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Posted in music | venues on November 6, 2009

Art D'Lugoff (Village Gate owner), RIP

Village Gate

Art D'Lugoff, the owner of The Village Gate nightclub located in the heart of Greenwich Village for over 40 years, died on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 in Riverdale, N.Y. D'Lugoff was 85 years old.

After producing concerts around New York City for several years, D'Lugoff and his brother Burt opened the Gate, as it was informally called, in 1958. He booked many of the greatest names in jazz, such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington. Located in the heart of the Village near the corner of Bleecker and Thompson Streets, the club also featured comedy and among the famous comedians who performed there, way before they became famous, were Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and Mort Sahl. Among the nearly apocryphal stories told about D'Lugoff were that he turned away Bob Dylan and that he fired Dustin Hoffman (as a waiter). Of course, many clubs and promoters rejected Dylan in his early years in New York City, but the story speaks as much about D'Lugoff's unique combination of self-confidence and humility. [Jazz Times]

The Village Gate is now (Le) Poisson Rouge. RIP Art. A video interview with Art below...

Conversation w/ Art D'Lugoff - Air date: 02-16-98

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Tags: Art DLugoff, RIP, Village Gate
posted at 10:40 AM on November 6, 2009 in music | venues | Comments (7)

Comments (7)

I've been to Le Poisson Rouge for a few shows (John Zorn, Rokia Traore, Toumani Diabite).
It doesn't begin to compare to what I saw at the Gate. Here's a partial list: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers/Stan Getz (double bill), Cecil Taylor/Andrew Hill/Sir Roland Hanna (all solo, triple bill), Jaco Pastorious getting up to jam at a Salsa meets Jazz gig (he was not very good, that night), Blondie/Alex Chilton (double bill), Earl "Fatha" Hines/Memphis Slim (double bill at Top of the Gate while the Heartbreakers w/Johnny Thunders were playing downstairs), Rickie Lee Jones (her first gig in NYC).
I feel fortunate to have been able to see the shows that Art D'Lugoff presented.
May he rest in peace.

Posted by Jeff Douglas | November 6, 2009 11:13 AM

hey look at me Im old and used to go to alot of shows which im going to tell you about and then let you know that the shows you go to are lame and not nearly as awesome as the shows I used to see back in the day and oh man you kids are totally missing out and I MEAN FUCKING BLONDIE/ALEX CHILTON DOUBLE BILL ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by nick | November 6, 2009 1:52 PM

Well thanks for posting this, I honestly had no idea that venue had so much history.

Posted by Anonymous | November 6, 2009 4:45 PM

i saw coltrane and hendrix jam at the gate.

Posted by i'm beat | November 6, 2009 8:31 PM

Probably why that place is haunted

Posted by Anonymous | November 8, 2009 10:08 AM

Great!! i think?

Posted by laser pointer | November 17, 2009 2:13 AM

D'Lugoff died Wednesday at a Manhattan hospital. His brother, Burt D'Lugoff, said a cause of death was not yet known.

Posted by brand | January 19, 2010 10:36 AM

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