The is a rendering of how the Turf Club in Asbury Park will look after renovations.
By PAT MC DANIEL
Celebrating “the stories of Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park” is what the Asbury Park African-American Music Project is all about.
And the organization’s 2024 free music series – “Tuesdays at The Turf” – will once again bring that musical heritage to the public.
The music series begins July 2, with a performance at The Blackbird Commons on Atkins Avenue by the Marel Hidalgo Quartet.
That program will kick off a series of five more free shows to take place on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the leafy backyard of the Blackbird Commons venue.
Apart from the concerts, the African-American Music Project has a larger mission: the restoration of the Turf Club, the last remaining structure that housed one of Springwood Avenue’s historic music spots.
Recently, the third annual Jazz Cocktail Sip fundraiser for the organization took place to support its goal of restoring the historic Turf Club, just down the street from Blackbird Commons at 1200 Springwood Ave.
The organization’s Board of Trustees President Jen Souder and Board Treasurer and City Councilwoman Yvonne Clayton explained more about the organization at the June 23 fundraiser, which was held in the indoor space of Blackbird Commons at 131 Atkins Ave., owned by Frankie Solis.
The lead sponsor for the fundraiser was Anserve, an answering service company. Other sponsors included Paul Weinstein and Wendi Glassman; Madison Marquette; and Lewis-Graham Inc., among others, according to the organization.
The entire effort to restore the Turf Club and to hold the fundraiser is the work of many people, Souder emphasized.
For example, part of the eight-member “core team” is Asbury Park Library Director Kathleen Melgar, who is also the secretary of the board.
Souder said there was a packed crowd at the fundraiser, and guests were treated to the sounds of Isaac Raz on piano, Antoine Drye on trumpet, Danton Boller on bass and Jerome Jennings on drums – and saxophone player Myron Walden unexpectedly joined in the performances, along with other guests.
Paying homage to the Springwood Avenue music scene.
The amount raised by the fundraiser is still being tallied, Souder said, but it’s all part of a $2.5 million project to restore and reopen the Turf Club as a place to pay homage to the Springwood Avenue decades-long music scene.
There were music clubs “all up and down Springwood Avenue – to Route 35,” said Clayton, recalling the times the area was central to the city music scene.
Named a site on the Black Heritage Trail
The Turf Club, now named a site on the New Jersey Historical Commission’s New Jersey Black Heritage Trail, is the last of its kind in the city, the organization says in its literature.
The Turf Club opened at 1125 Springwood Ave. in 1940 and moved to 1200 Springwood Ave. in 1956. It closed its doors later in the 1990s, Souder said, and has been vacant since.
“It represents the last chance to preserve a physical piece of Springwood Avenue’s music history,” the organization notes in its history of the site.
And a combination of public grants, private support (such as $100,000 from Bruce Springsteen, Clayton noted), and other fundraising all support the restoration project.
“We have wonderful support from the community,” Clayton said, adding that state Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11th District) was instrumental in helping the organization obtain a state grant of $100,000.
Souder said another $100,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation “kickstarted” the organization, which first coalesced in 2017.
She said the Turf Club building had hosted the free music concerts for the past few years as an outdoor venue because it had no roof.
Now, a new roof, installed in 2023, protects the building. And interior and other exterior renovations are planned, such as a new sign replicating one during the building’s heyday.
In addition, one of the original signs – a lighted “BAR” sign – was preserved and restored by the Asbury Park Historical Society. That sign is now on display in the city’s Senior Center and the music project hopes to place it on the exterior of the Turf Club when all is completed.
Because the Turf Club is now roofed, it must meet other requirements before it can host indoor activities, so the summer “Tuesdays at The Turf” shows are being held this year at Blackbird Commons on Atkins.
The project has raised $500,000 so far, and as a “volunteer-run, community-driven project,” the organization’s members are dedicated to the project over the long term, Souder said.
Souder said a “patient owner” – Vince Gifford – worked with the organization since 2018 to make the 2022 purchase of the club for $125,000 a reality.
“He saw the value in keeping that building as a symbol of the history,” she added. And she noted her own parents, Robert and Nancy Ward of Morris County, helped by providing “earnest money” as good faith to secure the sale.
Free music series
This summer, everyone can feel like part of the excitement in the restoration of the Turf Club by attending shows in the series. They are all free, but donations are always welcome, Souder said.
Here is a schedule of performances, all from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Blackbird Commons, 131 Atkins Ave., Asbury Park (off Springwood):
July 2: Marel Hidalgo Quartet
July 9: Dorian Parreott Jazz Ensemble and Heart of Jazz
July 16: Kym Still and Reggie Harris
July 23: JT Bowen & Arlan Feiles
July 30: Karen Joseph and Friends
Aug.6: Des Spinks and Friends