Preview
KAOS JAZZ AND BLUES WRAP UP
November 6 to 15
Kaos Jazz and Blues Bistro
Calgary is set to lose one of its premier live music venues, if only temporarily. On November 16 Kaos Jazz & Blues Bistro will close the doors on its 17 Avenue S.W. location. Though it may only be for a short time owner Maurice Ginzer admits he’ll shed a few tears.
He’s not alone. Many local bands, musicians and regulars at Kaos who have called the club home for more than a decade will have to say goodbye to a venue that not only supported local and regional talent, but also brought in several Juno and Grammy award winners. Having just completed the sale of Kaos to a pub, Ginzer is on the lookout for the right venue to reopen the club. Although it won’t be the same, Ginzer is optimistic.
"Kaos is a destination spot," says Ginzer, "so we’re looking to make a deal for the right place. There are a lot of other areas in the city besides 17th Avenue. Inglewood and 10th Street S.W. are looking good too. I think we’ll definitely stay downtown."
According to Ginzer, the decision to close down Calgary’s foremost live jazz and blues venue was made due to exorbitant rental costs and a decline in attendance."The fact of the matter is rent went up," says Ginzer. "On 17th Avenue, we were the victims of our own success. When we moved in there wasn’t a concentration of nightspots yet, but soon the area became an attractive place for pubs, clubs and cocktail and martini bars to set up.
"Now all of a sudden, everybody wants to be there. Leasing prices went up through the roof. Live venues like Kaos are sometimes at a disadvantage because, though we offer live music, there are extra costs – paying musicians, SOCAN fees, door people if it’s a ticketed event, instrument and gear maintenance costs….
"By being a venue that offered live music seven nights a week, all those costs added up. The place that moves into this building after us won’t have those costs, but I’m concerned that 17th Avenue is going to run the risk of losing what made the strip what it is now. I hope I won’t have to ask, ‘where’s the live music?’"
It’s the paradox of live music in Calgary – the city boasts a vibrant scene, but live music still sometimes loses to cheap wings, beer and big-screen TVs. Kaos was a place you could go any night of the week and be treated to first-rate jazz. Greats such as Oliver Jones, Clark Terry, Tommy Banks, Rob McConnell and Phil Nimmons all walked through the doors. If blues was your thing, you’d have the chance to hear Maurice John Vaughn, Big Dave McLean or Kaos favourite Jack Semple. Hopefully, it’s not Calgary’s final goodbye to Kaos.
"I won’t say I won’t shed a tear when we close," admits Ginzer. "But who knows what the future will bring us?"
Kaos will wrap up with a 10-day party from November 6 to 15 featuring some of the best local and regional acts that have played the club over the past 12 years such as Jack Semple, the Back Alley John Blues Band, Amos Garrett and the Eh Team, Ron Casat Band, Glamour Puss, Don Johnson R&B Band & Du-Rite Aces, Gaye Delorme, Matt Ginzer, the Darren Johnson Band, the Tim James Band, Sheila Vicarious and the Straight-Up R&B Band, A Little Voodoo with special guest Ron Casat, and Bill Dowie and the Blues Devils. |
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