{"id":5812,"date":"2015-09-09T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T09:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=5812"},"modified":"2015-09-11T14:30:13","modified_gmt":"2015-09-11T18:30:13","slug":"the-jazz-scene-at-eileens-in-homewood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2015\/09\/09\/the-jazz-scene-at-eileens-in-homewood\/","title":{"rendered":"The jazz scene at Eileen’s in Homewood"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Eileen's <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Flip through those images, and it’s almost as if\u00a0you can\u00a0hear the soulful melodies reaching you 35 years in the future.<\/p>\n

We at The Digs lifted the lid off a box of color negatives in the photo library last week. It’s the first time we’ve really taken a look at decades gone by through color negs, and we wish we had started browsing these much earlier. Amid dozens of envelopes of fall shots around southwest Pennsylvania from the 1970s (expect to see some of that timeless color\u00a0posted here\u00a0later this year), there was one of greater\u00a0interest: “Jazz in Pittsburgh, 10-19-80.”<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh’s contribution to American jazz history is not as well documented as one might hope. The city’s two daily newspapers, the Press and the Post-Gazette, did not begin to pay attention to African-American culture in any serious way until the second half of the 20th century.<\/p>\n

Cultural spots\u00a0inside neighborhoods like the Hill District and Homewood were not major destinations for photographers and reporters (except for those who worked at The Pittsburgh Courier). That deficit in the PG’s archive made this single envelope more\u00a0prized.<\/p>\n

It provided\u00a0a rare look into a scene that \u2014 at least in this particular location \u2014 no longer exists.<\/p>\n

Because there was no other writing on the envelope nor negative sleeves, we must\u00a0try to imagine what and who these photos showed. (And, please, if you recognize anyone in the frames or know someone who might, let us know in the comments or email socialmedia@post-gazette.com.)<\/p>\n

The scene: Eileen’s Bar and Grill, 708 N. Dallas Ave. in Homewood. That much we found from old event listings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The date: October 19, 1980. But that was\u00a0a Sunday; that listing said Friday and Saturday nights in the Zebra Room.<\/p>\n

\"I
“Zebra Room”? Looks like we\u00a0found the right place.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And so maybe it was a special occasion \u2014 one worthy enough for a photographer to go check it out? Either way, take a moment to look at those photos.<\/p>\n

Really<\/em> look at them. The faces. The joy.\u00a0The clothes. The styles.The bowling trophy. The instruments. The lights.\u00a0That just-about-brand-new Pittsburgh Pirates 1979 World Series champions pennant hanging on the wall. We wonder where that ended up?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then close your eyes. Hear the smooth and lively jazz notes filling the air. And the laughter. It’s hard to imagine anyone failing to have themselves a good time that night.<\/p>\n

Open your eyes, and here’s what you see:<\/p>\n

\"Eileen's<\/p>\n

It’s all gone. On the side of the building, there’s a sign for a market that’s no longer there.<\/p>\n

County records\u00a0show\u00a0it was most recently sold in 2012<\/a> to a business named\u00a0EILLAV MEHCEB NAE, LLC.<\/p>\n

The price? $1.<\/p>\n

Updated, Sept. 11, 2015:\u00a0<\/strong>In the hours after we first posted these images, memories about Eileen’s and those who played there came flooding in.<\/p>\n

You can read a few of them in the comments at the bottom. But here’s more about what we learned on this spot.<\/p>\n

When a headliner jazz act wrapped its Downtown show on a Friday or Saturday night in the 1980s, those in the Pittsburgh jazz scene knew where to go to hear the after-hours set.<\/p>\n

The classiest spot in Homewood was\u00a0the Zebra Room, and it was found downstairs at Eileen\u2019s Bar and Grill. Everyone from Stanley Turrentine to Billy Eckstein played against the backdrop of a wall covered in zebra pattern.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Uncle Jim used to sing there, too,\u201d said Lisa Franklin Robinson, niece of deceased owner Eileen Hunter.\u00a0\u201cHe thought he sounded like Billy Eckstine, but he didn\u2019t really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Hunter was Eileen\u2019s husband, and together they owned the club at\u00a0708 N. Dallas Ave. from the 1970s until 1990 or so. No one could quite pinpoint the year Eileen\u2019s closed, but it fell with the rest of the Homewood jazz scene in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n

But there is now a plan for the vacant structure.<\/p>\n

A Homewood resident, Kirk Webster, has partnered with the structure\u2019s owner, Vallie Dean, to bring back a business. Mrs. Dean\u2019s father owned property around Pittsburgh and passed them on to his daughter when he died (hence the $1 2012 sale price).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to try to bring it back up to par, to salvage the property,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cPerhaps use it as a dollar store. A dollar store might fit good in that area.\u201d<\/p>\n

And a block away, at 6840 Kelly St., Mr. Webster and Mrs. Dean have an idea to again give Homewood its music hot spot: the\u00a0Vieux Carr\u00e9 Jazz and Blues Venue. When told of those plans, Dr. Jacqueline Young was thrilled. She spent many nights at Eileen\u2019s, along with jazz players like Roger Humphries, Carl Arter, Mike Taylor, Ron Tucker and Tiny Irwin, some of whom are seen in the photos we found and posted at www.post-gazette.com\/thedigs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the quintessential jazz club, a very warm atmosphere,\u201d Dr. Young said.\u00a0\u201cWe don\u2019t really have that many places to go around town anymore to hear jazz.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A single envelope of color photographs shows one of Pittsburgh’s happening jazz scenes in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesThe jazz scene at Eileen’s in Homewood<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[945],"tags":[964,1330,1264,1046],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Eileens-Bar-and-Grill-jazz-in-the-Zebra-Room-20.jpg?fit=2203%2C1435&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1046,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/01\/20\/jazz-legend-dakota-staton\/","url_meta":{"origin":5812,"position":0},"title":"Jazz legend Dakota Staton","date":"January 20, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Dakota Staton\u2019s strong, sultry, soulful voice will transport you back to the 1950s, an era when people flocked to nightclubs to hear live music, especially jazz or rhythm and blues.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/tumblr_mzlspxWhpX1rr5swxo3_1280.jpg?fit=864%2C860&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1750,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/05\/27\/the-tuskegee-airmen\/","url_meta":{"origin":5812,"position":1},"title":"The Tuskegee Airmen","date":"May 27, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"On March 24, 1945, Tuskegee Airmen escorted an Allied bomber group deep into Germany.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/tumblr_mnbnzoDIXa1rr5swxo2_1280.jpg?fit=1080%2C672&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1426,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/09\/06\/joe-negri-a-consummate-jazz-musician\/","url_meta":{"origin":5812,"position":2},"title":"Joe Negri, a consummate jazz musician","date":"September 6, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Joe Negri has been playing guitar for so long there\u2019s hardly a time he wasn\u2019t.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/tumblr_msnoykASnf1rr5swxo5_1280.jpg?fit=1080%2C1149&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":674,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/05\/12\/double-murder-in-the-east-end\/","url_meta":{"origin":5812,"position":3},"title":"Double murder in the East End (warning: graphic images)","date":"May 12, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"The retelling of a 1946 murder in two parts.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tumblr_n5bdnhqqk31rr5swxo2_1280.jpg?fit=1171%2C864&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1227,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/11\/11\/jazz-pianist-mary-lou-williams\/","url_meta":{"origin":5812,"position":4},"title":"Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams","date":"November 11, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Mary Lou Williams was a self-taught pianist, composer and arranger who grew up in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/tumblr_mvwwi40bmF1rr5swxo4_1280.jpg?fit=943%2C936&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1270,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/10\/25\/stanley-turrentine-pittsburgh-born-jazz-great\/","url_meta":{"origin":5812,"position":5},"title":"Stanley Turrentine, Pittsburgh-born jazz great","date":"October 25, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Stanley Turrentine grew up around music.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/tumblr_mv6v21X6Mx1rr5swxo1_1280-e1418782050385.jpg?fit=1200%2C832&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5812"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5846,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812\/revisions\/5846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}