Denied entry into the local musician’s union, black musicians in Buffalo formed their own union in 1917. Around this group of musicians sprung a vital community of jazz musicians and aficionados, both black and white. Notable acts passing through town would almost invariably stop at this Club, where local talent could commune with some of the greatest acts of the day, including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Blakey.

Thus the club represents a living monument to the significance of jazz and to civil rights in Buffalo. Still standing, it today features live jazz Monday through Thursday and on Sundays. The club also hosts the annual Queen City Jazz Festival.