Jazzed up: A new music club would be welcome Downtown

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

Monday, August 22, 2011
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh has a lot of jazz in its cultural DNA. What it doesn't have are many live venues that promote and support the music. That may be about to change.

Last week, local jazz legends Al Dowe and Etta Cox made moves that could bring a jazz club Downtown for the first time since Dowe's on Ninth closed in 2007 because its lease was not renewed.

Pending a decision by the Historic Review Commission to allow a wall to be removed so that covered parking and a trash bin can be accommodated, a jazz club could be coming to Liberty Avenue, Downtown. The possibility is already generating excitement.

An art form that put Pittsburgh on the map by inspiring local musicians to develop their craft here before going out to a bigger stage deserves a prominent and accessible venue Downtown. Mr. Dowe and Ms. Cox want to put their club in the 3,000-foot storefront that used to house the La Prima restaurant and cafe. If all goes according to plan, expect to see prominent jazz combos and groups in the prime weekend slots. The space is being designed by architect Arthur Lubetz.

The six-story building will also house six condominiums and Mr. Lubetz's studio office. The condos are expected to sell for $267,000, with a penthouse offered for $483,000.

Short of the new club, there are still several places one can go to hear jazz in Pittsburgh, including the August Wilson Center, also on Liberty in Downtown, and the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild on the North Side, but few nightspots are dedicated to it. Jazz, more than most musical genres, requires a space with some intimacy.

A jazz club in the heart of the Cultural District would fit the bill. Mr. Dowe and Ms. Cox will earned Pittsburgh's gratitude if they can pull it off.



First published on August 22, 2011 at 12:00 am


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11234/1168945-192.stm#ixzz1WFkB1qyG

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

It's amazing how these reporters write about downtown jazz clubs and reference MCG and the August Wilson Center (which are fine venues but not clubs) yet they fail to mention Little E's which is a downtown jazz club hosting live jazz 5 days/week for 4 years on Liberty Avenue directly across the street from the August Wilson Center.  Also at the other end of Liberty at Fifth, live jazz is regularly presented at Andy's in the Fairmount Hotel.  We need all the jazz venues we can get but it is not fair to ignore the existing ones.  Any comments?

[bob studebaker]

Yeah,...I saw this piece and wondered why Little E's wasn't mentioned. Don't know what to make of the omission but I'm certainly glad jazz is at least getting mentioned. As for the new place,......I hope it makes it. I also hope there will be an effective effort to publicize it and it's shows. The Sean Jones/Roger Humphries gig at the August Wilson Center on Thursday wasn't even listed in the PG's weekend magazine.....and a mention there is FREE. I found out about it 2 days before it happened. Someday Nelson, we'll have to have a beverage and talk further about how to publicize the city's jazz events. Little E's works to get the word out,...Andy's too,....and the Trust gets the word out about their gigs but it sure seems to me that it all should have a higher profile....who knows maybe someone can even get CJ's to re think their absurd dress code .....and quit turning paying customers away....my new bosses will allow me to have a web presence for jazz listings....should be up in a week or so.....but without a full time jazz station anymore things will be even tougher than before

[Little E's Jazz Club]

Thanks for the nice words guys.  Needless to say, hurtful article from the Post, again.  We bust our butts to do this and not for some to say way to go nice job, but we do it for the city and the art of Jazz.  Not to mention our liveli-hood.  But to be completely ignored along with all the other places that try to have live Jazz, I just can not figure that out.

[bob studebaker]

do you have any contact with the people who put out that "pop pittsburgh" email?....I haven't received their stuff since my wduq email closed down......haven't gotten around to signing up again.....but it's an interesting read,....and (I assume, without really knowing) it goes out primarily to young and relatively active professionals....does the downtown partnership have any thoughts on how to get some of that activity a block over(on penn) to try downtowns jazz spot?....in a better world you'd be packed every night...maybe jazz has passed into the same realm occupied by classical?.....i'd hate to think that it will only succeed in the future propped up by foundations and patrons......but i sure don't have any answers

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

Musicians envision Downtown jazz club, condos
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Lake Fong/Post-GazetteArchitect Arthur Lubetz, left, and his employee, Alex Fischer, in front of 811 Liberty Ave.Local jazz stars Al Dowe and Etta Cox are partners in discussions to buy a vacant six-story building on Liberty Avenue, Downtown, and convert it into a jazz club and condos.

They are working with architect Arthur Lubetz to restore the main floor of 811 Liberty as a jazz club, with six condos and an architect's studio above.

The long-vacant storefront was a former La Prima restaurant and cafe, which closed in August 2005.

Henry Hoffstot Jr., who owns the building, could not be reached for comment, but Mr. Lubetz presented the plan to the Historic Review Commission earlier this month. The group is asking for permission to remove the rear wall of the first floor to accommodate covered parking and a trash bin.

Mr. Lubetz said he plans to live in one of the condos and relocate his studio to the building. Besides the third floor space he has claimed, another of the condos is spoken for, he said.

The name of the jazz club has yet to be decided, Mr. Dowe said. His last club, Dowe's on Ninth, closed in 2007 after the lease was not renewed.

He acknowledged that, although Dowe's on Ninth might have had longevity with a new lease, "it was too big. People like to rub shoulders."

The new jazz club will be about 3,000 square feet. It will use the basement as the club's lower level for the stage and the kitchen. Two audience levels between the basement and the ground floor will include a balcony and stepped-down amphitheater seating.

Mr. Lubetz said the front and back facades will be "meticulously restored and donated to the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation." That means the foundation would have an easement that protects the facades from being altered.

The condos -- which would range from 1,200 to 1,940 square feet, would have terraces overlooking Exchange Way. They would sell for $267,000, with the penthouse priced at $483,000, he said.

Mr. Lubetz's intern, Alex Fischer, came up with a dramatic interior feature that would tie the jazz club to the upper floors and serve the need for insulation and acoustics. A transparent, acrylic, quilt-like decoration would be installed to embrace the club before heading up behind the front glass along each floor, behind the existing windows. It would include LED lighting that changes colors and would be visible from the street.

The club's stone and floor joists will be exposed "in the essence of how the building was made," said Mr. Lubetz. "We're reusing the existing wood. The wood joists in the ceiling are honey-colored oak."

Mr. Dowe said he hopes to have "serious jazz groups Friday and Saturday nights, and other things going on there, too -- duos and trios, and we'd like to have a Latin night."

Kevin McMahon, president of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said the plan is "a very positive and interesting step forward for the Cultural District, ambitious in its mix of uses that includes more residential. We would love to see more residential developments" in upper floors of buildings.

Of this particular building, except for the ground floor, he said, "I don't think it has been occupied for decades. We have seen a lot of positive activity, particularly in this block, and we are very hopeful."


Diana Nelson Jones: [e-mail] or 412-263-1626. Read her blog City Walkabout at www.post-gazette.com/citywalk.


First published on August 17, 2011 at 12:00 am


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11229/1167823-53-0.stm#ixzz1WFoRtiox

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

We try to provide common ground here on the PJN for all who dig or are involved in jazz in some way, professionals, fans, media, promoters, students, venues, etc.  It can almost be said that Pittsburgh territorialism is so pervasive that we have difficulty recognizing common ground and that a rising tide raises all ships.  We are a bit astounded how little self-promotion is undertaken by many of our members even, who visit their own pages rarely, do not post their calendars, do not post content on their pages, do not browse other member pages or add friends, don't use our chat line or other general apps very often, but I see the same members going gaga on FB with games and posts that do not even speak to an interest or involvement in jazz.

 

I guess I'm getting old because I remember when the Steelers hired Harold Betters and other jazz musicians like Chuck Spatafore and Walt Harper to help draw fans to the stadium.  (That began in 1967 when the Steelers had trouble drawing 10,000 fans per game.)  No wonder the press tends to ignore us these days.

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has been hosting jazz at the Backstage Bar and Cabaret Theatre for years.  The Melange Bistro on 6th Street is also trying jazz on for size.  The parking is a bit prohibitive but the sports fans find a way to park and walk or shuttle to the games across the river.

 

I wonder why more of them, since they are already parked, don't stop into a jazz venue to catch some sounds before they leave town.  Maybe soneone can weigh in on that aspect.

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

Tony'

Your input is greatly appreciated. Please ask your friend at Channel 28 to join us here in the PJN. From here e can more easily hook up and get something ging of mutual benefit.

Doc