Mike Morgenstern

Morgenstern played sax and bass clarinet. Born in Brooklyn, family moved to Long Island where Morgenstern grew up. He ran the Jazzmania Society in various locations around Greenwich Village from 1974, For three years, beginning in 1978, he presented a Brazilian jazz festival from a loft at 14 East 23rd St in NYC. By 1981 Jazzmania would move to 40th 27th St when the 23rd Street building was sold. Jazzmania remained there until 1984 at which point he terminated the club and started working on recording for Jazzmania and Touring. In 1986 Morgenrstern re-opened in a corner of the the Discovery restaurant on the corner of Broome and Greene Streets. At Discovery the house band included pianist Dave LaLama, bassist Calvin Hill and drummer Walter Bolden — to support major attractions every weekend. They supported Sonny Fortune, Claudio Roditi and Lester Bowie, Pepper Adams, Sun Ra, Lee Koonitz, Randy Brecker and his (then) wife Eliane Elias, Slide Hampton and Junior Cook as members of the Mickey Tucker Sextet as well many others. He also ran the jazzmania All Stars.