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One Step Down

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2517 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

1963-2000

Originally owned by Joe Cohen, his father, and his brother, Kenneth. Opened in September 1963.

Owned by Joe Cohen (1963-1997). Booked by Ann Mabuchi (1978-1994), Vincent Brienza (1997). Bought by Retail Resource Group in 1997, but ownership reverted to Joe Cohen later that year. Club was closed for less than a month in August 1997 before reopening in September under the management of Cohen family friend Catherine Stuart. Joe Cohen died on October 5, 1997. The building was sold in 2000 to developers for conversion to apartments. In 2000 it did not reopen after the annual August sabbatical. Stuart retained rights to the One Step Down name and hoped to relocate in 2001, but this did not come to pass.

Initially, the bar’s attraction was an all-jazz jukebox. It began hosting a Monday night jam session, and by 1978, the club had hired Mabuchi and was offering live music on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights with a Saturday afternoon jam session. Jam sessions were proposed by pianist John Guernsey, who ran them for the first two years. Sessions were run by pianist Lawrence Wheatley on Saturday and Sunday afternoons through 1997, succeeded by Peter Edelman when the club reopened in September 1997.

Recordings by Andrew White (1979), Andrew White (1998), Peter Fraize (2000).

Artists

  • Bill Glaser (1978)
  • Marc Cohen (1978)
  • Nathen Page (1978)
  • Bernard Sweetney (1978)
  • Kenny Reed (1978)
  • Terry Plumeri (1978)
  • Marshall Hawkins (1978)
  • Carl Cornwell (1978)
  • Dave Palamar (1978)
  • Kevin Toney (1978)
  • Yochk’o Seffer (1978)
  • Tim Eyermann (1978)
  • Adam Makowicz (1978)
  • Charles Covington (1978)
  • Barbara Lea (1979)
  • Marc Cohen (1979)
  • Bob Moses (1979)
  • Big Nick Nicholas (1979)
  • Marshall Hawkins (1979)
  • Carol Sloane (1979)
  • NYC Jazz Cooperative (1979)
  • Buck Hill (1979)
  • Tommy Flanagan (1979)
  • Philly Joe Jones (1979)
  • Bob Moses (1979)
  • Charles Davis (1979)
  • Joanne Brackeen (1979)
  • Ronnie Wells (1979)
  • Cecil Bridgewater (1979)
  • Andrew White (1979)
  • Warren Chiasson (1980)
  • Horacee Arnold (1980)
  • Roger Rosenberg (1980)
  • Big Nick Nicholas (1980)
  • Billy Mitchell (1980)
  • David Friesen (1980)
  • Tom Harrell (1980)
  • Roy Haynes (1980)
  • Turk Mauro (1980)
  • Richie Cole (1980)
  • Skip Gailes (1980)
  • Reuben Brown (1980)
  • Roland Hanna (1980)
  • Kenny Barron (1980)
  • George Coleman (1980)
  • Dave Liebman (1980)
  • Benny Carter (1980)
  • Sonny Stitt (1980)
  • James Moody (1980)
  • Mickey Bass (1980)
  • Jimmy Knepper (1980)
  • Barry Harris (1980)
  • Cedar Walton (1980)
  • Lew Tabackin (1980)
  • David ‘Fathead’ Newman (1980)
  • Bobby Hutcherson (1980)
  • Shirley Horn (1980)
  • Shirley Horn (1981)
  • Slide Hampton (1981)
  • Dewey Redman (1981)
  • Anita Moore (1981)
  • George Adams (1981)
  • Carol Sloane (1981)
  • Jane Ira Bloom (1981)
  • Charles Tolliver (1981)
  • David Schnitter (1981)
  • Bobby Watson (1981)
  • Bob Berg (1981)
  • Joe Lee Wilson (1981)
  • Joe Henderson (1981)
  • Dorothy Donegan (1981)
  • Joe Chambers (1981)
  • Dewey Redman (1981)
  • Shirley Horn (1982)
  • Arnett Cobb (1982)
  • Dewey Redman (1982)
  • Mickey Bass (1982)
  • Johnny Coles (1982)
  • John Handy (1982)
  • Joe Chambers (1982)
  • Joanne Brackeen (1982)
  • Ricky Ford (1982)
  • Johnny Griffin (1982)
  • Lew Tabackin (1982)
  • Leon Thomas (1982)
  • Jimmy McGriff (1982)
  • Ray Bryant (1983)
  • Emily Remler (1983)
  • Pepper Adams (1983)
  • Nat Adderley (1983)
  • Shirley Horn (1983)
  • Joe Henderson (1983)
  • Arnie Lawrence (1983)
  • Bosco Petrovic (1983)
  • Odean Pope (1983)
  • Jon Faddis (1983)
  • Bobby Enriquez (1983)
  • Emily Remler (1984)
  • Ira Sullivan (1984)
  • Allen Houser (1984)
  • Bill Kirchner (1984)
  • Ran Blake (1984)
  • Charlie Rouse (1984)
  • Carter Jefferson (1984)
  • Cedar Walton (1984)
  • Stafford James (1985)
  • Marc Copland (1985)
  • John Abercrombie (1985)
  • Jimmy Heath (1985)
  • Carol Fredette (1985)
  • T Street Band (1985)
  • Pepper Adams (1985)
  • Harper Brothers (1985)
  • Jim Snidero (1985)
  • Lee Konitz (1985)
  • Dewey Redman (1985)
  • Allen Houser (1985)
  • Arthur Blythe (1985)
  • Gary Bartz (1986)
  • Steve Novosel (1986)
  • Lennie Cuje (1986)
  • Reuben Brown (1986)
  • Ronnie Patterson (1986)
  • Jack Wilkins (1987)
  • Bobby Watson (1987)
  • Woody Shaw (1987)
  • Frank Wess (1987)
  • Walter Davis, Jr. (1987)
  • Harper Brothers (1989)
  • Johnny Griffin (1989)
  • Freddie Hubbard (1990)
  • Mundell Lowe (1990)
  • U Street Project (1990)
  • Valery Ponomarev (1991)
  • Brian Lynch (1991)
  • Anita O’Day (1991)
  • George Coleman (1992)
  • Ernie Andrews (1992)
  • Slide Hampton (1992)
  • James Morrison (1992)
  • Nancy King (1992)
  • Dave Pike (1993)
  • Jae Sinnett (1993)
  • Carter Jefferson (1993)
  • Cedar Walton (1995)
  • Larry Willis (1997)
  • Jerry Gordon (1997)
  • Larry Willis (1997)
  • Jerry Gordon (1997)
  • Andrew White (1998)
  • David ‘Fathead’ Newman (1999)
  • Ray Brown (1999)
  • Talib Kibwe (2000)
  • Peter Fraize (2000)
  • John Previti (2000)
  • David ‘Fathead’ Newman (2000)
  • Harry Appelman (2000)
  • Glenn Wilson (2000)
  • Calvin Jones (2000)
  • Joe Locke (2000)
  • Allyn Johnson (2000)
  • Steve Novosel (2000)

Bibliography

Brace, Eric. “All That Jazz: Club Changes.” Washington Post, May 23, 1997.
Brace, Eric. “Steppin’ Out Again.” Washington Post, September 5, 1997.
Brace, Eric. “Club Closings.” Washington Post, November 10, 2000.
Fisher, Marc. “All Jazzed Up, No Place to Go: Fewer Places for a Sound D.C. Loves.” Washington Post, November 2, 1997.
Gebhardt, Sara. “Guernsey Likes to Get To the Art Of the Matter; Jazz, Drawings Excite Takoma Park Resident.” Washington Post, April 8, 2004.
Harrington, Richard. “Limelight.” Washington Post, August 21, 1983.
Harrington, Richard. “Jane Ira Bloom.” Washington Post, May 9, 1981.
Himes, Geoffrey. “The Winning Hands of Joanne Brackeen.” Washington Post, April 26, 1982.
Himes, Geoffrey. “Marshall Hawkins.” Washington Post. September 1, 1979.
Himes, Geoffrey. “Blythe’s Bold Jazz Sounds.” Washington Post, December 14, 1985.
Joyce, Mike. “Ronnie Wells.” Washington Post. July 2, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Carter Jefferson, Live & on Tape.” Washington Post, September 27, 1993.
Joyce, Mike. “Pike’s Peak Performance.” Washington Post, March 16, 1993.
Joyce, Mike. “Pop Perestroika at One Step Down.” Washington Post, March 1, 1991.
Joyce, Mike. “Jazz at One Step Down.” Washington Post, October 12, 1987.
Joyce, Mike. “Performing Arts: Freddie Hubbard.” Washington Post, June 18, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Frank Wess’ Romantic Reeds.” Washington Post, September 26, 1987.
Joyce, Mike. “Cedar Walton’s Jazz Trio With Brio.” Washington Post, May 1, 1995.
Joyce, Mike. “Carol Fredette.” Washington Post, April 22, 1985.
Joyce, Mike. “Jazz Standards, With Style.” Washington Post, August 27, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Uplifting U Street.” Washington Post, December 21, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Rowles and Sloane.” Washington Post, February 7, 1981.
Joyce, Mike. “Anita O’Day, On Her Day.” Washington Post, October 19, 1991.
Joyce, Mike. “Bobby Watson & Curtis Lundy.” Washington Post, February 23, 1987.
Joyce, Mike. “Dewey Redman.” Washington Post, January 16, 1982.
Joyce, Mike. “Jazz Trio.” Washington Post, September 22, 1979.
Joyce, Mike. “Richie Cole.” Washington Post, July 10, 1995.
Joyce, Mike. “Ran Blake’s Monkish Piano.” Washington Post, August 18, 1984.
Joyce, Mike. “Warne Marsh.” Washington Post, March 17, 1984.
Joyce, Mike. “Moody & Heath: Common Themes on Sax.” Washington Post, June 19, 1989.
Joyce, Mike. “Junior Cook.” Washington Post, December 5, 1989.
Joyce, Mike. “Bartz Quartet’s Intimate Interplay.” Washington Post, January 8, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Sonny Fortune.” Washington Post, July 24, 1989.
Joyce, Mike. “Ted Efantis.” Washington Post, February 12, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Eddie Harris.” Washington Post, May 14, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Sonny Fortune’s Good-Luck Gig.” Washington Post, June 10, 1991.
Joyce, Mike. “Jack Wilkins’ Fluent Guitar.” Washington Post, January 17, 1987.
Joyce, Mike. “Mulgrew Miller.” Washington Post, January 22, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Cedar Walton.” Washington Post, February 6, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Flanagan & Mraz, Seamless Team.” Washington Post, February 21, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Billy Pierce and Wallace Roney.” Washington Post, March 5, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “Frank Morgan.” Washington Post, April 2, 1990.
Joyce, Mike. “James Williams.” Washington Post, April 11, 1990.
Mabuchi, Ann. “Stepping on ‘One Step Down.’” Washington Post, May 26, 1978.
Murph, John. “David ‘Fathead’ Newman.” Washington Post, September 20, 1999.
Murph, John. “Better Jazz Through Chemistry.” Washington Post, October 7, 1999.
Pasternack, Nancy. “Jazz Messenger.” Washington Post, September 12, 1993.
Piantadosi, Roger. “All That Jazz: The Music Stayed Cool, So It’s Hotter Than Ever.” Washington Post, August 22, 1986.
Stokes, W. Royal. “Tommy Flanagan Duo.” Washington Post, November 10, 1979.
Stokes, W. Royal. “Arnette Cobb.” Washington Post. January 9, 1982.

Wiki Tags: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. PRIOR TO MOVING TO PENN. AVE AROUND 1963? THEY WERE IN GEORGETOWN ON M STREET. CALLED THE B&J BACK THEN. EVERY FRI. SAT. SUN. NIGHT I WOULD BE THERE SITTING AROUND DRINKING PITCHERS OF DRAFT BEER WATCHING A WAITRESS BY THE NAME OF JENNY WAITING ON TABLES. SHE WORE A BLACK PATCH ON HER EYE. ( I THINK IT WAS FAKE) BUT KIND OF NEAT. SHE WENT TO NYC SHORTLY THEREAFTER. FAST FOWARD A FEW YEARS I WAS AT THE ONE STEP DOWN ON M STREET AND THERE SHE WAS. SHE LOOKED DIFFERENT, I DRANK ONE BEER AND LEFT. I WAS IN LOVE WITH SOME ONE ELSE AT THE TIME. END OF STORY.

    Reply

  2. Recordings from One Step are popping up on YouTube, including one from 09/22/89 with Grachan Moncur III and Archie Shepp.

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