Hot Spots: Where to Find Cool Jazz in the Desert

BY JUDY TARTE

In a recent “round table” discussion at the Las Vegas Jazz Society headquarters, longtime supporters, promoters and entertainers discussed the plight of Jazz in Las Vegas. The conversation centered primarily on how to reach audiences and rebuild momentum for the once thriving Jazz community that had existed here in years past.

Funding, venues and connecting supporters from around the Valley to the where and when the music is occurring is of primary concern. Oddly enough these concerns are pretty much the same as they’ve been since I began my association with the Jazz Society in the mid-70’s.

The Las Vegas Jazz Society has been a mainstay in the support of Jazz since it was established as a non-profit 501(c)3 entity in 1975 by jazz musician Monk Montgomery (from the Montgomery brothers clan, Wes, Buddy and Monk). The mission of the LVJS is to provide opportunities for those who appreciate jazz in all its various forms to meet and to promote a wider appreciation through education and sponsorship of performances and cooperation with other organizations having common interest in preserving our cultural heritage. A primary task is to foster a greater understanding in young people through teaching and performances.

Many organizations and venues are sponsoring and promoting fine jazz events open to the public. The Forgotten Song Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)3 non-profit, gives scholarships and grants every year to UNLV and CSN jazz students and other organizations that are aligned with their mission. The Jazz Outreach Initiative sponsors the Essentially Ellington band festival annually in conjunction with UNLV. The Jazz Studies Department of UNLV has a wide variety of concerts open to the public, free or minimally priced. Smaller clubs such as the E-String, the Dispensary, German American Social Club, Italian American Club as well as some of the hotel-casinos such as the Tuscany and Barrymore room at the Royal Resort offer a variety of Jazz on a regular basis. The Jazz Society has been offering a monthly Sunday afternoon series at the Bootlegger Bistro for several years. The music is consistently fine at all these venues and worthy of any Jazz club found anywhere in the world. Yet we hear people say, all the time… “I didn’t know about that event” or “If I’d only know about that, I would have been there” or “the Las Vegas Jazz Society, I didn’t even know there was one.”

Online listings for many of the events and venues can be found at lvjs.org, eatmoreartvegas.com, lvjazzconversations.webs.com, and evandavisjazz.com. Check us out…you’ll be surprised at what’s happening!