Karen Gordon, owner of Garden City Jazz, has booked bands and promoted the popular Candlelight Jazz Series for twelve years. For 2015, she removes that hat in order to focus on building a pop-up jazz lounge in downtown Augusta during Masters Week. The space will operate from April 7-11 at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, and feature two shows of classic jazz nightly, very much like jazz clubs in New York and New Orleans.. 

Having placed the production and promotion of the popular Candlelight Jazz Concert Series back into the City Of Augusta’s hands, one would think that she would enjoy having a little time on her hands. Not one to rest on her laurels, Gordon has been laying the groundwork for a space, designed with jazz music and the discerning listener, in mind. She is a year into an intimate jazz Soiree series at the Jessye Norman School and sees this as an opportunity to support the school financially and to refine her ideal jazz space.

When asked about the timeline for this “jazz space”, and when the doors will open…. 

“I want the process to be organic, so I’m waiting for the planets to line up. I cannot stress enough the importance of the new jazz studies track at Georgia Regents University. While Wycliffe (Gordon, artist-in-residence) has not explicitly expressed a desire to open a club here in the Augusta area, his presence almost necessitates such a thing, don’t you think?”

Well perhaps. The collective behind the #JazzAtTheG campaign at Georgia Regents University is steadily gaining traction, its flagship performance this weekend, featuring Wycliffe Gordon & his International All-Stars. 

And although Gordon mentioned her affinity for several historic downtown structures, e.g. the D Timms and Oddfellows buildings and the City Club (Word Of Mouth Café) space, she stopped short of committing to a physical location. Instead, she spoke of her efforts to embrace a mobile, pop-up model; bringing the music to homes, parks, public squares, and non-traditional venues.

“The Augusta community is more than ready for a jazz venue, and we see that happening pretty soon. In this moment, for the Masters pop-up model, our focus is on responding to public input, refining the customer experience, and remaining flexible to market demands,” Gordon says.

The current partnership with the Jessye Norman School will result in a pop-up jazz lounge, operating from April 7-11, featuring two classic jazz shows nightly. Soiree: Jazz+Wine corporate events (mobile dinner party with live music) are increasingly popular as executives streamline their corporate hospitality programming.

JAZZ MASTERS

April 7-11, 2015 (Tuesday through Saturday)

Shows begin at 7:00pm, 9:30 p.m.

Jessye Norman School of the Arts, 739 Greene Street, 30901 

Contact: +1 (762) 233-5299

RSVP: www.gardencityjazz.com