The Crescendo (music venue)

The Crescendo was a West Hollywood jazz venue located at 8572 Sunset Boulevard. It opened in 1954, along with the Interlude upstairs, and ran until 1964.

History
The Crescendo was owned and operated by Gene Norman (né Eugene Abraham Nabatoff; 1922–2015) of GNP Crescendo Records who had purchased the property in 1954 from singer Billy Eckstine who had run the venue as the Chanticlair. The Chanticlair, Crescendo, and Interlude welcomed integrated audiences. Norman sold the Crescendo in 1963 to focus on GNP Crescendo Records, and in 1965, the club became The Trip.

Performers
Performers at the Crescendo included:


 * Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
 * Louie Armstrong
 * Count Basie
 * Oscar Brown, Jr.
 * Eddie Cano
 * June Christy
 * Sam Cooke
 * Joey Dee & the Starliters
 * Billy Eckstine
 * Duke Ellington
 * Ella Fitzgerald
 * Dizzy Gillespie
 * Chico Hamilton
 * Billie Holiday
 * Harry James
 * Louis Jordan
 * Stan Kenton
 * Perez Prado
 * Machito
 * Herbie Mann
 * Shelly Manne
 * Gerry Mulligan
 * Anita O'Day
 * Perez Prado
 * George Shearing
 * Nina Simone
 * Art Tatum
 * Cal Tjader
 * Mel Torme
 * Sarah Vaughan

Folk music was represented with appearances by:


 * The Limeliters
 * Joe & Eddie
 * Theodore Bikel
 * Chad Mitchell
 * Jim McGuinn

The club also headlined comics including:


 * Woody Allen
 * Shelley Berman
 * Lenny Bruce
 * Lord Buckley
 * Bill Cosby
 * Redd Foxx
 * Dick Gregory
 * Tom Lehrer
 * Bob Newhart
 * Don Rickles
 * Mort Sahl
 * Jonathan Winters