Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts

(2024)

The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, INC. (PCC) is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational and cultural organization. It was founded in 1966 by members of Musicians' Protective Union Local #274, American Federation of Musicians (A F of M). Local #274 was chartered in 1935 as a separate Black local because Black musicians were denied membership in the racially segregated Local #77. Local #274 enjoyed its autonomy for more than 36 years. It was the longest surviving independent Black Musicians' Union in the United States, of the more than fifty chartered in major cities.

Local #274 and PCC's social unit are integral parts of the history of JAZZ in Philadelphia. They evolved out of the struggle of Black musicians for political, economic, and cultural recognition during Philadelphia's overt segregation period. Local #274's membership rolls included JAZZ greats like John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Shirley Scott, Lee Morgan, "Philly" Joe Jones, Grover Washington Jr., the Heath Brothers, and Nina Simone to name a few.