WBGO: Smoke Jazz Club reopens after its pandemic pause, bigger and better

The last time musicians played for an audience inside Smoke Jazz Club, on Broadway at 106th Street, it was mid-March of 2020. Kevin Hays was on piano, Ron Carter was on bass, and Al Foster was on drums. “At the time,” says Smoke’s founder, Paul Stache, “it was clear that there was a pretty serious virus circling around the world. And looking at the band — Ron is in his 80s, Al is almost 80 — we were all sort of holding our breath. But we got through the weekend, and fortunately nobody got sick.”

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