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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Roberta Flack visits Mr. Henrys DC

On the heels of live Jazz being revived at Mr. Henrys by Herbet Scott  and Aaron L. Meyers, The one and only Roberta Flack paid visit on Saturday.

A photo of Roberta Flack's visit on Saturday, September 26, 2015. This may be the only photo that was taken. For those who may not know: Mr. Henry started her career in the upstairs Jazz room . She was hired in 1968 by Henry Yaffe.

Mr. Henry was an openly gay Jewish man who was a veteran of WW2 in the Army Air Corps. The pub he opened has been a welcoming place to people in the arts for over 48 years.

The atmosphere in Mr. Henry’s was welcoming and the pub turned into a showcase for the young music teacher, Roberta. Her voice mesmerized locals and word spread. A-list entertainers who were appearing in town would come in late at night to hear her sing (frequent visitors included Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Ramsey Lewis, Liberace, and others).

As Yaffe recalled, “She told me if I could give her work there three nights a week, she would quit teaching.” He did and she did..

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