Austin's Live Music Venue Parker Jazz Club Reopens Doors 5 Nights a Week

Located at the heart of Downtown Austin's booming Warehouse District, Parker Jazz Club (117 W. Fourth St. #107b, Austin, Texas 78701) is one of the city's premier live music venues. Since opening in 2018, the state-of-the-art listening room has hosted jazz legends including the 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. For a 360-degree virtual tour of the venue, please see here. For more info and additional programming, visit parkerjazzclub.com.

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 Kris Kimura, Parker Jazz Club founder and owner. 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), Parker Jazz Club also offers a series of Jazz Therapy shows every Tuesday night from 8:00-9:30 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.

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.

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:

July

July 28: The Copa Kings at 8 p.m.
July 29: Gerry Gibbs and Thrasher People at 8 p.m.
July 30: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
July 31: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

August

Aug 3: Jazz Therapy at 8 p.m.
Aug 4: Mike Sailors and the Parker Jazz Club Hot 5 at 8 p.m.
Aug 5: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m.
Aug 6: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Aug 7: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and10 p.m.
Aug 10: Jazz Therapy at 8 p.m.
Aug 11: Wasabi Big Band featuring Jennifer Johnson at 8 p.m.
Aug 12: Mike Sailors and the Higher Calling Orchestra at 8 p.m.
Aug 13: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Aug 14: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Aug 15: Adrian Ruiz: Farmer's Market Tribute to Art Farmer at 6 p.m.
Aug 17: Jazz Therapy at 8 p.m.
Aug 18: Parker Jazz Orchestra (direction by Mike Sailors) at 8 p.m.
Aug 19: Monte Warden and the Dangerous Few at 8 p.m.
Aug 20: Marquis Hill at 8 p.m. / House Band at 10 p.m.
Aug 21: Marquis Hill at 8 p.m. / House Band at 10 p.m.
Aug 24: Jazz Therapy at 8 p.m.
Aug 25: Aubrey Logan at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Aug 26: The Copa Kings at 8 p.m.
Aug 27: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Aug 28: Pulkingham Layne D Shack Album Release at 6 p.m.
Aug 28: Parker Jazz Club House Band at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

ABOUT KRIS KIMURA:

Centered in the Live Music Capital of the World, Kris Kimura is working tirelessly toward making Austin a new destination for jazz. The founder and face of Parker Jazz Club, the musician has created a state-of-the-art listening room in the city's downtown Warehouse District that exudes class and character redolent of the early days of the genre. An accomplished woodwind multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader, Kimura studied music at the University of North Texas and Texas State University, and is the protégé of the late woodwind master Tony Campise. For more than two decades, Kimura has been a staple in the Central Texas scene and has performed with artists Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Michael Feinstein, Johnny Mathis, and Wynton Marsalis, and was a member of the GRAMMY Award-winning Latin powerhouse ensemble Grupo Fantasma. He also leads his own groups, notably the Parker House Band and the 11-piece Wasabi Big Band. In addition to being the owner, operator, and artistic director of Parker Jazz Club, Kimura is the founder and Executive Director of nonprofit Texas Jazz Society, a founding board member of Austin Jazz Society, and an endorsing artist for Keilwerth Saxophones.

See additional information below or visit:
Parker Jazz Club