Last weekend I went to the book launch of The Boston Jazz Chronicles by Richard Vacca. The launch was held in the most appropriate place possible: Wally’s Cafe. Wally’s Cafe is the last remaining South End jazz club from the mid-twentieth century and Mr. Vacca discusses some of its history in his book.
I went to the launch for a few reasons. I like Wally’s, I like Mr. Vacca and Troy Street Publishing, and I like most things related to Boston history. But the biggest reason was because the book discusses a lot of jazz clubs that were located in the South End. We’ve been working on a Walking Tour of South End nightlife for some time now and this book has proved to be an invaluable source of information. Mr. Vacca was kind enough to walk around with us and discuss some of the sites that we talk about in our walk.
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| Richard Vacca speaking to a packed house at Wally’s Cafe. |
So if you have an interest in jazz or in Boston or South End history, I encourage you to look at this book. You can purchase it on Amazon or go check it out from the BPL main branch or South End Branch library. I know the South End Branch ordered a copy so it should be there now or very soon.
Mr. Vacca will also be speaking about his book on May 24th, a Thursday night, at 6:30pm at the Historical Society. He will be bringing copies of his book. If you’d like to attend, send an email to admin@southendhistoricalsociety.org or call 617-536-4445 to sign up.