32 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT
AUGUST 2021
MUSIC NOT YOUR PARENTS’’ JAZZ SHOW By matt king
T
he pandemic sadly killed off some local performing-arts productions—but the people behind Jazzville Palm Springs would not let the concert series, which honors the historic Palm Springs jazz scene, go gentle into that good night. Jazzville Palm Springs celebrated its return on July 1, in a brand-new location: The revamped concert series takes place every Thursday at 7 p.m. at Agua Caliente Palm Springs’ Cascade Lounge. “Jazzville is four years strong, and has had a number of different venues—but none as illustrious as the Cascade Lounge,” said Adam Levy, executive producer of Jazzville. “I had been behind the scenes helping founders Mark acoustics were nice, and I’m like, ‘Let’s just do Alan and Barry Martin fulfill their vision, something.’ The owner, Dan, agreed, and gave and serendipitously, we connected over the me Wednesday nights.” pandemic when I heard that Jazzville was The Chi Chi was located on Palm Canyon probably going to disappear. The pandemic Drive, near Andreas Road. really did Jazzville dirty—and I wanted to keep “It was the hottest nightclub west of the the vision alive. Mississippi for about 18 years,” Martin said. “We were exploring different venues, and I “Nobody could touch it, and everybody who bumped into some former colleagues I knew was anybody wanted to play there. All the from when I was working at Agua Caliente Black jazz singers who couldn’t get work in as their advertising manager. They asked L.A. and other states always played at Irwin’s about the Jazzville show and other events I club. They also had some bawdy burlesque had produced in the past, and they sounded shows that couldn’t be performed anywhere interested—and everything worked out.” else at the time. Palm Springs has a history of Levy said it became apparent when the first bringing the real cabaret-jazz style and the big shows went on sale that audiences were eager show, and kept it alive for many, many years for Jazzville’s return. after jazz had started to get into the bebop “Some were driving from L.A., Orange age. The Chi Chi kept early jazz alive, and it County and, of course, all over Palm Springs was such a huge, phenomenal, world-famous and the Coachella Valley,” Levy said. place—so we get all of our inspiration from the Barry Martin—also known as DJ Baz—is style of the Chi Chi club.” the co-founder of Jazzville. Jazzville moved from Oscar’s to Hotel Zozo, “What we’re doing is sustaining a culture then to Wang’s in the Desert, before making that’s over 100 years old now, and some the Cascade Lounge its current home. Levy people just have to take it upon themselves said the biggest challenge for producers has to keep this art form alive,” Martin said. “The been continual improvement. musicians do it on their own, but they need “Jazzville has always been an event where places to play and audiences to play for, and we’ve tried to really honor the traditions of that’s where Jazzville comes in.” Palm Springs and the culture of jazz music, In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, Palm Springs was mainly the Chi Chi club,” Levy said. “The home to one of the most popular jazz clubs on pressure that we have here is really taking our the West Coast—the Chi Chi, which featured production values and our new venue to the performances by Louis Armstrong, Nat King next level. It’s something we’ve been more Cole and Sophie Tucker, among others. excited to do than ever before, and in this new “I read an article, in an older issue of Palm venue, we’re able to incorporate multimedia Springs Life, about Irwin Schuman and the Chi presentations before the show—a pre roll of Chi club,” Martin said. “They could entertain curated vintage videos, tours, clips from Palm 700 people on that stage, and everybody who Springs in the ’50s, snippets of Frank Sinatra, was anybody played on that stage. It all goes etc. We even had showgirls passing out candy back to reading that article, as it was the first cigarettes. The only pressure, really, is just time the thought popped up in my mind, and razzling and dazzling on a consistent basis.” I wondered why Palm Springs didn’t have While Jazzville is committed to honoring something like that.” the history of the valley, its producers also That thought led to the first iteration of want to show off jazz music to younger Jazzville, at Oscar’s Palm Springs. audiences. “One night, I saw this indoor cabaret “One thing we want to make really loud room not being used,” Martin said. “It and clear is that Jazzville isn’t your parents’ had a beautiful red velvet curtain, and the jazz show,” Levy said. “The groups that are
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Jazzville continues Palm Springs’ notable jazz history in its new home at the Cascade Lounge
the first couple of Jazzville shows at the performing are younger than me, and I’m in Cascade Lounge. my mid-30s. This is stuff that has always had a “I kind of expected an older, retirement-age place in musicians’ and aficionados’ hearts, and crowd to be there, and I was very pleasantly what we’re doing is bringing that culture to surprised to see that nearly half the crowd was Palm Springs and making it hip again. We have younger couples and younger people who were a lot of young folks coming in, and (one of the in their late 20s and early 30s,” said Stephenie first shows back), about 50% of the room were Streiff-Process, director of marketing at Agua in their 20s. I feel like what we’re trying to Caliente Palm Springs. “It’s encouraging to accomplish here translates to the rock ’n’ roll watch a younger generation just fall in love demographic, rockabilly and even metal. When with or continue to love what’s truly the most you listen to heavy metal, the technicalities unique art form to come out of the United of playing are the same in jazz music. We’re States.” trying to spread awareness of not only the Martin said the Cascade Lounge is a perfect music, but the whole vibe and the culture fit for Jazzville. that Palm Springs brings in creating that “That was the only room in Palm Springs experience. You can watch jazz anywhere for free, but we’re trying to give you the experience, that I really wanted,” Martin said. “There’s no and I feel like that’s really our biggest mission.” other room in Palm Springs like it as far as seating, comfort, the look and feel of the room, Martin said jazz music has always been hip. the service, the stage and the lights, the staff, “It’s the audience that became un-hip, so and everything. It was either build something we’re got to make them hip again,” Martin from the ground up, or go to that space—and said. “Jazz was the only music that people when it was offered, I was thrilled.” used to listen to; there was nothing else on Martin said he’s proud to be continuing the radio. Everything came out of jazz—R&B, Palm to Springs’ jazz history. soul and pop music. It’sSafety the beginning it all, From Netofprograms Lifeproud Enrichment “Our mission is to make more jazz lovers out and it has a very illustrious history. There are a of people who would love jazz if they would lot of styles of jazz, so we focus on everything only go to one show,” Martin said. that’s perfectly in the middle. We don’t do lazy jazz, and we don’t do loud, crazy jazz. Jazzville Palm Springs takes place every Thursday “We did a Jazzville at The Abbey in West at 7 p.m. at the Cascade Lounge, inside Agua Hollywood, and Lady Gaga was in the audience Caliente Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road. for that show. We had a nice little gypsy jazz Tickets start at $10. Upcoming shows include trio on a beautiful Sunday afternoon outside The Abbey, and The Abbey is now interested in Angel Town Combo on Aug. 5; Pino Noir Quartet on Aug. 12; Conganas on Aug. 19; and Nutty on having a regular thing happening there.” Aug. 26. For tickets or more information, visit Management at the Agua Caliente Palm www.jazzvillepalmsprings.com. Springs has liked what they’ve seen during
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www.thecentercv.org 1301 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA 92262 & 1515 Sixth Street, Coachella, CA 92236 Lizzy and the Triggermen perform at Jazzville on Thursday, July 1. Forrest Funk/Agua Caliente Casinos