The Clef Club was an entertainment venue and society for African-American musicians in Harlem, achieving its largest success in the 1910s.
Incorporated by James Reese Europe in 1910, it was a combination musicians' hangout, fraternity club, labor exchange, and concert hall, across the street from Marshall's Hotel.
The conductor is quoted as saying: “I always put a man who can read notes in the middle where the others can pick him up.
"[1] The Clef Club orchestra performed in 1912 - 1915 on the stage of Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The orchestra was very well received, and it is said that during one concert march in particular “music-loving Manhattan felt a thrill down its spine such as only the greatest performances can inspire.” [1] Among Reese's musical collaborators at the Clef Club was Ford Dabney, composer of the song "Shine".