For nearly four decades, starting in 1958, New York’s most eclectic cultural venue was the Village Gate, a nightclub on the corner of Bleecker and Thompson in Greenwich Village.
The Gate, as it was known to its fans and patrons, was the brainchild of its owner and impresario, Art D’Lugoff, who died Wednesday at 85. And for those in the know, there was no better venue in the entire city for great jazz, folk or salsa music, the hippest up-and-coming comics and the best cutting-edge theater.
Consider just a partial roster of those whom D’Lugoff featured and, in many cases, helped introduce: Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Pete Seeger, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, Dick Gregory, Mort Sahl, Woody Allen, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Nina Simone, Chuck Mangione and Shlomo Carlebach.
Nearly two dozen stars recorded “Live at the Village Gate” albums. The place also showcased such notable plays as “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well And Living in Paris” and “One Mo’ Time.”
The Gate closed in 1994. But Art D’Lugoff left a legacy that enriched any lucky enough to have spent a night there. RIP.