Sous La Terre: Montgomery’s Underground Jazz Club
by Major W. Cox
If you are a jazz aficionado and have never been to Sous La Terre, you owe it to
yourself to go downtown one Friday or
Saturday night and listen to Henry Pugh, Jr. play at this
"Downtown-Underground" jazz club. For a quarter of a century, this
Jazzman has entertained Montgomery’s jazz fans.
Henry Pugh began playing at this club during an earlier era. Then it was the
Keyhole Club and later named Quinns. The spiral
staircase that Henry and his fellow dark hued musicians used to enter the club
remains at the rear of the stage, as a crude
reminder of this segregated past.
A few weeks ago, Margaret and I returned to the basement of 82 Commerce Street.
For us; it was a step back in time. Our
last night at Sous La Terre, nearly six years ago, the late great trumpeter,
Erskine Hawkins of "Tuxedo Junction" fame, played
to a full house.
On that night, I remember Chick Cleveland, the former Air War College commander,
being there. He told me that he became a
fan of Hawkins in the late 1940s, while attending West Point. He said, he often
went into New York City’s Harlem District and
listened to Hawkins play at the Apollo Theater.
There were other occasions that Margaret and I were at Sous La Terre. We would
go there with our friend Mike Land, an
entertainment reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Mike would go there with
actors and actress after the Saturday night
performance at the Alabama Shakespeare Theater. Mike is no longer at the paper,
he is in Columbus, Missouri attending
graduate school and teaching at the University of Missouri. I wonder who
introduces the new folks at the theater to Sous La
Terre these days?
Enough reminiscing, back to our recent visit to the club. As we approached
Commerce Street shortly after 1:00 a.m., I noticed
several couples walking across Bibb Street. They had been at Sous La Terre
earlier and walked over to the Brew Pub on
Jefferson Avenue and were returning to claim their car on Commerce Street. I
couldn’t help but think what a rare sight,
watching couples walk around downtown Montgomery after dark.
Upon entering the club, shortly after midnight, we found little had changed.
That distinctive musk created when tobacco smoke
combines with an array of whiskey odors greeted us at the top of the stairs
leading to the club’s basement lounge. I
remembered the rest rooms being to the right at the foot of the stairs.
After paying a three dollar cover charge, that included a stamp of florescent
ink on the back of the hand, we took a seat at a
table in the front of the lounge. While we were getting comfortable in our
seats, our eyes adjusting to dimmed lights, long time
waiter, Reginald Brady, took our order for cocktails. With time to look around
before the next set, Margaret and I reminisced
about other visits to the underground.
Our first visit to Sous La Terre was in the early 1980’s when Margaret was on
active duty in the Air Force. Then, as now, we
found the club to be a place where Montgomerians of every hue were comfortably
entertained by good music and dancing.
Several years ago when Wynton Marsalis played at the Davis Theater, he visited
Sous La Terre. While there, the euphonic
ambiance of the club spurred the celebrated trumpeter to entertain a fortuitous
crowd with an impromptu jam session.
Henry Pugh, Jr. keeps a seat on the bandstand near his keyboard for the ladies
in the house. During the evening (more
correctly, morning; he does not start playing until after mid-night) he summons
select female guests to this seat for a song. This
is a tradition that the club’s clientele enjoys.
As an observer or a dancer, you are bound to enjoy the dance floor. I must
confess, while sitting, I found the thought of
dancing a bit intimidating. But, as the evening wore on and pleasant memories
from times past began to merge with a few
cocktails and songs like "Unforgettable" and "Further On Up The
Road," I found myself leading Margaret to the dance floor.
The dress code at Sous La Terre is decidedly relaxed, with variations from blue
jeans to the avant-garde to traditional evening
wear. I was comfortable in a jacket with open collar, as was Mark Jackson, who
took to the stage and sang ‘Hello Dolly’.
Judging from the crowd’s reactions, most guests thought he did a fair
rendition of the late-great Louis Armstrong’s theme song.
By 3:00 a.m., every table in the club was full and the dance floor was hopping.
(Reginald told me later, 75 people were in the
club) I don’t know where all those folks came from, but they all seemed to be
having a good time. And that was the way it was
the last time Margaret and I went to Sous La Terre. We had a good time. It is
not necessary for you to be a jazz aficionado to enjoy a euphoric night out at
Montgomery’s downtown jazz club. Sous La Terre is open on Friday and Saturday
nights from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the follower morning. Guests park on
Commerce Street in front of the club.
Major Cox divides his time between Montgomery and Smut Eye in Bullock County.
Send e-mail to majorcox@compuserve.com
.
Originally Published: 1997, Montgomery Living
All articles are copyrighted - 1985-2000 - Major W. Cox.