September Sessions bring a packed month of live music and cocktail programming to Old City’s Second Street, with Sassafras and its upstairs sister venue 48 Record Bar running weekly jazz nights, a resident artist residency, and a first-ever off-site concert with WRTI. Between the two spaces, there’s a reason to walk through the door on nearly every night of the week.

48 Record Bar Leads September Sessions

Every Tuesday this month, 48 Record Bar hosts Tuesday Nite Music Club, pairing a 7 p.m. live performance with a 9 p.m. LP listening session. This month’s resident artist is Friends of Jerry, a self-described Grateful Dead cover band that, by its own admission, sounds very little like the Grateful Dead.

September’s Record of the Month, curated by Creative Director Joey Sweeney for the venue’s vinyl subscription members, spotlights The Womack Sisters’ self-titled debut on an indie-exclusive opaque purple pressing. The bigger news, though, is 48 Record Bar’s first-ever off-site concert, held Tuesday, September 29 at the Philadelphia Ethical Society in partnership with WRTI, featuring Asheville-based piano trio Okonski alongside special guests and a 48 Record Bar pop-up bar.

Live Jazz Returns to Sassafras During September Sessions

Downstairs, Sassafras keeps its long-running Sunday jazz tradition going from 6 to 9 p.m., with guitarist Greg Snyder holding a standing residency every fourth Sunday. This month adds two additional Monday sessions, September 14 and September 28, with live duo Burt Harris and Laurent Bass performing from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

It’s a fitting rhythm for a bar that’s held its spot on Second Street for more than 50 years, still filling the room with cover-free jazz the same way it has for decades.

September Sessions Negroni Week and a Month Worth Showing Up For

Both venues join Negroni Week from Monday, September 21 through Sunday, September 27, the annual Imbibe Magazine and Campari initiative benefiting Slow Food’s work toward global access to good, clean, and fair food. 48 Record Bar pours its widely requested Industry Negroni, while Sassafras keeps things classic with its own take on the drink.

Whether it’s a Tuesday night spent between a live set and a listening session upstairs, a Sunday evening settling into Sassafras’s jazz-filled glow, or a Negroni poured for a good cause, this is exactly the kind of month that makes 48 South Second Street feel less like two separate bars and more like one continuous invitation to come back. Grab a friend, pick a night, and let the music decide the rest.

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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