Sunday Jazz celebrates 30 years of music at The Press Room

The Press Room will soon be the site of a very special event as the Portsmouth venue celebrates 30 years of Sunday Jazz. The anniversary bash takes place on Sunday, Sept. 25, and will feature the house trio of Ryan Parker on piano, Marty Ballou on bass and Les Harris Jr. on drums, with special guests Charlie Jennison, Fred Haas, Ted Casher, Matt Langley and Ralph Norris on saxophones.

The lineup’s wide variety of stylistic approaches fits right in with the Sunday Jazz mission of putting some of the region’s finest musicians and likeminded rhythm sections onstage together to play tunes from the vast repertoire of jazz.

The Press Room has been a bastion of quality music since its inception, and it has long been recognized for its dedication to jazz. Ryan Parker, who oversees the Sunday Jazz program, said the room on Daniel Street is well suited to the genre.

“One of the great things is what the musicians call the ‘vibe,’” Parker said. “It consists of everything from the bandstand to the pictures on the wall to the people listening. And the people who come to a Sunday night show really listen. People want to come and be focused on what’s going on with the music. The musicians feel that and generate energy and creativity from it.”

The Press Room has been hosting jazz since its opening in 1976, with pianist Larry Garland often playing informal sessions on the first floor. When the venue opened the second level for live music in the fall of 1981, late owner Jay Smith worked with manager Bruce Pingree, Garland and late pianist Tommy Gallant to make sure a weekly jazz session was part of the musical offerings.

“Jay hired Tommy Gallant and his trio—Tommy to book the acts and the trio to provide the backup,” Pingree said. “It’s been an amazing array of performers that have graced our stage: Clark Terry, Al Grey, Snooky Young, Buddy DeFranco, Al Cohn, Lee Konitz. I’ve heard from friends who have worked at jazz festivals worldwide who have heard from the musicians about The Press Room because of the Sunday Jazz.”

When the Sunday shows began, Gallant’s trio consisted of late bassist Jim Howe and drummer Les Harris Sr. His son, Les Harris Jr., was involved from the beginning.

“I was 20 years old and attending school at Berklee when the Sunday Jazz night began,” Harris Jr. said. “I would be there every Sunday evening helping my dad set up and take down his drums. He would then let me play a full set with many of the jazz legends who came to play at the room.”
The list of renowned artists Harris played with includes Milt Hinton, Sal Nistico, Tom Harrell, Buddy Tate and Meredith D’Ambrosio, to name a few. Harris eventually took over the drum chair in the trio.

“By the time I graduated from Berklee, my dad decided he wanted to have the night off and that was when Tommy offered me the gig with his trio,” he said. “It was a wonderful gift from my dad and I’m forever grateful to him, Tommy and Jim for having the trust in my ability to cover the gig. It’s something that I’ll be forever grateful to them for.”

When Gallant passed away in September 1998, Howe took over the booking and employed a variety of pianists, including Tom Snow and Chris Neville. In the early 2000s, Howe established Ryan Parker as the permanent pianist. When Howe passed away in late 2007, current Press Room owner Jay Gardner approached Parker about booking the Sunday shows. Parker has sought to broaden the offerings by mixing regular performers such as Fred Haas, Greg Hopkins, Tom Snow and Ralph Norris with newer performers like Kim Nazarian, Marc LaForce, Matt Langley, Jerry Bergonzi and Peter Bernstein. A number of notable locals have helped support the series.

“Dave Seiler from UNH has been very supportive by providing performances by UNH students, plus the Seacoast Big Band,” Parker said. “The Seacoast Jazz Society has been very supportive, as well, especially with their Jazz Appreciation series, where an artist comes in and gives a pre-performance workshop. Along with the Sunday Jazz regulars, it’s this kind of support that helps keep the Sunday Jazz shows an important and viable part of the local music scene.”

Seiler, director of Jazz Studies at UNH, has fronted numerous shows at the venue with the UNH Jazz Band, the Seacoast Big Band and various smaller ensembles. Performers in the university’s Traditional Jazz Series often perform at The Press Room during their visits. Seiler credited Gallant with further developing the Sunday shows.

“Tom, with the dedicated support of Jay Smith and the staff of The Press Room, made it possible for The Press Room to become a world-class jazz club,” he said.

Another perspective comes from Larisa Yaskell, who, for the last 16 years, has served as The Press Room’s primary waitress during Sunday Jazz.

“What I’ve always enjoyed about The Press Room in general are the regulars,” Yaskell said. “Sunday Jazz has always had a core group of regulars who show up each week to take in the music. While it’s always composed of dinner, drinks and music, it’s more than a sum of its parts. This is a community of true fans, many of whom are friends who welcome newcomers with such enthusiasm that they become regulars as well. I don’t feel like I’m a waitress to a group of strangers, but more like a hostess to a group of friends.”

There have been many remarkable nights of jazz at The Press Room over the years. Trumpet great Tom Harrell and saxophonist Gordon Brisker lit up the room in the mid ’80s. On one legendary evening, Clark Terry and Snooky Young sat at a table playing background riffs while the trio roared onstage with featured guest Al Grey. Then there are the local artists who have pitched in, such as Tommy Barron, John Hunter, Chris Burbank, Sharon Jones and Chris Humphrey.

And there’s more great music to come. “It’s been an amazing 30 years,” Harris Jr. said. “I have many great memories, and yet, I honestly can’t believe that 30 years have passed. So, here’s to new experiences and to 30 more years.”

The 30th anniversary gig begins at 5 p.m. on Sept. 25 at The Press Room, 77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, 603-431-5186. The cover charge is $15.