By Jason M. Rubin

Given the age of the recordings and peculiarities of the venue, the sound quality is very good — certainly more than good enough given the historical value of the amazing music captured therein.

Do you believe in ghosts? And can those ghosts play the blues? Whatever your answer is to the first question, the correct response to the second is yes. It’s been 36 years since Cambridge’s famed and beloved 1369 Jazz Club closed, the unfortunate victim of a landlord/tenant dispute. Happily, a key player in the club’s history, blues legend Chris Stovall Brown, recently managed to acquire a cache of CDs recorded during the 1369’s final weeks. The result: a rare and wonderful recording that is for sale as long as the limited supply lasts.

It was August 15, 1988, when the eviction notice took effect. But the music and the memories remain. Everyone has their own 1369 story. For me, it was the place where I marveled at the artistry of drummer Alan Dawson, who died in 1996, and saw Branford Marsalis play just days or weeks before his first tour with Sting. But for many, the key event at the club was the Sunday blues jam, founded by Silas Hubbard Jr., of Hot Ribs fame. Chris Stovall Brown was the guitarist for the Hot Ribs and served as lead house guitarist for the blues shows at the 1369 from 1985 until its closing.

To paint a picture of the vibe at those blues jams, here’s a quote from the Live 1369 CD’s liner notes: “Admission was free; drinks were priced to indoctrinate the sober; and a soul food dinner prepared by drummer Bunny Smith sold for a dollar.” Then-Boston Globe jazz writer Fernando Gonzalez, lamenting the imminent closing of the club, noted, “To get to the restrooms one has to walk past the stage. If there is a medium-sized band working you have to walk through them.” But that was part of the charm.

In 1992, a documentary on the 1369 titled A Place For Jazz was assembled by director Richard Broadman but never found a distributor. It can be viewed here. Now, with the limited availability of this CD, recorded over two Sunday afternoons in the spring of 1988, fans and those who missed out can enjoy the magic that was created in that tiny, smoky den of blues. The list of artists, in addition to Silas Hubbard and Chris Stovall Brown, is a trip down memory lane: Watermelon Slim, Earring George Mayweather, Boston Baked Blues, Blues By Butch, Arlene Bennett, Jelly Belly, Lotsa Poppa, James Brown Jr., Shy Five, Kenny Holladay, Professor Harp, Wanetta Jackson, and Lady D.

Given the age of the recordings and peculiarities of the venue, the sound quality is very good — certainly more than good enough given the historical value of the amazing music captured therein. To purchase a copy, Venmo $10 to Chris Stovall Brown: @CHRIS-BROWN-43218. Include your mailing address in the comment field. If asked for the last four digits of the phone number, use 7133.

Jason M. Rubin has been a professional writer for 40 years. He has written for Arts Fuse since 2012. His books include Villainy Ever After (2022), a collection of classic fairy tales told from the villains’ point of view; and Ancient Tales Newly Told (2019), a pairing of two historical romances: The Grave & The Gay, based on a 17th-century English folk ballad; and King of Kings, about King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, told primarily from the Ethiopian tradition. In addition, Jason teaches journaling workshops and is a member of the New England Indie Authors Collective. He holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He can be reached at http://www.jasonmrubin.com.