CBJC Festival Magazine 2016

ment. “These are people who really
want to come to Harlem. They
find a treasure trove here and they
come back.” One guy from London
told Marge that when he informed
his mother he was coming back to
New York, his mother said. “I know
where you will be on Sundays.
You’ll be at that nice woman, Marge
Eliot; s house, Marge continued, she
had also read about us in the papers
in Europe. It’s an embarrassment
of riches really, because the New
York Times goes everywhere. I had
a lot of people calling me from Europe
about the articles they have
read. A man came Sunday who later
hugged me and said ‘Thank you
for celebrating Philip: we lost our
little girl too’ and there he was in
tears and all. We just hugged, so if I
never see him again, we‘ve bonded.
People come here because they get a
chance to see great musicians. This
is a quite celebration of tie life,”
Marge concludes. “I don’t want it to
be anything else.
It is not surprising that she gets
no complaints from her neighbors,
given the roster of former tenants
who were well known jazz musicians:
Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington,
Sonny Rollins. Andy Kirk
and actor/singer Paul Robeson
have called this building home.
The landlord lives upstairs in Andy
Kirk’s old apartment. “The community
celebrates it and I‘ve never had
any real complaints. Anyone who
doesn’t love this, there is something
wrong with them. People come and
embrace the idea and legally. I can
do this, I can have a party.” When
asked, if that’s the reason there is
no charge, she says, “I don’t want to
merchandise my kid.”
Marge is an only child whose father
played the trumpet and worked
in a laundry to support his family
hails from Philadelphia. Piano lessons
began at the age of five and
she started playing for her church
when she was twelve. A few years
later, she moved to New York to
study drama. As a resident of the
Washington Heights area for over
twenty years, she was inducted
into the People’s Hall of Fame) located
in the Museum of the City
of New York) by City Lore. A nonprofit
organization that recognizes
living individuals deemed cultural
treasurers. Marge was honored for
keeping alive a unique expression of
Harlem’s Jazz legacy. That mission
is furthered enhanced by her yearly
outdoor concert at the Jumel Mansion,
a historic site dating back to
revolutionary times.
In addition, Marge is the Founder
and Artistic Director of Children’s
Theatre and Music Workshop. “I
write plays for them and Jazz is the
music I use. I talk about the neighborhood
and what African American
classical music has had to go
through. It’s an academy without
walls,” The young actors rehearse
and perform during their vacation
breaks from school. “I want children
to know the musicians I know. It is
important that we embrace the children.
And I love it. I love working
with children, she states.
Marge feels that music is the diving
rod that brings us together “I
thank this audience each Sunday
for helping to create this miracle.”
Parlor Entertainment is located at
555 Edgecombe Avenue. For information
call 212-791-6595
It should be noted that this was the
first Jazz Woman and Marge Elliot
continues her work with Parlor Entertainment,
gathering great artists
for a swinging Sunday event. Please
support by stopping by on a Sunday.
Marge Elliot
Jo Ann Cheatham is Founder and
Publisher for Pure Jazz Magazine.
She recently made her transistion.
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