Art D'Lugoff(August 2, 1924 - November 4, 2009) in Brooklyn, New York, was an Americanjazzimpresario.He openedThe Village Gate,a jazz club in New York City'sGreenwich Village,in 1958.[1]D'Lugoff sought out the hottest talent, hosting prominent jazz artists, includingBillie Holiday,Duke Ellington,Dizzy Gillespie,Aretha Franklin,andMiles Davis,as well as the best in comedy, includingBill Cosby,Mort Sahl,Woody Allen,andJohn Belushi.
D'Lugoff turned awayBob Dylan,prompting the latter to write music in the basement of the club.[2]He also fired aDustin Hoffmanfor providing poor table service. PlaywrightSam Shepardonce bused tables.[3]
D'Lugoff styled himself on the famous showmanSol Hurok.[4]His avant-garde programming also set the stage for theatrical nudity in New York - the 1974 musical reviewLet My People Comefeatured a fully nude co-ed cast.[3]
Financial reverses led D'Lugoff to declare bankruptcy in 1991. He closed the club in 1994.[4]In the wake of The Village Gate's closing, D'Lugoff dreamed of opening a new jazz club nearTimes Square.He worked on raising money for the development of a national jazz museum and hall of fame to be located in New York City.[2][5]D'Lugoff's idea of a museum eventually developed into the National Jazz Museum of Harlem.[6]
D'Lugoff won thePaul Robeson Awardin 1992.
In 2008 the Village Gate re-opened under the name "Le Poisson Rouge", with D'Lugoff as a consultant.[1][7]
On November 4, 2009, after complaining of a shortness of breath, he was taken toNew York-Presbyterian Hospitalwhere he died at the age of 85.[3]On November 7, 2009, citing an unnamed source, theNew York Postclaimed that at the time of his death, D'Lugoff was weeks away from re-launching his nightclub at an even bigger downtown venue.[3]
D'Lugoff's wife, Avital D'Lugoff, worked as a photographer; she died on March 29, 2010.[8]The couple had four children: Sharon, Dahlia, Rachael, and Jazz pianist Raphael.[9]
References
edit- ^abGonzalez, David (October 15, 2008)."Founder of The Village Gate Is Back, and So Is the Salsa Meets Jazz Series".The New York Times.Retrieved2009-11-04.
- ^abMartin, Douglas (July 8, 1994)."It's All Over for the Village Gate But Its Ex-Owner Looks Ahead".The New York Times.Retrieved2009-11-06.
- ^abcdTharp, Paul (7 November 2009)."Death shuts Gate on plan for new nightspot".New York Post.Retrieved8 November2009.
- ^abMartin, Douglas (March 8, 1993)."Strictly Business; Village Gate Struggling To Avoid Its Last Chorus".The New York Times.Retrieved2009-11-06.
- ^Ramirez, Anthony (October 27, 1996)."Art D'Lugoff Lands on His Feet".The New York Times.Retrieved2009-11-06.
- ^"Home".jazzmuseuminharlem.org.
- ^"THE VILLAGE GATE to reopen in spring (Wordless Music Series programmer included)".Brooklyn Vegan. January 8, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2008.Retrieved2008-01-23.
- ^"Deaths: D'Lugoff, Avital Achai".The New York Times.April 5, 2010.Retrieved2010-10-23.
- ^"Sharon D'Lugoff Wed".The New York Times.December 15, 1986.Retrieved2009-11-06.
External links
edit- Art D'LugoffatIMDb
- Le Poisson Rouge
- Two-part interview with Art D'LugoffJazzWax,Oct. 13 & 14, 2008
- "Art D'Lugoff, Village Gate Impresario, Dies at 85"The New York Times,Nov. 6, 2009
- "Art D'Lugoff, Village Royalty, Gone Too Soon at 85"The Village Voice,Nov. 5, 2009
- "Art D’Lugoff, Jazz and NYC Nightclub Impresario, Dies at 85"JazzTimes, Nov. 5, 2009
- "Art D'Lugoff dies at 85; longtime owner of the Village Gate, his conscience shaped counterculture"New York Daily News,Nov. 5, 2009
- "Art D'Lugoff, 1924-2009",New York Post,Nov. 7 2009.