Monday night jazz concerts return to Olympia in a new location

Remember Monday night jazz at Rhythm & Rye?

For a decade, Monday nights at the now-closed Capitol Way bar (The Cove sports bar and grill has replaced it) meant live music by well-known artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including some Grammy winners, most drawing packed crowds.

Those concerts, produced by the nonprofit Olympia Jazz Central, halted abruptly almost exactly three years ago when COVID-19 emerged. In April, they’ll return at the Eagles Hall Clubroom at Fourth and Plum — and this time, the shows will be open to all ages.

Jazz lovers needn’t wait to get back in the groove. On Monday, March 20, Jazz Central returns with a fundraising concert and film screening at the Capitol Theater celebrating pianist and vocalist David Lee Joyner, previously known as David Deacon-Joyner.

Bill Lange of Lacey made the film, “True Love,” after learning about the many facets of Joyner’s work, including his time volunteering with musicians at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton.

“David had such an impact on these prisoners, giving all of his knowledge,” Lange said. “It was amazing listening to those guys and how touched they were.”

Both he and Joyner are excited to be helping Monday night jazz make a comeback.

“This event is an attempt to sort of kick start Olympia Jazz Central out of its pandemic malaise,” Joyner told The Olympian. “Olympia has such a rich history of jazz.”

Lange, who is passionate about many styles of music, is excited that his hour-long film can help to fund the return of Monday night jazz, which he often attended.

“There is nothing like the experience of live music,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen during a live performance. The energy that comes from the audience to the performer and from the performer back to the audience is this incredible thing. The performers are carried by the energy of the audience to do and explore different things. It’s really exciting.”

Jazz is already strong again in the Northwest, Joyner said.

“About May of 2021, I suddenly just got incredibly busy,” he said. “The phone started ringing off the hook.”

He performed recently with singer Greta Matassa as part of The Washington Center for the Performing Arts’ Black Box Jazz series and will return May 26 with the Jared Hall Quartet.

But in Olympia, the jazz scene is not yet what it was. Most of the current venues — such as New Traditions and Rhythms Coffee — are small in scale or host jazz only occasionally, said Olympia Jazz Central’s Danielle Westbrook and Leah Wilson. Other bars might welcome jazz, but they tend to draw a younger crowd than the pre-pandemic jazz night regulars.

“Jazz is going on in various small venues and in various small ways,” Wilson told The Olympian, “but what we’ve been working toward is bringing it back in a way that’s more dependable so that we can bring back those more widely known professional groups that we had when we were at Rhythm & Rye.”

Olympia Jazz Central had been booking shows in the capacious building at 311 Capitol Way N. for a decade — going back to the days when the space housed The Royal, which closed in 2014.

The jazz tradition there goes back even further, to weekly concerts by the Greta Jane Quartet.

Jazz Central started as a Meetup group in 2009 with the goal of supporting Olympia’s jazz scene and its musicians, and it began booking shows at The Royal in 2011.

The organization became a nonprofit in 2018 with the aim of building enthusiasm for jazz not only among audiences but also music students. It offered small scholarships, something Wilson and Westbrook hope to do again soon.

When she took over booking Monday night concerts around 2014, Jazz Central’s Betsy Perkins lured big-name acts — including some international groups and even Grammy nominees and winners — to Olympia.

“Betsy made it the place to catch and play live jazz on a Monday,” Westbrook told The Olympian. “Musicians preferred playing Olympia over Portland or Seattle because of the support they received from our community. Not only did local jazz musicians have a place to call home, she brought in acts from across the state and nation, as well as international talent.”

Perkins will again be booking the Monday concerts at the Eagles Clubroom. Jazz Central organizers are excited about the new venue because young musicians will be welcome at the shows. (The room is open to people under 21 until 10 p.m.)

“We want to inspire and encourage student musicians,” Wilson said. “This will let kids connect to professional musicians and ask questions and get advice.”

But while the leaders of Olympia Jazz Central are full of hope, the future of the jazz night tradition remains uncertain.

“We’re going to do it until football season starts,” Westbrook said, noting that Eagles members turn out in force to watch at the Clubroom. “Once football season starts, we’ll take a short hiatus until after football season or we’ll find a different night or a different venue.”

David Lee Joyner on the big screen and live

• What: Olympia Jazz Central is raising money to resume Monday Night Jazz with a screening of “True Love,” the new documentary about jazz pianist and vocalist David Lee Joyner, who’ll perform after the film.

• When: 7 p.m. Monday, March 20, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

• Where: Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia

• Tickets: $25 donation suggested

• More information: https://olympiafilmsociety.org/true-love/

• Trailer: https://youtu.be/YFrfDpsOtZY

Monday night jazz

• What: The longtime tradition of Monday jazz concerts, supported by the nonprofit Olympia Jazz Central, is returning.

• When: 7 to 9:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month beginning April 3

• Where: Eagles Hall Clubroom, 805 Fourth Ave., Olympia

• Tickets: $5 donation suggested

• More information: http://www.olympiajazzcentral.com/