To have a conversation with Jan Bell is to get a history lesson about the arts and music scene in Brooklyn, New York. Specifically in the Dumbo area, with Dumbo being an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. “It’s something the artists came up with in hopes that it might frighten off developers,” says Jan. The neighborhood encompasses two areas. One is between the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River. The other area continues east from the Manhattan Bridge to Vinegar Hill.
Jan hails from a coal-mining village in Yorkshire, England, but she has been a resident of the United States for thirty years. “I’m from the Kentucky of England,” she quips. “Both have coal mines, unions, and folk music.” She has made her name as a songwriter, promoter, and sound engineer in New Orleans, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and Brooklyn. And she has recorded seven critically acclaimed albums as singer-songwriter and bandleader of “The Maybelles,” who have opened for artists such as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Wanda Jackson, and Odetta. Jan formed the band with Melissa Carper in Eureka Springs.
Jan explains that the Dumbo area has long been a place for artists, both visual and musical. “I worked at a restaurant here called Superfine before it moved to its current location. Together, we produced the Urban Cowgirl Cabaret in the Between the Bridges Bar.” Jan says the bar was named after the many ironworkers who frequented the bar when working on the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge.
The area was a haven for artists, and the Dumbo Arts Festival became a big event. “They started having live music on the loading docks, and I managed that aspect,” says Jan. But changes in the neighborhood (developers bought buildings and converted them into luxury residences) forced many of the artists out of Dumbo, and the arts festival folded. “When it folded, people asked if I was going to keep the music going.” Jan got hold of Eric Adams (current mayor of New York City), then - Brooklyn Borough President.
“He encouraged me to get the music part of the festival going again and to apply for grants, sponsorships, and discretionary funding from the City.”
Now, the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival is a major draw to the area. While free to the public, opening night at the Jalopy Theatre is a ticketed event. The rest of the festival, scheduled for September 12 through 16 this year, is held at the 7000-square-foot cobblestone Archway Plaza under the Manhattan Bridge.
“There are actually trains running overhead, but we have the sound dialed in,” she says.
Jan is proud that at least 60% of the artists at the festival are women. “I’m pretty sure we have the most diverse festival in the country in terms of race, age, and LGBTQ. And while the festival is free to the public, we do pay the going rate to our musicians. And, of course, they get to eat a nice meal, too.” Jan says the stage crew, including lighting and sound, is women-led. “I’ve been a live sound engineer for 25 years, and I have made it my mission to teach others how to do what I do. A lot of people know how to run sound, but they don’t always know how to mic a banjo or even a clarinet when we have a jazz band from New Orleans.”
As the oldest of four children, Jan says she is used to her “big sister” role, not only with training but also in seeing the performers she books grow. “For example, Nora Brown, the wonderful singer and banjo player, has played at several of our festivals since she was 13. She has really come into her own, and it’s been a joy watching her journey.”
The music isn’t over for Jan when the festival ends. She started a long-running brunch at Superfine, now located at 126 Front Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn. “We've been doing it every Sunday since 2001, when Katy Rose Cox, a fiery fiddle player, approached us with the idea of bringing in her band with Sheriff Uncle Bob - a legendary leader in the country music NYC jam scene,” she says.
“Bands now play from noon to 3 pm. We have a lot of folk and bluegrass revival music. Some bands are local, and others come from places like Nashville, Austin, and New Orleans. We’ve even had bands from Canada and one from Italy, ‘La Terza Classe.’”
Jan has received the Dumbo Dozen Award for “Impactful work in the community as musician and curator.” She has also received the Brooklyn Country Music Award for “Dedication to Folk Music in NYC.”