Herman DeJong is a semi–retired architect living in Gladwyne, PA. A native of Wassenaar, the Netherlands, he’s moved to the states to begin a career in architecture. Herman started working for Vincent Kling, the most famous architect in Philadelphia at the time.
Herman’s man focus is creating environmentally ‘green architecture’ that is artistic, yet is functional. His main focus is the building of tiny homes. His present project is “Beau Village”, tiny homes for veterans.
Herman’s other passion is jazz. In the 1960s, he played in the Vincent Kling jazz band. Vincent Kling played guitar while Herman played bass. The group rehearsed in the Kling offices and then played at various architect functions.
In the mid ‘80s, Herman was a founding member of a jazz trio that included Judge Richard Kein on drums and City Councilman Ed Schwartz at the piano, with Herman on bass. The group called themselves the Reading Terminals because they played monthly at the Reading Terminal Market.
In time, Herman began to think of an ongoing jazz session open to all musicians to get together in an informal way. In 1989, a small group began playing once a week at the Rittenhouse Hotel, then moved to the 23rd Street Café, where the remained for over 25 years. The 23rd Street Café was then sold and now 23rd Jazz has moved to the Manayunk Brewery.
