Sweet Basil To Close Its Doors…Sort Of

Sweet Basil, one of New York’s leading jazz clubs for more than 20 years, will close at the end of April. Through the 1980s and ’90s Sweet Basil was among the top five jazz clubs in New York. According to The New York Times, the club’s music director and co-manager, James Browne, is buying the club with partners and will reopen it in July as Sweet Rhythm. The new club will present a mixture of jazz and world music, but will drop the practice of booking bands for five-night engagements. Sweet Basil actually opened as a health food restaurant in 1974 and started booking jazz acts a few years later. The Masters of Groove are booked for the final week at Sweet Basil, April 24-29, and there will be a closing-night party on April 30.

Originally Published April 17, 2001