11 Years of Jazz

Friday nights in our community have long had one sacred constant: The Jazzy Lounge. For 11 uninterrupted years, this iconic gathering has welcomed dancers, dreamers, and die-hard jazz enthusiasts every single Friday without fail. No holidays off. No breaks for weather or world events. Just pure, unrelenting rhythm and soul.

The Jazzy Lounge isn’t just a venue; it’s a ritual. Since its inception in 2014, before I was even part of this community, it has held a weekly club night that blends classic and modern jazz, with the occasional foray into other, tangentially related, genres. 

In a world of disposable content and ephemeral trends, the Jazzy Lounge represents something incredibly rare: consistency. To maintain an event every Friday night for 11 years, speaks not only to the dedication of Lorelia and associates, but also to the passion of its community. The Lounge has become a sanctuary for those seeking solace in music, conversation, and collective energy. It’s not just the longest running club in its community — it’s the heartbeat of that community.

Even more remarkable is the Lounge’s utter lack of drama or rivalry, despite being a cornerstone of the community. In a scene where ego clashes, territorial disputes, and social media flare-ups are all too common, especially among long-standing or high-profile venues, The Jazzy Lounge has maintained 11 years of peace, positivity, and mutual respect. It has never been embroiled in club politics, nor has it ever needed to outshine anyone else. Its success comes not from competition, but from its authenticity and personality, and that in itself is almost unheard of.

Through all these years, the only real transformation has been the venue itself. What began as a small, single-room club — intimate, minimal, and lovingly improvised — has grown into a sprawling, beautifully curated space filled with layers of character.

Today’s Jazzy Lounge features multiple themed rooms and artistic touches that reflect over a decade of memories. What’s truly special are the little Easter eggs scattered throughout the venue — subtle tributes to its early days, past themes and even inside jokes shared by long time guests. Each detail tells a story. It’s a space that invites both nostalgia and discovery, constantly evolving while remaining unmistakably The Jazzy Lounge.

Nine Jazzy Years

The term "legend" is thrown around all the time. Often times, it is the stuff of hyperbole and not truly deserved. However, the Jazzy Lounge really is the stuff of legend.

While many clubs struggle to last longer than a much-publicized grand opening, the Jazzy Lounge celebrated its 9 year anniversary last night. And it is for good reason that it has lasted that long. Great music, friendly vibes and one of the finest hostesses you could possibly find. Lorelia and co have become an absolute staple in this community. 

And when Lorelia reaches out to you to personally invite you to celebrate the Jazzy Lounge's anniversary, that's not something you can say no to. So that's obviously where I spent my Friday night. 

To fit the theme of the event, I felt that it was fitting to pull an old outfit out from the bottom of the wardrobe. An outfit that I frequently wore to the Jazzy Lounge all the way back in circa 2013. I can't claim to have been those earliest days 9 years ago but 8 years isn't too far off relatively speaking.

The Jazzy Lounge itself also did something a little but special. Upon arrival, I thought that it was a special one-time return to the original lounge room. But it was something much more than that. That old room was in fact just the entrance to a much grander room. 

I say grander but actually the situation is still not entirely clear to me. Via the magic of jazzy technology, either the newer lounge was blown up to a much larger room than normal, or all of the guests were shrunk down to the size of ants.

If I had to pick one, I'm going with ant-sized people!

Dignified and dirty

So, my birthday night out ended up spanning the full spectrum from classy and dignified all the way through to downright filthy. I'd say that was quite an achievement really.

First stop of the evening was the Black Rose to catch a portion of the their classic recital. It's something I've been meaning to do for an age but I've always been distracted by other things.

It was, of course all very dignified. A captivated audience sitting in quiet reverie of the accomplished quartet of musicians delivering an emaculate performance.

The amphitheatre that housed the performance was equally stunning. Definitely glad I dressed up for this one otherwise I would have looked awkwardly out of place in something more casual.

Next up was a visit to an old favourite and yet another classy joint. I make the same point every time that I visit the Jazzy Lounge but this place was an old regular for me that I rarely get chance to visit these days. Every time that I do visit, I feel like it is noteworthy enough to talk about it.

Eight years on from my first visit and nothing has really changed. Sure, they may have moved to one or two different rooms over the years and the decor may have evolved slightly over time, but the fundamental essence of what makes the Jazzy Lounge so great remains the same.

On a day where I am so acutely aware of how quickly time flies, it's heart warming to not only see Lore doing what she does so well, but some many other faces who have made themselves part of Jazzy Lounge folklore. The fact that so many of them are still there every Friday noght after so many years should tell you a lot.

And I was very popular with them this week as Lore ordered an opening of a very fancy (I presume anyway) champagne to celebrate my birthday. I think everyone got a glass although mine was probably the only one that remained full as I'm not a drinker. Therefore, I used my glass purely for doing cheers.

And finally, after keeping things classy all night, I had one final stop which would get very dirty. 

I should say that this was not at all in my plans, but as I left the Jazzy Lounge, I noticed that another old favourite of mine was open for the first time for quite a while. I've posted many times about how much I love The Masturbation Party but I'd assumed that it was now a thing of the past that we'd never see again.

Putting aside that it is Masturbation Month, that's one place that I would not have been able to resist paying a visit to, even if it was just to drop in a see what they had done with the place. However, it is Masturbation Month and fapping is pretty much all that is on my mind at the moment, so I think you can see where this is going.

I'll save the juicy details for this week's fap recap but here's a little teaser...

The final Jazzy Bell of 2020

Can you hear that? It sounds like the Jazzy Bell is ringing!

Which can mean only one thing... Lorelia has opened up the Jazzy Lounge for one final boogie of 2020! It would be rude not to make an appearance.

A returning face at Jazzy Lounge

A blast from the past this week at the Jazzy Lounge as the long absent KuroMegami made an appearance on-stage alongside the the ever-lovely host, Lorellia.

Beyond that, it was just another typically classy jazzy night at the lounge.