February 23rd, the band and I played our second show at the Flying Lobster, the coolest new venue in Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street waterfront. Essentially the backroom of Le Petite Crevette, it’s a highly attractive place with a brick and wood interior, tin ceilings, great food and wine, and a vintage jukebox stocked with jazz 78’s.
The group that night went by the name of The Bootheel Boss Gobblers, a “hip-neck” (hippy-redneck) Americana project led by Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Matt Statler. We’re a rag-tag gang of friends for whom this was the first time playing together. With collective experience and some enhancement, we conjured musical magic. A small but enthusiastic crowd came out to support us and a few friends sat in to jam.
The room is conducive to sonic alchemy and is lovingly run by Brooklyn native Nick Green, an accomplished jazz saxophonist and son of the proprietor Neil Ganic.
Originally from Croatia, Ganic joined the merchant marine in his youth, traveled rough seas around the world, and eventually made his way to the USA. In the 1990’s, he started a restaurant with his wife on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn called Bouillabaisse, a dish also known as Cioppino, which he still serves at the Le Petit Crevette. The recipe was a big hit, especially as there were no other restaurants in the area at that time.
Green recalls, “People called my dad nuts because nobody thought it would stand a chance, but it became one of the most successful restaurants in town. He was an innovator. The public widely supported it; even the mayor was a fan.”
Eventually, Bouillabaisse closed and his parents separated, but Ganic opened Le Petit Crevette as a fish market and restaurant on Union between Columbian and Hicks in 2005. He also curated the food menu at the bar, which serves beer and wine, and until recently, cooked there every Monday night.
As legend has it, a demanding diner repeatedly requested that his lobster be cooked further. Ganic became so frustrated that he hurled the crustacean at the customer and banned him forever. From then on, the locale became proudly known as the Flying Lobster.
In spite of its infamous name, Green wants the public to know that, “The bar is really about family” something increasingly rare in a city of exorbitant rents. He also states that before his mom passed away ten years ago, “She was working on having a wine bar of her own but never got to see that happen. So, I always keep her in mind.”
Green grew up listening to classic jazz records by Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, and more. He went to Frank Sinatra high school in Queens, joined the school jazz band when he was 16, and used his lunch money to go out to NYC’s jazz clubs.
When he was 18, Green met legendary jazz musicians Charles McPherson and Barry Harris. Harris, now 90 and in declining health, began teaching in the 1950’s. He is known as one of the most important jazz educators and taught Green directly.
“He and Charles both came from Detroit, grew up playing together with all the greats like Elvin Jones, Pepper Adams, Tommy Flannigan, and more. They came from a place where there’s a rich history of music. Miles Davis once lived there and played with them. Barry’s recorded with everybody, like Lee Morgan. He’s on The Sidewinder record. They’re living jazz greats. I met them in NYC and credit them for my education in music. They’re the real deal; they came from the source,” Green explains.
“Being a kid on the NYC scene” inspired Green’s development as a Jazz musician and his passion is on display around the bar. The walls are hung with classic albums, some signed by the aforementioned artists, and a large photo of Bird (Charlie Parker) is located by the venue’s vintage Fender Rhodes piano.
“The reason for those records is that those are people who helped shape and create this great music. They’re like the gods, and this place is an homage to them and the rich history of this music,” states Green.
As to his vision for the venue, Green explains, “I wanted to take charge here because they’re fewer and fewer places to play in NYC. My goal is to have a space where the many musicians with whom I’m in touch can create, explore, and develop their voices.“
“After I graduated college, my father was looking for somebody to take over the wine bar. He said, ‘I’m fed up with this; nobody’s taking it seriously. I’m gonna find somebody else to run it.’ I told him to give me a shot, because I saw that we have something special here,” says Green.
With the help of his uncle Ben, who runs Jolie Cantina on Smith Street, Green was able to create an intimate setting that has a classic Brooklyn feel, as if it had always been there. “He gave me ideas on how to make it cozy,” adds Green. He also met his girlfriend Lindy at the bar five years ago. “There’s magic and romance there.”
Bands who’ve played the room include Red Hook based Latin Jazz musician Willie Martinez, folk singer Reid Andrés, the aforementioned Bootheel Boss Gobblers, The Nick Green Quartet, and recently a 20 piece mandolin orchestra. Green also envisions developing relationships with other local venues like the Jalopy Theatre and Sunny’s to help further enrich Brooklyn’s music scene.
The Bootheel Boss Gobblers and I had so much fun that we booked another show for Sunday, March 22 as part of what was to be a semi-regular Sunday series. But then the world changed. The Coronavirus slammed into Europe and crept its way into the USA destroying lives, businesses, and any prospects of shows for who knows how long.
I’ve been in touch with Nick, and at the time of writing he and his family are all ok. But the future seems uncertain for The Flying Lobster, which was only just getting started. To support the venue, make donations at the Go Fund Me Link: http://gf.me/u/xtupnr and support Nick Green’s music at www.nickgreenmusic.com/music
May The Lobster Fly again!
