The Century Room: Tucson's only jazz club opens its doors

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson’s only jazz club opened at Hotel Congress on Friday night. It’s called The Century Room, partially because it’s located in a building that’s more than 100 years old.

“It’s been a museum, it’s been a photography studio, it’s been a bookstore, it’s been a men’s clothing store,” said owner Shana Oseran.

Oseran incorporated much of the building’s history into what is now the jazz club.

“I mean these are the pillars that are holding up the building so how do you go ahead and pull that all in to make it something that makes it feel like it’s been here and you want to be here,” Oseran said.

The Century Room is one of three stages at the hotel, but has its own entrance at the corner of 5th and Congress. It’s designed like a jazz club in New York with a close-knit feel on the inside.

“Jazz is enjoyed best in a small intimate setting, it sounds better feels better, looks better and we really accomplished that in this space,” said Arthur Vint, Music Programmer for The Century Room.

The space is small with the purpose of immersing the audience in the energy of the music.

“When you go to a jazz concert, you are the concert," Oseran said. "It feels like they’re playing to you alone.”

The room will serve as a home for jazz in Tucson, giving a stage to both local and national artists.

“Tucson, while it has great jazz musicians and venues that host jazz regularly, there wasn’t a singular space that had the essence of the music,” Vint said.

“They now can come to Tucson any time of the year, not just during our jazz festival, but have a dedicated place they can play and also our community can experience them,” Oseran said.

It will host performances throughout the month, but the official grand opening is planned for the first week of March.

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