When Jim Wooster first visited Club Passim, the famed Harvard Square folk music venue that introduced Joan Baez, Shawn Colvin, and Suzanne Vega to the world, he had just graduated from college, and he wanted to see singer-songwriter Patti Larkin, then a new name on the scene.
“I said, ‘Oh, I gotta see this woman. She’s an incredible guitar player,’ so I made my way down to Passim, saw my first show and loved it,” he said.
Wooster filed the experience away, and many years later, when a friend became chairman of the club’s board, he joined the Passim board as well. At the time, he was business manager for global news start-ups including GlobalPost.com and The GroundTruth Project and had been behind other media companies as well.
“I was at the point where I was kind of thinking about what my next project could be,” he said. When Passim’s executive director, Dan Hogan, announced his retirement, Wooster decided to pursue the job.
“The opportunity to combine that business experience with my love of music seemed like a great opportunity,” he said.
Well, no spoilers, but Wooster got the job. And a decade later, he has announced he is stepping down, having decided it is time to transition to the next phase of life: enjoying family, traveling, and collaborating on his own music with friends.
Steadfast Leadership
Wooster’s tenure included the COVID-19 pandemic, and he provided strong leadership during a time when gathering in small spaces to hear live music was a dangerous proposition.
Club Passim’s managing director, Matt Smith, said Wooster’s steadfast leadership and community focus helped Passim navigate the pandemic and strengthen community connections.
“He steered us in a good direction to get us through what was obviously a terrible time for everyone, but we pulled together and found a way that left us with a deeper connection to our community,” Smith said.
As it became clear that the pandemic would require closing the club for an unspecified time, Wooster streamed concerts from artists’ homes, providing a glimpse into their songwriting and performing processes, he said.
“It was interesting because we all got to peek behind the scenes a little bit into artists’ lives, where they live, how they write,” he said. “When we were finally able to open again, it took a while because what had been our greatest strength, this intimate gathering space, became a liability, as people were scared about going back out into the public. It really took a couple of years to get back.”
Wooster was behind the effort to raise $200,000 for the PEAR Fund to distribute grants to artists during the closure.
“We were lucky in that we had access to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and grants through the city of Cambridge, and our donor base was very generous and kept us afloat, but the artists mostly didn’t have that kind of access,” he said. “So the microgrants were helpful to the artists while they were waiting to get back into circulation.”
Smith said Wooster prioritized artists’ needs, fostering a symbiotic relationship between the venue and the performers.
“He kept the organization thinking of musicians first, that’s always been the mindset of the organization,” he said. “In so many places, there is conflict between the artist and the venue, trying to fight for the same dollar. That’s never been our way of doing business.”
Wooster’s stewardship included growing the organization in what he called “the right ways,” which included improving diversity and accessibility.
“One of the first things you’ll notice, if you go to Passim shows, is that the audience is mostly white. So, are there things we could be doing to make sure we’re being welcoming and open to everybody,” he said.
He worries about the club not being fully accessible to those with disabilities due to its location, which remains an outstanding issue.
Wooster also considered how to make the most of Passim’s iconic location in the heart of Harvard Square.
“It’s a little bit like Fenway Park in that it’s historical,” he said. “Many people came there and met their future partners, or their parents brought them when they were kids, and they have fallen in love with it. We wrestled with the question: ‘Should we find a more modern, slightly larger space?’ I’ve come to believe that it’s such a special space as it is and so authentic, so let’s embrace it and not worry about the space we don’t have.”
As he prepares to leave the post he has held for a decade, Wooster reflected on what makes Club Passim, Club Passim.
“It’s been a pleasant surprise for me how the elder statesmen of our artist community look out for the youngsters and help them get a leg up. I have a real affinity for people starting out, and seeing the new artists on the rise has been incredibly fun for me,” he said. “Some of the most fun nights I had were when I didn’t know who the artist was. Just having your socks knocked off by somebody brand new who you didn’t know anything about.”
Wooster may be leaving the club life, but music will remain a part of his life. He has plans to write music with friends, many of whom live in Belmont.
“They’re showing me stuff they’ve written, and I try to take that and turn it into a song, which has been a new challenge for me,” he said. “Songs can be written in many ways. I’ve been much more involved in situations where the music and the melody often come with words at the same time, and then you build around that. This has been new and different and really fun for me to try.”
Life in Belmont beckons. He hopes to travel more with his wife, Laura, and spend time visiting his two sons, who are now grown, as well as his father, in New Hampshire. Look for him playing guitar at the Belmont Farmers’ Market this spring.
Meanwhile, he encourages everyone to visit live music venues for the unifying experience of listening to music with other people.
“I think music is something that can hopefully bring us together, even if we disagree about the size of government or the other thoughts of the day,” he said. “So, don’t worry about who is playing. If you happen to be free and you’re looking for something good to do, check out Club Passim because there’s usually something really good happening.”