The Legendary  Sugar Bar    

Sometimes the night was low key & then there were nights when both Quincy Jones & Denzel Washington showed up.  Or the night Corrine Bailey Rae visited & took to the stage with her whole band to perform a mesmerizing Sly & The Family Stone-inspired rendition of “Que Sera Sera”.  And the most magical of all (in my opinion), when Dr. Maya Angelou sat near the stage & her sheer presence filled the space with a palpable energy that’s hard to articulate.

Regardless of notoriety, the level of talent that has graced that tiny stage is extraordinary.

Even though my season as the “house photographer” was short (just over a year) it felt like an exclusive window into a world that Nick & Val had carefully curated — a place where legendary & independent artists alike could feel at home just quietly enjoying a meal or, if inspired to do so, take the stage backed by the impeccable house band who seemed to know every song on the planet.

The staff & regulars quickly welcomed me into the Sugar Bar world & I honed my skills of not only balancing flash & ambient light while trying to capture the moment, but of smoothly moving through the crowded space without interrupting the experience.  I took my cues from watching the servers who seamlessly delivered meals & drinks to tables in the main dining room, back room & upstairs lounge while people danced & sang & celebrated SO many birthdays!

Little did I know that this time would be about so much more than just documenting the occasional celebrity guest, but rather about documenting these weekly expressions of joy amongst those who had the courage to take the stage & those who kept coming back for another chance to feel the energy in that room.

Only 7 months after shooting my last Open Mic Night in 2011, I learned of Nick’s passing from a cancer I had no idea he had been battling for quite some time & was privileged to attend his funeral at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem with some of the Sugar Bar family.  In years since, we lost several others whom I was fortunate enough to photograph during that time including our Open Mic host, Andre Smith, Ron Grant, Miss Tee, Maya Angelou, Andre Leon Talley…

It’s always an unsettling reality as a photographer of humans to know that you will likely have to review images of people who are no longer with us at some point.  Looking back & doing a full re-edit over a decade later of the nearly 10,000 images captured during that time became an emotional & nearly impossible task, to be honest.  I still feel strongly that my top 575 images (not kidding) are necessary to fully present a visual memory of that experience & all the people who made it such a special time, but the 125 below will have to suffice for this page!   

Thank you to Steve Abreu for creating this position for me & having the foresight to recognize the importance of documenting that era.

To Nick, Val, Nichole, Asia & the rest of the Sugar Bar family — I hope I did you proud!