When I moved to Charlottesville (VA) way back in 1976, I knew I was in for a major life change.  Despite the way I thought the modern world worked, Charlottesville was a remnant of the old South. 

Yeah, I know many folks living there tried to convince me it was way more modern.  But, it wasn’t just town v. gown; it was the fact that racial prejudice and religious intolerance exuded from the pores of most of the city and almost all of the surrounding counties.

Even today, there is a bifurcation in Virginia.  There is Northern Virginia, which is where most of the population resides.  And, Southern Virginia which still maintains most of the political control of the state, as well as those historical Virginia attitudes.

One of my friends started a pretty unique restaurant in Charlottesville, just off from one of the two (yes, this small town had two) railroad stations.  (Remember, this was before Amtrak had really taken hold nationally; the Southern Railroad provided wonderful passenger service from its own station, and what was the C&O [including by now the B&O; later to become the CSX] railroad which passenger service was subsumed by Amtrak from its own station.)

When Sandy finally managed to get the New York Times to review his (believe it or not, very fine) restaurant, we all laughed at the article.   Because the first paragraph went something like this:

 Charlottesville is that quaint, little Southern town, 100 miles south, southwest of Washington DC.  And, a century away.  And, we all know that Washington DC is a century away from Manhattan.

I admit, it’s how I thought of those places, too.  But, there were two places in DC that really drew my attention.  One was Blues Alley in Georgetown, the other was Mr. Henry’s saloon in Capital Hill.  Both had been in existence for about a dozen years before I became a Charlottesville resident.

Henry (of Mr. Henry’s fame) Yaffe started his (soon to be chain) of establishments when he moved from Baltimore back in the 1960’s. He bought that first spot on the corner of 6^th Street SE and Pennsylvania Avenue (which was an existing country and western bar).

Two years after the Capital Hill establishment opened, Mr. Henry (it is a Southern tradition to use Mr. as a prefix to one’s first name) made a fortuitous decision.  He hired a local music teacher to entertain at his pub.   

She was so popular, Mr. Henry constructed an upstairs performance space for her.  And, this audience grew, with the music teacher quitting her day job for the nightly gigs here (three performances each of five nights)- with folks like Ramsey Lewis, Johnny Mathis, Carmen McRae, Dionne Warwick,  and Burt Bacharach coming to hear this (now former) music teacher. 

This music teacher was born in Asheville, NC and moved to Nauck (a well established black community in Arlington, VA) at the age of 5.  And, then matriculated to Howard University on a full scholarship at the age of 15. The incomparable Roberta Flack. (By the way, that converted upstairs room is known as the Roberta Flack room!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9jmusgMgro

Roberta was the one who made a ten-year old folk song that Ewan MacColl wrote for his wife very famous.  That happened to be the song we chose for our wedding song.  The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.  (It also was the soundtrack for Clint Eastwood’s film, Play Misty for Me.)

Believe it or not, even though Mr. Henry met his demise, the place is still jumping every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night. Its management is still kind of in-the-family.  When Mr. Henry finally retired, he sold it to his long-time manager (Alvin Ross, who had a co-owner, Larry Quillian).  Quillian’s daughter runs it with a new manager, Mark Steele.   

And, Mark Steele has chosen a very talented jazz drummer- who employs a rotating crew of jazz artists in his retinue  to perform on 18 May.  Unfortunately for me, that’s a Friday night (for which Mr. Henry generally chooses jazz music). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=QqogFpyrgRo

But, not for you!  Because if you are in DC that night, you need to get yourself over to Capitol Hill.  To catch Jack Kilby’s performance.  Among the other artists performing that night is John D’Earth, who migrated to Charlottesville right after I did- and kept me entertained with his outstanding music.

Reservations will probably help ensure you get a seat.