Byreputation, Ling Wei (凌威) doesn’t come across as a jazz fan. But the 56-year-old self-professed “rock ’n’ roller” and owner of the Roxy chain of rock-themed bars and nightclubs says, “I’ve always loved jazz music.”
Roxy Jazz, which opens tonight, is Ling’s second attempt at a jazz club. His first venture, Feel More Jazz, located on Roosevelt Road (羅斯福路), quickly folded after opening in 1991 when construction for the MRT’s Danshui-Xindian line began.
Ling seemed at ease and in a good mood earlier
this week when showing the Taipei Times around
this latest addition to the Roxy brand, located near
the corner of Jianguo South (建國南) and Heping East
(和平東) roads.
He says the club is designed so jazz lovers can have a comfortable place “to share the music.” The space, which holds around 65 persons, feels intimate and homey. The room is filled with plush Ikea sofas and lounge chairs. The stage, equipped with a drum kit, upright piano, double bass and a few amplifiers, is low to the ground and close to the audience. A bar at the back will serve food.
Listening to records is pure pleasure for Ling, a former radio DJ, and he brings that sensibility to the venue. Audiophiles will drool over the room’s boutique stereo speakers made by the German company Duevel, which cost a cool NT$1 million. Ling says, half-jokingly, that another reason for starting the club was to find a home for the speakers.
Live music from local musicians, however, will be the main attraction. Roxy Jazz currently has performers scheduled on average for three nights a week.
Tonight’s grand opening party features a special performance by a one-off modern jazz quartet organized by pianist Andrew Page, the music director of the American Club in Taipei. The lineup includes Taichung-based French bassist Cyrille Briegel, Italian drummer Pietro Valente, and saxophonist and composer Miguel Fernandez of Barcelona.
Tomorrow the venue hosts Taiwanese pianist Amanda Wu (吳苡嫣), who plays modern jazz standards as well as originals sung in Mandarin. She shares the stage with saxophonist Alejandro Chiabrando of Argentina.
When the musicians break, house DJs will spin “classic jazz vinyl,” reflecting Ling’s tastes, which he describes as anything from Blue Note Records.
Ling says he’s optimistic that Roxy Jazz will stand the test of time, unlike The Other Side, a dance club he opened in the East District (東區) in July that folded because of high rent and a lack of a “clear goal.”
Roxy Jazz is open every day from 9pm to 4am and charges a NT$300 food or drink minimum on nights with musical performances.
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