Thanks For The Memories
Little Room Jazz Club – thanks for the memories
Over 50 photos on our KW Jazz Wall Of Fame.
In June 2015, I received a call from my friend Denis Hyland inviting me to lunch at the Half Shell Raw Bar. He said that had he something important to talk about. After drinks were ordered, Denis said, “I’m going to need your help. Wayne (Smith) and I just bought the Little Room Jazz Club.” He went on to explain that they wanted to turn it into a real jazz club.
A rare 2013 jazz performance with Skipper and Din Allen.
I remember when Fran, the original owner, started the Little Room Jazz Club (aka the Little Room). He told me that he loved jazz, it was his elixir as he did not drink. Fran was of Italian decent and his family was from the Abruzzo area of Italy as were mine. I use to say hello “Cuz” as I walked in.
There hadn’t been a real jazz club open in Key West for over two decades and the town had lost most of the jazz clubs and piano bars by 2010. Jazz was performed at several venues but most were primarily dinner clubs.
Fran was only at the club during the day and had a single combination hostess /bartender /waitress /manager in the evening when a band was performing – one person for the twenty-table venue including a dozen more seats at the bar.
Another early 2015 performance Larry Smith and the late Yvan Agbo.
The Little Room opened with a beer and wine license only. In Key West, a restaurant or hotel can serve liquor but a bar needed a license to sell liquor. It took several years for the club to acquire a liquor license.
2016 FF Party at the LRJC
Mac was an early fixture at LRJC.
There were a dozen photos of famous jazz musicians and old instruments that decorated the walls of the big room. The bar framed a huge flat screen with an underwater video scene displaying a shark swimming past every nineteen seconds, in a loop. The stage was very small with a harsh brick wall for a background and a wooden propeller hanging overhead. The sound and lighting systems were at best inadequate. The entire room projected the muffled conversations of the audience more than the sound of the musical performance.
Denis quickly got rid of the shark swimming on screen.
After the acquisition, Denis immediately changed the seating. He removed an obstructive booth table and added low, medium, and high-top seating, all with a view of the performance. Initially, he added ten of my framed black and white photos of prominent Key West musicians, later expanding to over fifty photos. We called it “The Key West Jazz Wall of Fame”. It quickly became a perk as every musician felt it an honor for a photo of their performance to be displayed on the walls of the Little Room. Many would comment during their performance on their photo being displayed.
The City approved the new stairs and unwittingly approved the LED lighting.
The problem with the original Little Room was that there were very few nights when jazz was performed. Bands are expensive. In the beginning, it was mostly soloists, duets, top 40 cover bands and an occasional country group. That changed when Denis Hyland took charge. Denis was a performer and knew most of the Key West jazz musicians. He would try very hard to book a jazz or blues group every night. Initially, he experimented with Motown Mondays and Bluesdays Tuesday and later, there would be Jazz Jam, Women’s Wednesday, Swing Night, along with many other specialty musical events.
Coffee Butler and Cliff Sawyer loved the LRJC.
The sound system was vastly improved and the stage was enlarged to allow a full band of performers and equipment. A number of high profile Key West performers almost immediately started to appear. Every musician that performed wanted to come back – it was a musician’s club. They were given complete artistic control.
Denis remembered Barry Harris, famous jazz pianist in New York who had workshops that he often attended. He remembers how Barry Harris always said, “Keep the music alive.”
Coffee Butler and Cliff Sawyer did the Happy Hour often 3 days a week.
Denis’ only requirement was the music had to be live, no recorded tracks. Almost all the significant jazz musicians in the area performed there regularly. Coffee Butler had several performances and loved the venue. Amazingly. Coffee would perform the Happy Hour gig well into his 90s, with his best friend Cliff Sawyer, often three days a week.
During the COVID shutdown, Wayne acquired ownership of the building. Denis remodeled the interior extensively. He removed two pillars in the middle of the club, opening up an unobstructed view of the stage, added a very professional sound system, and great LED lighting. A friend shipped a giant mirrored disco ball to Denis which he hung in the middle of the room. New flooring was added throughout. The Little Room reopened to a packed house in April 2022.
Closing Night May 31, 2025.
After ten years of wonderful performances, the Little Room Jazz Club, the last real jazz venue in Key West, closed its doors on May 31, 2025. Prior to closing, they featured a ticketed play, “Life, Love, and Key West”, that was written and produced by Denis Hyland that sold out ten Friday/Saturday shows from March through May. Denis says, “the Little Room Jazz Club” finished strong”.
Denis Hyland performing on closing night.
Denis always considered running the Little Room more of a community service than a business. He never made the club about himself. It was always about maintaining a high standard of quality night life, and as Barry Harris had told him years ago, “keeping the music alive”. He enjoyed all the performances and his many friendships with the musicians who he credits fully for the club lasting for ten years. All the seating focused on the stage. Denis always loved putting all the focus on the music and the musical artists. Denis and Wayne will always cherish these memories. As for myself, “Thanks for the ten years of wonderful memories.”
One of my favorite photo opportunities was using a small mirror located near the stage to capture reflections.
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