The Wall Street Journal described Mona’s as “…Ground zero for an emerging late-night scene of young swing and traditional jazz players…” 2022 marks the 15th anniversary of the famed weekly Tuesday night jam sessions at Mona’s Bar in the East Village. After a modest beginning, the session grew to become the central meeting point in town for younger musicians (now not quite as young) interested in early-era jazz, pros cutting loose after their evening gigs, new musicians in town, touring acts passing through, jazz veterans, college music students, an occasional Grammy winner, and a veritable breakfast club of onlookers.
Mona’s Hot Four, the session’s house band led by clarinetist Dennis Lichtman, has appeared in countless concerts and festivals outside of Mona’s, including two appearances on Good Morning America and a co-hosting role in the “Jam Session of the Millennium” at Symphony Space. The 2-disc set Tuesdays At Mona’s (on Triple Treble Music) contains a DVD featuring the documentary of the same title, produced by Hi Tide Films, and a live CD recorded in a single night at Mona’s, featuring Mona’s Hot Four plus twenty guest musicians. Both Tuesdays At Mona’s and Live At Mona’s, the band’s first CD, are available at www.dennislichtman.com.