Period-style listening

Last night, I sat on a bright yellow velveteen sofa eating red beans and rice while listening for three hours to blues and jazz from rare 78rpm records. I walked out feeling gospel-level raised up, with a head full of dreams and cultural memories.

- BY HERB REICHERT

The Hot Club of New York

Matthew Rivera's Hot Club of New York is on the third floor of an old commercial building at 20 W 20th Street, across from what used to be the Limelight Club. The walk from the F Train at 23rd Street generated a Rolodex of memories from watching this neighborhood evolve during my 50 years traipsing the streets above Union Square. But those memories didn’t prepare me for Matthew’s passionately curated mise-en-scène inside the Hot Club of New York. The listening room was fitted with stuffed brown leather chairs, a famous yellow sofa, and period-correct Asian rugs. The lighting was shadowy, like in movies from the 1930s. The walls were lined with black discs in brown sleeves. Matthew fit the scene perfectly in his sleeveless argyle sweater.

Right away, my brain locked on to the room's sensuous feel. How could every detail be so hip style-wise and so cozy comfortwise? I could not stop focusing on the wall color, so I asked Matthew, what is that?

“It’s actually three colors that we layered in different washes. First a terracotta color was rolled on, then a reddish wash was sponged over that. Then finally a brown wash was rubbed on. It should be mentioned that my friends Clare Fentress and Andrew Billingsley are truly responsible for the look of the space. They run a New York-based design collective called Acritarchy. I gave my input, but their expertise, which they gave pro bono, not to mention labor and commitment, really pulled it all together in a matter of about 1 month! We started with a blank canvas on April 15 and opened on May 28.”