The Crescendo was a West Hollywood jazz venue located at 8572 Sunset Boulevard. It opened in 1954, along with the Interlude upstairs, and ran until 1964.
History
The Crescendo was owned and operated by Gene Norman (né Eugene Abraham Nabatoff; 1922–2015) of GNP Crescendo Records who had purchased the property in 1954 from singer Billy Eckstine who had run the venue as the Chanticlair. The Chanticlair, Crescendo, and Interlude welcomed integrated audiences. Norman sold the Crescendo in 1963 to focus on GNP Crescendo Records, and in 1965, the club became The Trip.
Performers
Performers at the Crescendo included:
- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
- Louie Armstrong
- Count Basie
- Oscar Brown, Jr.
- Eddie Cano
- Chubby Checker
- June Christy
- Sam Cooke
- Joey Dee & the Starliters
- Billy Eckstine
- Duke Ellington
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Chico Hamilton
- Billie Holiday
- Harry James
- Louis Jordan
- Stan Kenton
- Perez Prado
- Machito
- Herbie Mann
- Shelly Manne
- Gerry Mulligan
- Anita O'Day
- Perez Prado
- George Shearing
- Nina Simone
- Art Tatum
- Cal Tjader
- Mel Torme
- Sarah Vaughan
Folk music was represented with appearances by:
The club also headlined comics including:
- Woody Allen
- Shelley Berman
- Lenny Bruce
- Lord Buckley
- Bill Cosby
- Redd Foxx
- Dick Gregory
- Tom Lehrer
- Bob Newhart
- Don Rickles
- Mort Sahl
- Jonathan Winters
Selected recordings at the Crescendo
| 1954: | Art Tatum | Live at the Crescendo, Vol. 1 & 2 |
| 1954: | Earl Hines | Live at the Crescendo, Vol. 2 (released 1992) |
| 1955: | Louis Armstrong | Louis Armstrong at the Crescendo, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 & Vol. 3, |
| 1955: | Frank Morgan, Conte Candoli and Machito's Rhythm Section | Gene Norman Presents: Frank Morgan with Conte Candoli and Machito's Rhythm Section Note: the CD reissue of this album adds 5 tracks recorded August 1956 at the Crescendo with Jack Sheldon, Frank Morgan, James Clay, Bobby Timmons, Jimmy Bond, Lawrence Marable |
| 1956: | Billy Daniels | Gene Norman Presents: Mr. Black Magic – Billy Daniels at the Crescendo |
| 1957: | Mel Tormé | Mel Tormé at the Crescendo |
| 1958: | George Shearing & The Quintet | On the Sunny Side of the Strip (released 1960) |
| 1958: | Count Basie & His Atomic Band | Complete Live at the Crescendo (re-released 2016; 5 CDs) |
| 1959: | René Touzet and His Orchestra | René Touzet and His Orchestra Play for Dancing at the Crescendo on the World Famous Sunset Strip |
| 1959: | Frances Faye | Caught in the Act |
| 1961: | T. C. Jones | T. C. Jones – Himself! (released 1961) |
| 1960: | Jeri Southern | Jeri Southern at the Crescendo |
| 1960: | Lambert, Hendricks & Ross with Zoot Sims | The Swingers! |
| 1960: | Eddie Cano & Jack Costanzo With Tony Martinez and His Orchestra |
Dancing on the Sunset Strip |
| 1960: | The Teddy Buckner Band | Frank Bull and Gene Norman Present: The Teddy Buckner Band on the Sunset Strip |
| 1961: | Ella Fitzgerald | Ella in Hollywood | Twelve Nights in Hollywood |
| 1961: | Machito | Machito at the Crescendo |
| 1963: | Jonah Jones | And Now in Person ... Jonah Jones |
| 1963: | Arthur Lyman | The Exotic Sounds of ... Arthur Lyman at the Crescendo (re-issued in 1965 as Cast Your Fate to the Wind) |
| 1964: | Wayne Newton | In Person! |
Notes
- Frank Nova Bull (1897–1975) was a Kansas-born radio announcer in Los Angeles.
References
- "Count on the Coast: Basie, '58," by Marc Myers, All About Jazz, January 10, 2014
- Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon, by Harvey Kubernik, Scott Calamar (ed.); Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. (2009), pps. 14–17 & 60; ISBN 1402765894; OCLC 311760815