Earlier this summer, a new jazz club quietly opened its doors on Larchmere Boulevard. When I began hearing people compare it to the old Boarding House on Euclid, my ears perked up. Back in the day, Cleveland had a wealth of great jazz clubs like Nighttown, Club Isabella and Sammy’s, but the Boarding House was special.
Aiming to fill a gap in the market for live music, co-owners Claude Carson and Al Mason opened Larchmere Reserve (12635 Larchmere Blvd.) in a slender corner space next door to UnBar Café. Over the years, Carson has operated many clubs in Northeast Ohio, including Take 5 Rhythm and Jazz in the Warehouse District.
After speaking with music lovers in and around town, they quickly saw pent-up demand for live entertainment.
“We’ve been hearing that from everybody who stops in,” says Mason. “There was a need. People have been looking for something like this. We opened the space for that purpose.”
Larchmere Reserve is open Tuesday through Saturday with live music running Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
“Other restaurants and places have a band or two but they don’t specialize in live music,” adds Mason.
The club seats about 55 people. A small stage at the front of the space is home to local, regional and, soon, national acts. The owners say that a new booking agent is busy laying out the schedule for the next few months, which will be posted shortly. Social media accounts are also being established.
There is a full bar and a kitchen prepares salads, burgers, Polish Boys, pastas and grilled lamb chops.
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