Bungalow Jazz is an occasional series of combo jazz performances set in the warmth and intimacy of a unique East Columbus home. The old 1910 bungalow, whose history is deeply connected to the local jazz community, sits on an acre ravine lot on East Fifth Avenue. Its owner, Becky Ogden, has long opened her home for friendly, family style musical gatherings.
Becky’s mission is to create an inviting space where musicians and their audiences can mingle. Her living room is home to a fabulous seven foot Mason Hamlin piano, just waiting for artists to bring out its rich, beautiful sound.
The first floor seats about fifty people with overflow in Becky’s dining room. Guests are encouraged to bring their children. The atmosphere is family style and welcoming. Every event comes complete with free coffee, desserts and snacks.
House concerts like the ones hosted at Bungalow jazz hold a place of esteem in jazz history. In the 1920s in Harlem they were called “rent parties,” where the likes of Fats Waller played in the apartments of people hosting music and dance parties to raise money for rent.
In the 1970s, musicians pushing the frontiers of jazz weren’t making it on the shrinking club scene. Musicians like Anthony Braxton and Oliver Lake found private loft concerts a more viable way to present their music.
House concerts have become popular again, so much so that Down Beat magazine and The New York Times have reported on the trend in cities all across the country.
Bungalow Jazz is located at 2539 East Fifth Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43219. For current concert information, please visit online at bungalowjazz.com or call 614.397-5540.
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