Local stars emerged through a circuit of small coffeehouse clubs.

Evidence

The scene bred local stars as well. Not two months later, Goddard gave a page-one profile to Dave Van Ronk, whose “passionate wail” was currently wowing the Commons. Performing ragtime and blues with an asthmatic growl, Van Ronk—who made his debut at Café Bizarre and continued to perform at benefits for the Young People’s Socialist League—was a genuine original, albeit a throwback to the moldy fig jazz of the pre–Five Spot Village. — J. Hoberman, Everything Is Now, 276