WILKES-BARRE — It was a Friday night. The club was new. The music was hot. The crowd was hopping.
It was Nov. 5, 1993, and the River Street Jazz Cafe had just opened its doors to the public.
“The band was Merchants of Groove,” club owner and founder Robert Friedman recalled. “They had a horn section, the place was packed. Everybody had a great time.”
Friedman still has a copy of the first month’s calendar, along with a copy of a Times Leader preview story from October of that year, which he proudly brought to a recent interview.
More importantly, he also still has the club.
This Friday night, the Jazz Cafe will mark a quarter century of operation with a party hosted by saxophone player Tony Carfora, among those musicians who got their start here or performed at the club over the past 25 years.
“He used to come here when he was in eighth grade, a shy kid with his sax,” Friedman said. “Now he’s a sax player extraordinaire in New York.
The event also will feature other guest performers, including Clarence Spady and Big Daddy Dex, while past managers will be on hand as guest bartenders.
“We’re also going to have a complimentary buffet for all the guests and artists,” Friedman said. “It’s a thank you to everyone who supported the club.”
Proud history
The club has very much been a labor of love for Friedman.
“I always had a love for music, especially blues and jazz, and I would have to go into the city to check that kind of music out,” he said.
At the time, he was partners with his father in Friedman Electric, the family business. Opening a jazz venue wasn’t exactly what his parents had in mind for him.
“My mom and dad wanted to kill me. They wanted me to focus on Friedman Electric,” Friedman recalled.
“It wasn’t a business decision, I can tell you that,” he said of opening the club. “It really was for the love of the music.”
But the downstairs location in a former furniture store had such potential, he thought.
“I loved this property, this space, with its old wood floors — they used to manufacture furniture here,” Friedman said.
He and his dad bought the building, which houses other tenants.
“We put up the wall here with the mural, built the bar from scratch,” he recalled. “I invested in an excellent sound system, and acoustics that are conducive to professional sound people.”
The result: “When people come here they are really coming to listen to music — It’s not a sports bar, it’s not a fine dining restaurant, it is a live music club.”
His vision was also about attracting and promoting talented performers.
“We have a lot of great musicians in the area, and a lot of bands and musicians got their start at the Jazz Club,” Friedman said.
To name a few: Maynard Ferguson, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Copeland, members of the Average White Band.
“It has a long history and it’s interesting to see the crowd that comes here,” Friedman said.
He also said it has helped to have many employees who enjoyed working at the club because of their own love of music.
Friedman also credits Tom Moran, one of the former managers who now books 70 to 75 percent of the music.
“He lives and breathes music,” said Friedman.
There have been changes over the years, notably the mix of acts. What started out as a strictly blues and jazz club has evolved to include R&B, jam-based music and tribute bands.
“You really have to adjust the music to what brings people in,” Friedman said.
And so he has.
“I hope that for many more years to come I can provide live music.”
The club is located in the Cross Valley Center at 667 S. River St. The doors will open at 7 Friday, with free commemorative T-shirts for the first 100 guests. The buffet will begin at 8, while the music starts at 9.
For more information, visit https://riverstreetjazzcafe.com, and see this week’s edition of The Weekender for an expanded interview with Friedman.
