaurants, and more. The only thing missing was music. More specifically… jazz,” explained Denise.
“After deep conversations with my pocketbook, I realized I couldn’t afford to open a club; but what I did was decide to start a weekly Jazz series from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Bill Coleman was the owner of the Firehouse Farmer’s Market, and the location was perfect. I went by the Market one day to pitch the idea, but he wasn’t there, so I left a yellow posted note on his desk about my idea. He called me and shared that he was hoping to increase business in the Market, and he thought it was a good thing and loved the idea. He basically said, ‘If you find the talent, I ‘ll help find money.’ And he did.”
“He was a major sponsor for six years. Bill Coleman, Michelle Robinson, and I ran that series together from 2000 to 2006 when Bill left.” She recalled, “Every Friday from 6-8 pm, people came out with lawn chairs, coolers, snacks, everything. We were multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, and yes, ALL were welcome–from babies to our oldest participant, 90-year-old Al Breland. I called him “ , …
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