I was lucky enough to get invited to the Grand Opening of Close Up, a new jazz and music club that has opened in the Lower East Side of New York City. Owned by Daniel Gaynor and Solomon Gottfried, the club came to fruition out of the pandemic. As Solomon Gottfried puts it: “This is the first time the younger generation has a Jazz club to go to, run by people their age who understand them.” He went on to say that many places like Close Up have closed up in the past twenty to thirty years. The place is one of a kind and is unique and is a classy place to see live music.
Kalia Vandever performed at the opening and is a Grammy Award Winning trombonist and composer living in Brooklyn, NY. Her approach to the trombone is distinctive and defined by her sonorous tone and lyrical improvisational voice. She leans into the challenges of the instrument and allows patience and melody to guide her process. She is known to play back up for Harry Styles.
I had the chance to interview Daniel and Solomon to talk about the new club centrally located in the LES on 154 Orchard Street. Watch the clip below.
