This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
That Healing Jazz Thing on a Porch in Brooklyn ¶
On a Brooklyn porch, a saxophonist named Roy Nathanson brought together a group of musicians to play jazz, creating a sense of community and healing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It started in April 2020, when Nathanson, 69, began playing his saxophone on his second-floor balcony on Marlborough Road in Flatbush. He was joined by his neighbor, Lloyd Miller, who played the stand-up bass, and soon, other musicians arrived to play along.
Albert Marquès, a Barcelona-born Latin jazz musician, brought his melodica, while Eddy Bourjolly, a Haitian jazz guitarist, joined in from Canarsie. Eric Alabaster, a retired teacher and drummer, and Mo Saleem, a Pakistani musician, completed the group.
As the days went by, the audience grew, with people from different backgrounds and ages gathering to listen and dance. The musicians played a mix of jazz standards and popular songs, including 'Tennessee Waltz' and 'Imagine.'
For Nathanson, the impromptu jazz sessions were a way to recreate the sense of community he had known as a child growing up in Flatbush. He had returned to the neighborhood after being forced out of his East Village home by a gentrified co-op board.
As the months passed, the musicians continued to play, with Saleem's tabla adding a new dimension to their sound. The sessions became a highlight of the day for the musicians, who found solace in the music and the sense of connection it brought.
On Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that punctuates the end of Ramadan, Nathanson and Alabaster had a talk, and Saleem broke out his tabla, setting it alongside Alabaster's drums. The result was a rollicking whirling version of 'Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.'
The impromptu jazz sessions on Marlborough Road became a symbol of hope and resilience during the pandemic, bringing people together and creating a sense of community and healing.
