KEYED UP! and Bar Bayeux:
A catch-up with Jeremy Stratton and Jerome Sabbagh
Interview with Jeremy Stratton, owner at Bar Bayeux
Background
2019 was our first year but we opened for New Year's Eve 2018. I built the bar with my father and brother. The address is 1066 Nostrand and my father, the history buff, recognized the date as the year of the battle of Hastings, which is depicted in the Bayeux tapestry, so basically we were named after a piece of art. We also liked the sound of the Bayeux as a New Orleans kind of vibe.
I grew up in the bar business, my father was a bar owner and I always had one foot in the business, the other as a jazz musician: I’m a bass player. Unfortunately, the old bar had to close after it was sold and the rent was skyrocketing. Grassroots Tavern was a dive bar from 1974, a bar since the 40s. (Editors note: he's speaking of St. Mark's Place in East Village) It's one of the oldest buildings in the neighborhood. I grew up there as a kid.
Finding a space
So we went looking for a place closer to home - we are all from Brooklyn - and we found this empty spot. My brother is a carpenter so we did all the wiring, then brought in a plumber and built it ourselves.
When we were moving to our new space, we were looking for something not too big or small but workable and I wanted to correct all the problems from the old place. What we have here is a cleaner, more sophisticated version. So it was nice that we could have that in mind when building the place. That being said, we weren’t expecting to become a venue per se but only planning on having music once or twice a week. I wouldn’t have known how to do it. That’s where KEYED UP! came in and really helped us become what we are now.
Sponsorship
When we started with KEYED UP! before the pandemic, we were hosting music only one night a week and honestly we were struggling as a new bar but our Wednesday night that was sponsored by KEYED UP! became our best night. We slowly became a jazz bar as musicians who would play found us or heard about us through other musicians or KEYED UP! social media. The jazz community finds itself very quickly.
We had just brought Diego Voglino’s jam session to Tuesdays because Wednesdays were doing so well but then the pandemic hit. KEYED UP! kept our doors open even when we were shut. We started a live stream (which was a big learning curve!) set up by Jerome Sabbagh and friends Peter Watrous and Adam Kolker. We worked together as a team and eventually figured out how to do the live stream with good sound quality. We did a Facebook event once a week with live donations which meant we were able to pay the musicians which was great and it helped us pay the rent. KEYED UP! was existential for us. When we reopened we were only able to do so much with social distancing, smaller numbers, etc but we graduated to having music every night. Luckily we have a great back patio with chairs which meant we had more options.
Jerome Sabbagh came to me, he had contacted KEYED UP! and we built it back up to where we were before. I think what people have really gravitated toward is the vibe at Bar Bayeux. Patrons are more than happy to show their gratitude when the tip jar gets passed around and because we can match what KEYED UP! puts forward, it is a group effort. I think this is generally why musicians enjoy playing here - it’s the type of place you wish you could play. I always wanted it to have a welcoming atmosphere and I think we are succeeding there.
Moving forward
As it is, it's been fantastic, it's all moving along naturally so I don't want to do anything that will upset that. Noah Garabedian and Caleb Wheeler Curtis have been booking the weekends. We’re trying to maintain that balance between bringing new people in and also keeping performances from great established artists. Once artists play here, they express how much they enjoyed it and want to play again. Adam Kolker and I do a special guest series on Thursday with new people - it can be a lot of work! I must say though, it is incredible that jazz lovers come out and throw money in that tip jar. I see KEYED UP! as the backbone of it; they put in some bread, the bar puts in some bread and then patrons add some bread too. Everyone being involved has made this place what it is.
Interview with Jerome Sabbagh, music curator at Bar Bayeux
Background
I met Jeremy through mutual friends, I think we played a session. We ended up playing every Sunday at Grassroots Tavern for about 15 years. When he opened Bar Bayeux, he actually asked me to help him with the wine list as I would often bring a bottle to Grassroots. The music came after that!
I knew Rob Duguay from having played with him over the years and also from the Jazz Standard. When I got involved with Bar Bayeux and booking musicians on Wednesdays I got in touch with him but hadn’t been involved with KEYED UP! to that point.
Streaming
Jeremy had mentioned it but in the beginning, I didn’t want to do it as the streaming I had seen up to that point, in the early days of the pandemic, wasn’t very inspiring to listen to or look at. I didn’t know much about it and didn’t know the first thing about live-streaming performances. What changed my mind was when the Vanguard started their streaming series. It was Billy Hart's quartet and it looked and sounded really good. With it being the Vanguard, it was always going to be good but it showed me that it could be done. It took us at least two or three months after the Vanguard stream to get it together.
What makes Bar Bayeux so special?
It's a good-sized space, it feels like an inviting bar, and also has a back patio. It sounds good and also feels good. When we were streaming we put some effort into bringing curtains and carpets which improved not only the sound but also the visual aesthetic. It’s always been a fine line between having a bar atmosphere but also a listening venue which is what I am aiming for on Wednesdays. I make an announcement, go around the room with a tip jar and make sure to give information about the band and KEYED UP! which helps the atmosphere. It’s important that it’s a place where people want to come and hang; a venue with great music but no bar doesn’t work, and vice versa. The credit goes to Jeremy’s vision for having a place where people want to come and listen but also play at.
Booking the music and striking a balance
It's challenging, I only book on Wednesdays so it's limited openings. Finding a balance is always important. We are lucky that we have had Billy Hart, Al Foster, Victor Lewis, and many others. It's inspiring to see these guys up close and it's important that we have a place where people can do their thing, trying new combinations or arrangements. I try my best to make it special every Wednesday and whether that’s new musicians or established legends, I try to make it something that people will really care about. I leave my tastes out of it so we get a broad range of people, styles, generations, and instrumentation - it doesn't matter as long as it's good! It works well on Wednesdays. We couldn’t do what we’ve been doing without KEYED UP!