Longtime Acton Jazz Café Patron - Frank Newcomb

Frank Newcomb is the door guy at the café . He sits by the door and collects the $5 music charge, explaining to everyone that this is how we pay our house musicians. He brings a newspaper, his favorite private snack mix, and some diet tonic water—he likes it with lime and sweetener. Later, between jams, he’ll have clam chowder. Later, maybe, ice cream.

Other than this, Frank accepts no compensation for his gracious services.

Frank gets a lot of hugs. Born on April 13, 1919, he has been a resident of Acton for 40 years. He has enjoyed, shared, and collected jazz since 1934, he estimates.

"So much of it was the popular music of those times," said Frank. "It was very prevalent on the air…you could hear it easily.”

He used to frequent The Savoy and the Kenn Club as a single guy before he served in the U.S. Army from 1942-46. Later, he earned his living working at a record store, in the plumbing & heating supply business, and, for a year, at the Union News Company, right in busy South Station. He took his wife out as often as they could afford to Lenny’s on The Turnpike, Sandy’s Jazz Revival, Storyville, The Stables and many more places.

Frank and Gertrude (called Teddy) raised two sons, and now there are four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. In 2002, after 54 years of life together, Teddy passed on.

At that point, the café became Frank’s "home away from home." In fact, he has redecorated his own kitchen at home with candid photos of many of his friends here.

"This is one of the greatest places in the world to listen to jazz," said Frank.