Legendary Bennetts Lane Jazz Club To Close
Great, just when we were having a few victories for Melbourne's live music scene.
After 22 glorious years of late night live yazz, Bennetts Lane Jazz Club announced today that it will be closing its doors in June 2015. Over the last two decades over 10,000 performances have played it loose and loud in both the Jazz Club and Jazz Lab, making the joint stand out as Melbourne’s premier jazz venue for over two decades.
The Bennetts Lane Jazz Club has already been sold, and club owner Michael Tortoni was quick to thank all those who have been involved past and present, the musicians that have graced the stage and audiences who supported the venue. As sad as the news is, our hearts hurt significantly more when the announcement was made on Facebook with the caption, "the heaviest button I've ever had to press was the one that said — 'press me to send!'" The pangs.
Countless artists have graced the stage at Bennetts Lane, both national treasures and international stars including Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jnr, Chick Corea and Kurt Elling. Some of the most memorable moments include when Prince played a post-concert show for close to three and a half hours in near darkness to a crowd of 70. It was also an important venue for The Cat Empire’s early days.
Great, just when we were having a few victories for Melbourne's live music scene, with Cherry Bar's crowd funding campaign win, a new medium sized venue opening up in Flemington and those pesky noise complaints no longer being a drastic threat to venues, this happens.
Via Tone Deaf. Image: Lake Sideris.
