For 77 years, the biggest names in jazz have flocked to a basement in New York City's Greenwich Village. The Village Vanguard, founded in 1935 by Max Gordon, has been the setting for seminal recordings by artists such as Bill Evans, John Coltrane, and Wynton Marsalis. When Gordon died, in 1989, his wife, Lorraine, took over the intimate, 123-seat venue. Now 89, she has maintained the Vanguard's status as the most renowned stage in jazz. She told her story to April Joyner.
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