Austin's Premier Live Jazz Venue Parker Jazz Club Announces October Programming, Including Roaring '20s Halloween Weekend

Austin's premier live jazz venue Parker Jazz Club is excited to share its October calendar and upcoming programming for fall 2021. Highlights include the Marcos Varela Quartet on Oct. 12 during Parker Jazz Club's Jazz Therapy Session, The Adderley School Presents Broadway & Jazz with Nat Adderley, Jr. on Oct. 17, and Dale Watson is scheduled to perform as one of the first guest in the club's new Parker Jazz Orchestra Series on Oct. 27.

"The Parker Jazz Orchestra delves into the rich canon of the big band tradition in all its depth, breadth, and scope, which is truly fantastic music in its historical and more contemporary forms," said Kris Kimura, Parker Jazz Club founder and owner. "As jazz musicians, we hold composition and improvisation in equally high regard, so we're going to have a blast backing honky-tonk troubadour Dale Watson for the first show in this new series. If it seems a little unexpected, it will all make sense when you hear Dale and the jazz orchestra together, performing arrangements of his music in the jazz idiom."

Parker Jazz Club has also just announced they'll be hosting a special two-night Halloween weekend, A Roaring '20s Halloween, on Oct. 29 - 30. There will be a costume contest and music by the Parker Jazz Club House Band. For more October dates, see the club's calendar here. Parker Jazz Club is located at the heart of Downtown Austin's booming Warehouse District at 117 W. Fourth St. #107b, Austin, Texas 78701. For a 360-degree virtual tour of the venue, please see here. For more info and additional programming, visit parkerjazzclub.com.

"There's a haunting ballroom scene in The Shining where Jack Torrance walks into a sophisticated 1920s soirée in full swing with guests in elegant tuxes and sparkly dresses with bobbed hair-'Midnight, the Stars and You' by Ray Noble and His Orchestra wafts through the room, with Al Bowlly singing-and they're all essentially fashionable ghosts with great taste in music," said Kimura. "That's the vibe for our Halloween weekend. And yes, we'll be playing those charts!"

Parker Jazz Club has carefully crafted and fine tuned "all the small details" to elevate the signature intimacy and ambiance of the acclaimed basement lounge. With talented acts appearing Wednesday through Sunday each week (see schedule below), Parker Jazz Club also offers a series of Jazz Therapy shows every Tuesday night from 8 - 9:30 p.m., welcoming everyone for a night of live jazz music that's good for the heart and soul. Tickets are $10. Additionally, all medical professionals and teachers/educators can attend the Tuesday night shows free of charge with a valid ID.

"Our Jazz Therapy series was initiated during the pandemic (once the club reopened to the public) as a thank you to those phenomenal frontline workers who were helping the community navigate COVID," said Kimura. "This summer, we decided to include educators for similar reasons. What's more, this weekly show provides an easy and inexpensive access point to the club for guests, with a $10 cover. The 'therapy' aspect of this series plays on how simply listening to jazz music is actually quite healthy and helpful in lowering blood pressure and relieving stress. Jazz Therapy was conceived as a way for us to give back."

Since opening in 2018, Parker Jazz Club has made a name for itself in the Live Music Capital of the World as a state-of-the-art listening room. The club has hosted jazz legends including the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, Joey DeFrancesco, Kenny Garrett, Curtis Stigers, Doug Lawrence, Jerry Weldon, Louis Hayes, Butch Miles, Nestor Torres, Tom Scott, Herlin Riley, Eric Reed, and many more. And you just never know who might sit in - Wynton Marsalis and Kamasi Washington have been known to play impromptu sets on the Parker stage. But the room is also revered for its inimitable Parker Jazz Club House Band, which draws a dedicated crowd every weekend.

"I wanted something you would see if you went to New York and spent an evening at Dizzy's Club, or went to London and visited Ronnie Scott's, or went to Paris - a truly timeless, world-class venue," said Kimura. "But also, it couldn't be too stuffy because this is Austin. People in Austin are cool. We wanted to kind of mix that high-end thing with this hip, distinctly Austin thing, and I feel like we've hit the mark."

Parker Jazz Club has carefully crafted and fine tuned "all the small details" to elevate the signature intimacy and ambiance of the acclaimed basement lounge. With talented acts appearing Wednesday through Sunday each week (see schedule below) and Jazz Therapy shows every Tuesday night from 8 - 9:30 p.m.

While following all CDC and local guidelines, Parker Jazz Club has remained flexible to respond to health guidelines during the pandemic and will continue to practice the utmost in safety measures. Kimura has amplified his state-of-the-art livestreaming program over the past year to share content on the Parker website for each performance. It's also an optimal opportunity to capture each live show with a well-produced video recording, another key feature of the listening room.

"Jazz is a living, breathing artform with these beautiful, ephemeral moments of improvisation that simply have to be experienced," said Kimura. "From the start, capturing and archiving the musical history being made at Parker was important to me, and integrating the best livestream production was as vital as the sound and lighting design in the club. We've recorded every single set played here. The pandemic really increased interest in our ongoing livestream, and we're really proud to broadcast live jazz to the world from our humble stage in Austin."

Named after the young son of award-winning jazz vocalist and multi-instrumentalist founder/owner Kimura, Parker Jazz Club began with a basement and a dream. With the support of investors who shared his vision, the Austin musician set out to build a world-class venue on par with renowned jazz clubs such as Birdland, Blue Note, and Yoshi's. Parker Jazz Club was created to contribute to the appreciation, cultivation, and education of Austin, with Kimura's assured "if you build it, they will come" approach to creating a dedicated space for live performance. An upscale 21 and older lounge by night, the venue can also be rented out for private events during the week.

"Indeed, immaculate sound design, an electric stage curtain, a hi-fi video streaming studio, a comfy greenroom, incredible house gear, and a large framed photo of Kimura's late local mentor Tony Campise all speak to a new business that doesn't feel as much like a concept as it does somebody's dream," said the Austin Chronicle.

Others in the industry rave about Kimura's passion for excellence. "I don't think I've ever known a musician to be so hands-on in opening a club," said Doug Lawrence, featured tenor saxophone soloist with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra.

What draws guests from far and wide is the club's very own Parker Jazz Club House Band, led by Kimura. The band features Ryan Davis (piano), Ben Triesch (bass), Jeremy Bruch (drums), and Kimura (woodwinds/vocals), with veteran lighting and sound engineer Mac McDonnell. Kimura's long-term ties to the local and national jazz community allows for a steady flow of notable acts. While always providing a neighborhood bar warmth and feel for their regular guests, Parker Jazz Club keeps the entertainment fresh and exciting.

"a??a??Cool, Hot, Classic, Timeless" - Parker Jazz Club is not only a music destination, it also features top-tier entertainment with an upscale lounge spin. They are introducing limited but deliberate food options to appeal to the "before" and "after dinner" clientele. The menu also includes local craft beers, a diverse craft cocktail menu, an extensive wine list, and a sophisticated focus on fine scotch and whiskey from around the world.

"There are rooms that cater to music and musicians -- however, very few rooms are designed and literally built for it," said acclaimed Austin musician Alex Marrero. "Every microphone, cable, speaker, wire, baffle, table, and chair has been meticulously hand chosen for the purpose of serving the music. I have never seen anything like it in town for a room of that size. The reason is because it didn't exist until Parker Jazz Club opened its doors."

Programming for the next few weeks includes:

October:

Oct. 8: Parker Jazz Club House Band - 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Oct. 9: Parker Jazz Club House Band - 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Oct. 12: Marcos Varela Quartet: Jazz Therapy Session - 8 p.m.
Oct. 13: Parker Jazz Orchestra - Deconstructed - 8 p.m.
Oct. 14: Mike Sailors & the Higher Calling Orchestra - 8 p.m.
Oct. 15: Parker Jazz Club House Band - 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Oct. 16: Parker Jazz Club House Band - 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Oct. 17: The Adderley School Presents Broadway & Jazz with Nat Adderley Jr. - 3 p.m.
Oct. 19: Jazz Therapy - 8 p.m.
Oct. 20: Wasabi Big Band featuring Jennifer Johnson - 8 p.m.
Oct. 21: Monte Warden & the Dangerous Few - 8 p.m.
Oct. 22: Kenny Williams - 8 p.m. / Courtney Santana - 10 p.m.
Oct. 23: Parker Jazz Club House Band - 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Oct. 26: Jazz Therapy - 8 p.m.
Oct. 27: Dale Watson with the Parker Jazz Orchestra - 8 p.m.
Oct. 28: The Copa Kings - 8 p.m.
Oct. 29: Parker Jazz Club House Band - 8 p.m. / A Roaring '20s Halloween - 10 p.m.
Oct. 30: Parker Jazz Club House Band - 8 p.m. / A Roaring '20s Halloween - 10 p.m.

Also stay tuned for a special EP release party by Houston's own Kristine Mills on November 4.

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