As the city's top jazz venue, Copenhagen Jazzhouse is all about the music, whether you're a jazz fanatic or a newbie to the genre. Taking off from where the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre left off, it was opened by a group of jazz lovers driven by a passion for the music and the art form. This passion is evident in the venue, where music is crucial, especially during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival that takes over the Danish capital every year fro ten days in early July.
Ambrose Akinmusire onstage in 2012's Jazz Festival — Photo courtesy of Kristoffer Juel Poulsen
Copenhagen Jazzhouse keeps up the tradition started by American musicians like Kenny Drew and Dexter Gordon, who saw an artistic freedom in Copenhagen sadly lacking in ‘60s America to black musicians. The state-supported venue plays jazz in all its many subgenres without any pretensions, and holds regular concerts from local as well as international talent.
After severe flood damage forced its closure in summer 2011, Copenhagen Jazzhouse reopened on June 1 2012 with a stronger artistic profile and a renewed focus on live music. The venue now has two stages: a larger one (Stor Scene)in the basement with capacity for 300 seated guests, and a more laid-back, smaller stage (Lille Scene) in the cafe, situated in the lobby area where cocktails can also be enjoyed. While the previous nightclub concept has been abandoned, night owls can enjoy instead the weekend ‘Natjazz’ concerts, starting at 11pm on Friday and Saturdays on the cafe stage.