Opened in 1947, Club Zel-Mar was located in West Philly. In April 1947, the “ultra modern” club played host to Three B’s and A Honey.
The “Home of the Mambo” welcomed José Curbelo who popularized the Mambo and the Cha-cha-cha in the 1950s.
Bill Carney’s Hi-Tones had a weeklong engagement here, February 28-March 5, 1955. The group was comprised of Bill “Mr. C” Carney, Al “Tootie” Heath, Shirley Scott and John Coltrane.
From NPR’s Jazz Night in America:
Known as the “queen of the organ,” Shirley Scott was one of several Philadelphians who developed the electric Hammond B-3 into a viable instrument for a soulful, bluesy style of jazz. With dozens of recordings to her name, she was already a major voice when she became the leader of the house band at Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus. Among the young players who timidly found their way onto the stage at Ortlieb’s were Warfield and Stafford — and, in doing so, they got a lot more than they bargained for.
All That Philly Jazz 