Sweet Basil Jazz Club

Doc Cheatham performing in Sweet Basil

Sweet Basil was a jazz club in New York City's Greenwich Village. Founded in 1974 by Sharif Esmat, it was considered among the most prominent jazz clubs in New York.^[1] Many jazz albums were recorded live at Sweet Basil, including Cecil Taylor's Iwontunwonsi, McCoy Tyner's Live at Sweet Basil (1989) and Solar: Live at Sweet Basil, and the Jean-Michel Pilc Trio's Together: Live at Sweet Basil. From 1981 to 1992 the club was owned by Phyllis Litoff and her husband Mel Litoff.^[2]

Recorded performances

McCoy Tyner (1973)

Ron Carter

Recorded performances at the club include:^[3]

• 1977 – Ron Carter: Piccolo (Milestone)
• 1977 – Junior Mance: Live at Sweet Basil (Flying Disk)
• 1977 – Cecil McBee Sextet with Chico Freeman: Music from the Source and Compassion (Enja)
• 1978 – Jim Hall/Red Mitchell (Artists House)
• 1981 – Chris Connor: Lover, Come Back to Me
• 1983 – Abdullah Ibrahim with Carlos Ward: Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 1 (Ekapa)
• 1984 – Leroy Jenkins: Urban Blues (Black Saint)
• 1984 – David Murray Big Band: Live at Sweet Basil Volume 1 & Live at Sweet Basil Volume 2 (Black Saint)
• 1985 - Gunter Hampel New York Orchestra: Fresh Heat: Live at Sweet Basil (Birth) with Jeanne Lee, Perry Robinson, Mark Whitecage, Thomas Keyserling, Curtis Fowlkes, Bill Frisell, Bob Stewart, Marvin Smitty Smith u.a.
• 1985 – Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: New Year's Eve At Sweet Basil (King)
• 1986 – Gil Evans & The Monday Night Orchestra: Live at Sweet Basil (Electric Bird)
• 1986 – The Jazztet (led by Art Farmer and Benny Golson): Back to the City (Contemporary)
• 1986 - Terence Blanchard/Donald Harrison: Eric Dolphy & Booker Little Remembered Live at Sweet Basil, Vol. 1 & 2 (Evidence) with Mal Waldron, Richard Davis, Ed Blackwell
• 1987 – Mal Waldron: The Super Quartet Live at Sweet Basil (Paddle Wheel)
• 1987 – Gil Evans: Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 2 (Gramavision)
• 1988 – Paul Bley: Live at Sweet Basil (Soul Note)
• 1988 – Randy Brecker Quintet: Live at Sweet Basil (Sonet)
• 1988 – Sonny Greenwich: Live at Sweet Basil (Justin Time)
• 1988 – Oliver Jones: Cookin' at Sweet Basil (Justin Time Records)
• 1989 – Richard Davis: One for Frederick – Live at Sweet Basil (Hep)
• 1989 – McCoy Tyner: Live at Sweet Basil (King)
• 1989 – Uli Lenz/Cecil McBee/Joe Chambers: Live at Sweet Basil (Enja)
• 1990 – Nat Adderley: Autumn Leaves: Live at Sweet Basil (Evidence)
• 1990 − Richard Davis and Friends live at Sweet Basil (Evidence) with Ricky Ford, Cecil Bridgewater, Roland Hanna, George Cables, Ronnie Burrage
• 1991 - Steve Grossman: In New York (Dreyfus)
• 1991 – Steve Lacy Sextet – Live at Sweet Basil (Novus)
• 1991 – McCoy Tyner: Solar: Live at Sweet Basil (Sweet Basil Records)
• 1992 – Anders Bergcrantz: Live at Sweet Basil (DIW)
• 1992 – Nick Brignola: Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Reservoir)
• 1992 – The Enja Band live at Sweet Basil (Enja) with Willie Williams, Gust Tsilis, Uri Caine, Michael Formanek, Cecil Brooks III
• 1992 – Doc Cheatham: Live at Sweet Basil (Jazzology)
• 1992 – Art Farmer Quintet: Live at Sweet Basil (Evidence)
• 1992 – Dave Matthews/Manhattan Jazz Quintet: Manteca (Evidence)
• 1993 – Wolfgang Muthspiel Group: In & Out (Amadeo)
• 1995 – Cecil Taylor: Iwontunwonsi - Live at Sweet Basil (Sound Hills)
• 1995 – Cecil Taylor: Amewa - Live at Sweet Basil (Sound Hills)
• 1998 - Greg Osby: Banned in New York (Blue Note)
• 1999 – Michele Rosewoman: Guardians of the Light (Enja)
• 2000 – Cecil Brooks III/John Hicks: Live at Sweet Basil 2 (Savant)

References

1. Paul ODonnell. "Beyond the Boardroom with Stewart Kohl". The Plain Dealer. April 5, 2008.
2. Janas, Marci, "The Wellspring of Sweet Basil: Mel Litoff and Phyllis Weisbart Litoff", Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Vol. 103, No. 3, Winter 2005/2006.
3. Discogs, Allmusic bzw. Cook/Morton: Penguin Guide to Jazz.

Coordinates: 40°44′04″N 74°00′09″W / 40.7345°N 74.0024°W