The Keystone Korner was a jazz club in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California, which opened in 1970 and continued operation until 1983. Many live recordings were made at the club.
History
In 1969, Freddie Herrera bought Dino and Carlo's Bar in the North Beach section of San Francisco. He changed the name to Keystone Korner, a reference to
Keystone Cops, because of its proximity to the Central Police Station on the opposite corner of Emery Lane.
Keystone Korner began as a
topless bar, but quickly changed direction when songwriter
Nick Gravenites convinced Herrera that live music would bring in more customers. The strength of the music scene in San Francisco allowed Herrera to book young musicians who would go on to stellar careers. Patrons filled the club to hear new talents such as Saunders and Garcia,
Elvin Bishop,
Neal Schon,
Boz Scaggs, and The Pointer Sisters. Herrera's success made it possible to move across the San Francisco Bay and open a larger room, called Keystone Berkeley.
He then sold the Keystone Korner to
Todd Barkan, who converted the nightclub from a popular
Rock music venue to an internationally famous jazz club.
Barkan paid $12,500 () for the Keystone Korner in 1972, and hired prominent jazz musicians to play there. Early gigs by performers including Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey established the Keystone as one of the best jazz clubs in the nation— a reputation that continued to build as musicians Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Betty Carter, and Stan Getz appeared on its stage.
In 2019, Barkan and Michelin-starred chef Robert Wiedmaier re-launched the Keystone Korner in Baltimore's Harbor East.
Live recordings
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Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders, Garcia Live Volume 15 (1971)
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Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bright Moments (1973)
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Yusef Lateef, 10 Years Hence (1974)
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McCoy Tyner, Atlantis (1974)
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Locomotiv GT, Azalbummm, (1974; Azalbummm)
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Sonny Stitt, Work Done (1976)
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Red Garland, Keystones! (1977)
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Art Blakey, Heat Wave (M&I 1977)
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Art Pepper, San Francisco Samba (1977 1997)
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Sam Rivers, Ricochet (NoBusiness, 1978 2020)
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Art Blakey, In This Korner (1978)
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Red Garland, I Left My Heart... (1978 1985)
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Jaki Byard, (1978, 2007)
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Jaki Byard, A Matter of Black and White (1978–79 2011)
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Jaki Byard, (1979, 2014)
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Dexter Gordon, Keystone Nights (1978–1979) (Blue Note 1980, 1990 Mosaic 2004)
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Tete Montoliu, Live at the Keystone Corner (Timeless, 1979)
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George Cables, Morning Song (HighNote, 1980 2008)
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Bill Evans, (1980 2000)
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Bill Evans, (1980 2002)
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Abbey Lincoln, (1980 2015)
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Abbey Lincoln, (1980 2016)
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Mark Murphy, (1980 2017)
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Art Blakey, Straight Ahead (1981)
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Jimmy Smith and Eddie Harris, All the Way (1981)
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Denny Zeitlin and Charlie Haden, Time Remembers One Time Once (1981 1983)
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Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson Bobby Hutcherson (1981), (1981)
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Pharoah Sanders, Heart is a Melody (1982)
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Nat Adderley, On the Move (1982)
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Nat Adderley, Blue Autumn (1982)
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Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Keystone 3 (1982)
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Freddie Hubbard, Above & Beyond (1982 1999)
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Tommy Flanagan and Jaki Byard, The Magic of 2 (1982 2013)
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Timeless All Stars, It's Timeless (1982) - Cedar Walton, Bobby Hutcherson Harold Land Curtis Fuller
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Zoot Sims, On the Korner (1983)
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Bobby Hutcherson, Farewell Keystone (1982 1988)
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Cedar Walton, Among Friends (1982 1989)
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Stan Getz, The Dolphin, Spring Is Here (1981), Moments in Time (1976 2016)
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Stan Getz and João Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto '76 (1976 2016)
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Mary Lou Williams, Live at the Keystone Korner (1977 2002)
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Cedar Walton, Reliving the Moment (1977 2014)
External links
