Melanin & Mane · The listening room
Sit Back. Say less;
Just let it move, calm, and inspire you.
Pour your own glass. Leave the performance at the door. This is a room for grown-folks joy, Black elegance, and the freedom to be every part of yourself.
Tonight’s selections
Jazz and blues from the archive. A century of feeling, given a little room to breathe.
Side A
5 recordsA little swing. A little swagger.
Side B
3 recordsLet the feeling linger.
Side C
3 recordsThe roots run deep.
Side D
2 recordsStay for one more side.
Inside Side A
A little swing. A little swagger.
Armstrong’s brass and Ellington’s orchestral spark: an opening set for shaking off the day and finding your own rhythm.
Listen to Side AArchival recordings · Original credits below
Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five · Chicago · 1928
The opening cadenza that rewrote what a trumpet could do — twelve seconds, then a century of jazz.
U.S. sound recording first published in 1928. Entered the public domain on January 1, 2024 under the Music Modernization Act (CLASSICS Act, 95-year term for pre-1947 recordings).
Source: Internet Archive (community upload)
View archival recordingLouis Armstrong & His Hot Five · Chicago · 1928
Earl Hines on piano, Armstrong trading vocal jabs — pure speakeasy electricity.
U.S. sound recording first published in 1928. Public domain in the U.S. as of January 1, 2024 under the Music Modernization Act.
Source: Internet Archive (community upload)
View archival recordingDuke Ellington Orchestra · Cotton Club · 1928
Recorded November 15, 1928 — Ellington's young orchestra at full Harlem swagger.
U.S. sound recording first published in 1928. Public domain in the U.S. as of January 1, 2024 under the Music Modernization Act.
Source: Internet Archive (USA Archives collection)
View archival recordingFletcher Henderson Orchestra · New York · 1925
October 21, 1925 — the Roseland Ballroom band that taught America to swing.
U.S. sound recording first published in 1925. Public domain in the U.S. as of January 1, 2021 under the Music Modernization Act (100-year term for pre-1923 not applicable here; 1923–1946 recordings are PD 100 years after publication for 1923, then on a sliding schedule).
Source: Internet Archive (USA Archives collection)
View archival recordingBessie Smith · 1931
The Empress of the Blues, weary and unstoppable — a road song for any century.
Preserved by the Great 78 Project. This 1931 recording is not yet U.S. public domain in 2026; availability through the archive is not a statement of worldwide public-domain rights.
Source: Internet Archive · Great 78 Project (George Blood, L.P.)
View archival recording
We come from a tradition of making space: for music, for conversation, for ourselves. Here, nostalgia is not a retreat. It is a way of remembering that softness, sophistication, and joy have always belonged to us.
For your own turntable
Make room for yourself
A private gathering, a celebration, or simply space to listen. Tell us what you have in mind. Black gay joy sits at the heart of this room; thoughtful allies are welcome at the table.
This is a booking enquiry, not a confirmed reservation. Dates, location, arrangements, and any costs will be agreed personally before a booking is confirmed.