LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WHILE RECOGNIZING THE PAST >>>

What began over a decade ago as a jazz club featuring original music by local musicians (no cover charge and a casual menu of burgers and pizza)  has since morphed dramatically. In its prime, Jazzbones Restaurant & Nightclub presented Tacoma with performances by Grammy Award winners, $25 tickets and white-table-cloth-and-candlelight steak and seafood dinners. New ownership in 2006 brought DJs and cover bands. At the time, the Sixth Avenue nightlife destination had the distinction of being the only live-music venue of its caliber with a sushi bar. In 2008, live music took a serious backseat to DJs. A younger, heavier-drinking crowd overrode the thirtysomethings and blues-loving baby boomers. Salmon Oscar and T-bone steak dishes were replaced with deli sandwiches and fried hot wings. 

Lately it seems the nightclub is changing shape again. General Manager Dan Rankin and the newly hired chef, Victor Cangie of California, share details of just what's taking place at Jazzbones.

In January, Rankin hired well-respected Northwest booking agent Reed Riley to redirect and improve the club's live music offerings. Riley is Vicci Martinez's former manager and Jazzbones' original booking agent.

"I'm really focused on bringing back some of those things that made Jazzbones so good in the past," Rankin says, nodding several times before shifting topic to a new dining menu.

In the kitchen, Cangie incorporates many elements from Jazzbones history. Cangie grins, "It's a bit of everything; like the people I've seen come here." Small, sharable plates of moderately priced Cajun, Asian, European and American cuisine are dubbed global-bar-fusion. Hand-formed burgers, pizza and full entrées are also offered. Rankin sounds pleased as he talks about hand-folded wontons, using farmers market produce and burgers made from grass-fed, 100% certified Black Angus beef from Misty Isle Farms. Check out Chef Vic's Tabasco-infused New Orleans sauce, a flavor-packed rémoulade that punches up alligator and frog leg appetizers. Also, his sushi-grade raw tuna poke spiked with black sesame and ginger sans seaweed is worth sinking your teeth into. A new menu will be fully launched by the end of June and is intentionally light on seafood so as not to detract from the sushi bar.

Those looking for a more intimate dining experience than the cafeteria-style main floor just need to climb the stairs. Rankin's efforts to reenergize the "Balcony Gallery," a name given to the nightclub's second floor in 2004, are already paying off. A fresh coat of paint, mural art by James Allan Tucker, bottle service at new half-moon booths and big screens for viewing entertainment achieve an upbeat, urban ambience. The balcony will once again feature rotating local artwork; Rankin enlisted the creative energies of artists James Hume and Tucker to that end.

"You can sit comfortably and have a conversation without yelling. It's just a better sound quality up there, overall," Rankin says.

Rankin adds that the club's sound system will be hardwired this month by Bandstand Music, eliminating visible cords and cables. Back downstairs, main floor lighting will be improved this summer to increase menu reading ability. New chairs have already been added to increase dining comfort.

Just as Jazzbones' original owner Jason MacKinnon did, Rankin is delving into philanthropic community involvement; Rankin says a "Jazzbones vs. Masa" employee softball game will be held in late summer or early fall at Cheney Stadium. Funds raised will go to a local charity or worthy cause still to be determined.

[Jazzbones Restaurant & Nightclub, 2308 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]