Smalls

Mitchell Borden, a former Navy submariner, registered nurse, philosopher and jazz violinist, created Smalls in 1994 as a room conducive to jazz and its culture¹. The original was a raw basement with no liquor license¹.

After 9/11 changed the city's economics, Smalls went bankrupt in 2002¹. A new owner renamed it the Rio Bar, which by the club's own account was a dismal failure¹. In 2004 Smalls was reborn¹.

In February 2007 the pianist Spike Wilner and his friend Lee Kostrinsky became Borden's partners, set on restoring the club's original spirit¹. Two years on, we called it a small, dark, no-longer-smoky room booking truly incredible up-and-coming talent, with a cover that bought your first two drinks. A nonprofit, the SmallsLIVE Foundation, was created in 2018¹. Borden and Wilner ran the club together until Borden retired in 2019¹, and the foundation helped keep Smalls afloat through the pandemic in 2020¹.

It's still at 183 West 10th Street, with an afternoon jam session hosted by Carol Morgan on the calendar².