On a Friday night, a quiet street in Brookline was winding down. But the lights remained on at the Brookline American Legion Post 11, a community center for veterans.
A small sign outside the building read, “POSTunderground: Live Jazz, Free Admission, Free Food.”
Through the bright foyer and down a flight of stairs, it was a different scene. Roughly 30 people, ranging from high school students to retirees, sat in chairs lining the walls and at tables in the center of the room. Plastic cups of beer and wrinkled junk food wrappers littered maroon tablecloths. On the walls, portraits of jazz greats were juxtaposed with American flags and photographs of veterans.
“ As soon as you get in, you will feel like it’s a different world,” said Subhadeep Chowdhury of Cambridge…