Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club in Boston was opened in 1947 by Barbadian immigrant Joseph L. Walcott. For 75 years it has been hosting new and exciting jazz acts and claims to be one of the oldest family-owned jazz clubs in the world.
But, the COVID pandemic brought all of that to a screeching halt. Wally’s has been unable to host performances for nearly two and a half years.
But now the South End club finally roaring back to life, opening for the first time since 2020 and is once again hosting live jazz.
“It felt like a relief, it just felt like going back home, that’s what it felt like. We were out of our element, were used to hearing music and working and being in this network of musicians and great customers and people who love live music,” co-owner Frank Poindexter said on Boston Public Radio.
During the pandemic, members of the community came together to help keep the jazz club afloat. In June 2020, a GoFundMe fundraiser was set up by the cafe asking for donations from the community in order to help Wally’s recover from the pandemic.
The fundraiser also said it sought support to develop an initiative called, “The Student to Student Music Cafe” and a production facility to, “function as space for musicians to create podcasts, provide music lessons, and to collaborate with each other.”
“The community stepped up," Poindexter said. "They stepped up and they took care of us and they believed in our mission, we got great support."
Poindexter said the club is lucky to be in Boston. “We have world-class talent in this city, we have great, super institutions in this city, so we’re super fortunate.”
Wally’s reopened on September 12 and is open every day 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
