The Left Bank Jazz Society is a Baltimore, Maryland-based organization that promotes jazz in Baltimore. It formed in 1964, hosting a series of concerts featuring nationally acclaimed performers like John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. Tapes from these recordings were tied up in legal disputes and not officially released until 2000.
Left Bank was founded by Vernon L. Welsh (b. 10 Feb 1919; d. 8 Aug 2002 Baltimore, Maryland) and Benny Kearse (b. 16 Mar 1930 Allendale, South Carolina; d. 29 Jun 1999 Baltimore, Maryland). Welsh recorded more than 800 jazz performances at the Famous Ballroom during the 1960s and 1970s. The tapes recorded by Welsh had been stored at the Morgan State University library for years. Veteran record producer Joel Dorn of the Label M record company, who acquired the tapes, has begun reissuing them and they have found favor with critics and jazz aficionados.[1]
For seven years, Kearse was president of the group, which sponsored 47 concerts a season at its peak. The Left Bank's first gig was held at the Al-Ho Club, in the 2500 block of Frederick Ave., the year it was founded. After three moves, the society established a long run at the Famous Ballroom in 1967. The hall is the site of the expanded Charles Theater.[2]
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