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Jessie’s was a jazz club in the heart of the community. It was named after its owner, actress and comedienne Jessica B. The place would become known for its world-class improvisational musicians – ranging from straight-ahead to progressive to no-label to ad hoc – and its classic, home-cooked menu featuring fried chicken, corn on the cobb, collard greens cooked in lard, mashed potatoes, redeye gravy, and corn bread slathered with butter and honey.
And she stocked a full bar, with an extensive list of mixed drinks. But then what would a gentleman want but bourbon?
Eli had first heard Bones play at a different club, The Orleans, a swanky Cajun-style joint over in a white-neighborhood-adjacent district. Eli was so impressed with the tenor sax player’s riffs that he threw ten bucks in the
