Jazz in C-U, week of 4/12/2009

Lots of stuff going on this week -- get out and show your support!

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Monday, 4/13/2009
JAM SESSION with the MRS TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Tuesday, 4/14/2009
WOODY WOODWARD ORGAN TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, cover charged

Tuesday, 4/14/2009
UI JAZZ COMBOS
at TRYON FESTIVAL THEATER / KRANNERT CENTER (Goodwin Ave., Urbana)
7:30-10pm, admission charged

Wednesday, 4/15/2009
DON HEITLER
at THE GREAT IMPASTA (Lincoln Square Village, Urbana)
6-9pm, no cover

Thursday, 4/16/2009
UI JAZZ GUITAR ENSEMBLE
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 4/16/2009
UI JAZZ BAND IV
at COLWELL PLAYHOUSE / KRANNERT CENTER (Goodwin Ave., Urbana)
7:30-9:30pm, admission charged

Thursday, 4/17/2009
KELLY CORBIN GROUP w/SPECIAL GUESTS
at ZORBA'S GREEK RESTAURANT (627 E. Green St., campustown)
9:30pm-12:30am, cover charged

Friday, 4/17/2009
WEASEL DREAMS SEXTET
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, free admission

Friday, 4/17/2009
DUDLEY G. OWENS QUARTET
at CAFE LUNA (116 N. Chestnut, Champaign)
10:30pm, $10 cover

Saturday, 4/18/2009
DUDLEY G. OWENS QUARTET
at CAFE LUNA (116 N. Chestnut, Champaign
10:30pm, $10 cover

Embassy Tavern Closes

As was widely reported last month, the Embassy Tavern on Race Street closed at the end of March, 2009. The owners had been Ross and Margie Veach since sometime in 2007 (I think).

Given the significant revenue loss being incurred by the current property holder (who leased the building to the various owners), I can't imagine that the bar will stay closed forever, but given the current economic climate, it's hard to be certain.

The bar's closing offers something of a cautionary tale about the tenuous state of live music in a community the size of Champaign-Urbana. The bar had adopted a policy of paying bands a guarantee and then accepting donations in an attempt to offset the guarantee. This model relies heavily "on the kindness of strangers". You could pack the bar and get no "donations", but presumably you'd sell enough booze and food to make it all good. Sparse attendance and you're really in bad shape...

A similar model has been attempted before. The Jazz Cafe, which opened in the location now occupied by The Iron Post, used a similar model, offering a guarantee and then charging cover, which was presumed to offset the bar's cost. This model relies exclusively on the ability of the band and venue to draw bodies.

The model currently in use by The Iron Post is to give 100% of the door to the band. The onus here is shifted to the bands to generate interest and bodies. This model relies on the tolerance of the musicians for playing for smaller crowds and less money. (This was the model typically employed by Nature's Table.) The exception is Friday Happy Hour, when there's a fixed guarantee, and no cover charge (and it's usually busy).

The bars that attempt to offer live music are, thus, accepting a certain amount of risk; so, too, in most cases, are musicians (time and effort are worth money).

What is the risk to the public? Failure to support live music forces both the venues offering it and the musicians performing it to assume risk with limited reward. The community's history is littered with venues that have attempted and abandoned the presentation of live music because of a lack of public support.

As a musician, I suppose that it's not my place to cajole the general public for not supporting jazz music, or live music in general. I do find it sad to observe folks lamenting the closing of a music venue without recognizing the recurring financial issues that cause it to happen over and over again.

Please support live music in your community.

Jazz in C-U, week of 4/5/2009

Lots of great music this week! Get out and support live music and the venues that offer it.

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Sunday, 4/5/2009
MATT PLASKOTA COMBO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Monday, 4/7/2009
JAM SESSION with the MRS TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Wednesday, 4/8/2009
DON HEITLER
at THE GREAT IMPASTA (Lincoln Square Village, Urbana)
6-9pm, no cover

Wednesday, 4/8/2009
UI SAXOPHONE ENSEMBLE and GUITAR ENSEMBLE
at TRYON FESTIVAL THEATER / KRANNERT CENTER (Goodwin Ave., Urbana)
7-9:30pm, admission charged

Wednesday, 4/8/2009
TROMBARI featuring GLENN WILSON and JIM PUGH
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 4/9/2009
UI JAZZ COMBO (Stephens)
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-9:30pm, cover charged

Thursday, 4/9/2009
UI JAZZ TROMBONE ENSEMBLE
at TRYON FESTIVAL THEATER / KRANNERT CENTER (Goodwin Ave., Urbana)
7-9:30pm, admission charged

Thursday, 4/9/2009
THE SPLINTER GROUP
at ZORBA'S GREEK RESTAURANT (627 E. Green St., campustown)
9:30pm-12:30am, cover charged

Friday, 4/10/2009
JEFF HELGESEN QUINTET
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, free admission

Friday, 4/10/2009
BRIGGS/HOUCHIN DUO
at SILVERCREEK RESTAURANT (402 N. Race St., Urbana)
6-8pm, free admission

Friday, 4/10/2009
WEAPONS OF MASS DISFUNKTION
at ZORBA'S GREEK RESTAURANT (627 E. Green St., campustown)
9pm-midnight, cover charged

Jazz in C-U, week of 1/25/2009

Lots going on, including the return of jazz to Zorba's. Get out and support some live music!

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Sunday, 1/25/2009
SHAWN PURCELL/KEVIN TURNER COMBO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Monday, 1/26/2009
JAM SESSION with the MRS TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 1/29/2009
U/I JAZZ ENSEMBLE
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 1/29/2009
CHIP McNEILL QUARTET
at ZORBA'S GREEK RESTAURANT (627 E. Green St., campustown)
9:30pm-12:30am, cover charged

Friday, 1/30/2009
BONEYARD JAZZ QUINTET
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, free admission

Friday, 1/30/2009
BRIGGS/HOUCHIN DUO
at EMBASSY TAVERN (114 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, free admission (donations encouraged)

Saturday, 1/31/2009
KEN SMITH JAZZ QUARTET
at EMBASSY TAVERN (114 S Race St., Urbana)
9pm-12am, free admission (donations encouraged)

Jazz in C-U, week of 1/18/2009

Plenty of jazz going on -- get out there and support live music!

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Monday, 1/19/2009
JAM SESSION with the MRS TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 1/22/2009
U/I CONCERT JAZZ BAND
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-9pm, cover charged

Thursday, 1/22/2009
CHIP McNEILL QUARTET
at ZORBA'S GREEK RESTAURANT (627 E. Green St., Champaign (between Sixth St. and Wright St. in campustown)
9:30pm-12:30am, cover charged

Friday, 1/23/2009
CHAMPAIGN CENTRAL H.S. JAZZ ENSEMBLE
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, free admission

Saturday, 1/24/2009
JOAN HICKEY QUARTET with JEFF HELGESEN
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
6-9pm, cover charged

Jazz in C-U, week of 1/11/2009

Jazz back in full "swing" -- get out and support some local live music. Please note that the Monday night jam session is now 7-10pm. Also note that Donnie Heitler's Wednesday night gigs are on hiatus.

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Sunday, 1/11/2009
GEORGE TURNER TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Monday, 1/12/2009
JAM SESSION with the MRS TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Wednesday, 1/14/2009
WOODY WOODWARD ORGAN TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 1/15/2009
HOLLY HOLMES/CHRIS REYMAN
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-9pm, cover charged

Friday, 1/16/2009
CONDITION BLUE
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, free admission

Friday, 1/16/2009
DARDEN PURCELL QUARTET
at EMBASSY TAVERN (114 S. Race St., Urbana)
5:30-7:30pm, no cover (donations encouraged)

Jazz in C-U, week of 1/4/2009

Happy New Year! Get out and support jazz musicians and venues!

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Sunday, 1/4/2009
KELLY CORBIN QUARTET
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Monday, 1/5/2009
JAM SESSION with the MRS TRIO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged -- NOTE TIME CHANGE

Wednesday, 1/7/2009
CHIP McNEILL SEXTET featuring GLENN WILSON
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 1/8/2009
ADAM LARSON COMBO
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
7-10pm, cover charged

Thursday, 1/8/2009
FUNKY JONNY
at EMBASSY TAVERN (114 S. Race St., Urbana)
7:30-10pm, no cover (donations encouraged)

Friday, 1/9/2009
WEASEL DREAMS SEXTET
at THE IRON POST (120 S Race St., Urbana)
5-7pm, free admission