Ramapo Valley

Historical marker location:

Sloatsburg, New York

( Marker is on New York State Thruway (Interstate 87), on the right when traveling north.)

Marker installed: 1963

Historic New York.

The first recorded jazz concert took place in New York City in 1917, featuring a band led by the pianist James Reese Europe. Jazz music would go on to become a defining feature of New York's cultural scene, with legendary clubs like the Cotton Club and the Village Vanguard.