Club El Sino: Paradise Valley’s Home to Jazz Legends
By Rod Arroyo
Club El Sino, located on St. Antoine Street in Paradise Valley, was established in 1947, replacing the previous Club Owens at the same location. It was a pioneering club for be-bop, and it had a magical first year. Dizzy Gillespie opened the club in June with his 17-piece orchestra, playing a two-week gig. Charlie Parker also did a two-week stint there in December 1947, performing with Miles Davis, Max Roach, Tommy Potter, and Duke Jordan.
While performing at El Sino, both Charlie Parker and Dizzy invited a young Detroit singer, Lillie Mae Jones, to join in for a few numbers. This helped to launch the career of a jazz icon, who would later be known as Betty Carter.
Club El Sino was a Black-owned club, founded by William Malone and William Pierce. In April 1948, Pierce bought out Malone’s interest in the club.
Other performers at Club El Sino included Todd Rhodes, Sarah Vaughan, Illinois Jacquet, the Four Tops, Arnett Cobb, Candy Johnson, J.C. Heard, T-Bone Walker, and Della Reese.
During Parker’s stay, a writer from “Swingsation” magazine caught up with him and asked about BeBop. Bird responded with a notable quote as captured in this article:
