The 55 Bar (NYC)
Greenwich Village's Legendary Dive & Ground-Zero for Cutting-Edge Jazz-Fusion Guitar
History & Legacy
Located at 55 Christopher Street in the heart of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, The 55 Bar originally opened in 1919 as a Prohibition-era speakeasy. For decades a gritty neighborhood dive, the venue transformed in 1983 when owner Peter Williams allowed bassist Jeff Andrews to start hosting live jazz duets in the corner of the room.
Andrews quickly invited electric guitar icon Mike Stern to join him, initiating a legendary, near-four-decade residency. Nicknamed "The Dump" by regulars and Stern himself, the dimly lit basement bar featured sticky floors, baskets of free popcorn, and virtually zero separation between the audience and world-class musicians. Despite its unassuming dive aesthetic, it became an international proving ground where artists could experiment without commercial pressure:
- Michael Brecker formed his first touring band here in 1987 after hearing Mike Stern's trio in the room.
- David Bowie famously scouted and recruited his core Blackstar backing band (including Donny McCaslin, Ben Monder, and Tim Lefebvre) following their performances at the club.
- Emerging artists including Norah Jones honed their craft and built initial backing ensembles during early evening slots.
Under the stewardship of Queva Lutz (from 2001 until her passing in 2007) and her son Scott Ellard, the venue maintained its policy of high-wire improvisational music until mounting debts from the COVID-19 pandemic forced its permanent closure in May 2022.
Famous Guitar Players of the 55 Bar
The 55 Bar held a singular reputation in the guitar world as a temple of electric virtuosity, heavy volume, and complex harmonic experimentation. Notable players who held long residencies or frequent gigs there include:
- Mike Stern
- The club’s foundational pillar from 1984 until its 2022 closure. Stern’s blistering, chorus-drenched jazz-rock workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays became so iconic that Berklee and Manhattan music students took late-night commuter buses just to stand inches from his amplifier.
- Wayne Krantz
- A defining fixture of the venue from the late 1980s through the 2000s. Alongside rhythm sections featuring Keith Carlock, Tim Lefebvre, or Lincoln Goines, Krantz developed his revolutionary approach to rhythmic improvisation, funk groove, and metric modulation here, documented on live recordings like Greenwich Mean.
- Leni Stern
- A long-time resident performer whose regular Sunday shows showcased a blend of contemporary jazz, African rhythmic traditions, and virtuosic guitar/ngoni arrangements, frequently joined by luminaries like Paul Motian and Bill Frisell.
- Adam Rogers
- A frequent bandleader and collaborator on the 55 Bar stage, known for high-velocity post-bop harmonic mastery, fluid alternate picking, and boundary-pushing standards sessions alongside saxophonist David Binney.
- Oz Noy
- The Israeli-born fusion maverick made the 55 Bar his primary New York stomping ground, developing his signature cocktail of gritty blues-rock, odd-meter funk, and eccentric pedalboard experimentation alongside top rhythm sections.
- Ben Monder
- Brought his expansive, microtonal chord voicings, sweeping arpeggios, and haunting dark atmospheres to the club, both as a leader and as a key component of Donny McCaslin's groundbreaking modern ensembles.
- Bill Frisell
- Appeared during the club’s fertile 1980s and 1990s era, notably sharing the cramped stage in intimate small-group collaborations with Leni Stern.
- Nir Felder, Alex Skolnick, Pete McCann & Tom Guarna
- Part of the generation of formidable modern players who regularly used the venue to push electric jazz guitar phrasing into heavy, modern, and genre-crossing territory.
Ben Eunson GUITAR Shred at 55 BAR NYC, with Sean Wayland, Des White & Henry Cole