When Chris' Jazz Cafe owner and executive chef Mark DeNinno first considered taking over the Sansom Street music club 20 years ago, he knew he needed to do some recon. He and his wife went to the nearby Capital Grille to find out how the Center City club fit into the neighborhood and Philly's music scene.
"[We] asked, 'Hey, where do you go to hear live music around here?' … And the people at the Capital Grille were like, 'Oh, there's a jazz club right down the street, but make sure you eat before you go because the food's terrible."
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DeNinno took it upon himself to make the club, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this month, more of a food destination. But his menu changes were just one part of the club's evolution since it opened in 1989.
New beginnings
DeNinno said he was first hired by the former owner to "fix the problems" they were having at the club, which had pinball machines, a pool table and limited food options at the time. He suggested knocking down a few walls to build a dedicated stage and making jazz the center of the club. When the previous owners said they didn't have the funding to make the changes, he decided to take over in April 2004 as the sole proprietor and executive chef. The stage was built, pinball machines and pool tables were removed, a new piano was purchased and a big, neon jazz sign was installed outside.
Provided Image/Chris' Jazz Cafe
The marquee outside Chris' Jazz Cafe, featuring its recognizable neon sign.
These days, the club is open five days a week for dinner and a show. DeNinno said the club gets about 60,000 customers and 300 musical acts per year — down slightly from pre-pandemic numbers, but it also eliminated lunch. The decor inside is still largely the same, though DeNinno replaced the carpeting with wood flooring and removed the tablecloths for sound quality. The food is mostly ever-changing tasting menus, though he's bringing back old favorites for the anniversary this month.
Al McMahon, the longtime booker for Chris', said in the beginning, music was the primary focus and food was an afterthought, but DeNinno created a streamlined space where everything works together.
"The atmosphere in that club — I'm proud to walk in there and enjoy myself," McMahon said. "Years ago, it could be a little rough as far as the sound and everything else, but [DeNinno] is 100% dedicated to always improving the club."
The right notes
Anaïs Reno, a 20-year old singer and composer, first got the chance to be onstage at Chris' when she was 17.
"I look back on it so fondly because I remember it was one of those very rare occasions where you play somewhere for the first time and it just feels like an instant click," Reno said.
She said Chris' is one of her favorite places to play because she's always felt like it was a welcoming environment. It's a space where musicians hang out after their set or for jam sessions, she added, and one where she can connect with the audience because of the layout.
But it's also a favorite for musicians largely because of McMahon, who's been the booking agent for the club for more than 30 years. A friend of the original owner Chris Dmitri, he joined the team in the early '90s after his own club, Bistro Bix, closed. He used his connections from the Criss Cross record label to bring musicians in to Chris'.
With a strong community and schools like the Settlement Music School, and the Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, he thinks Philadelphia is one of the best cities for jazz music.
"Philadelphia is, without a doubt, historically and contemporary, the greatest source of jazz musicians I would say because of our schooling," McMahon said.
Joe Block, a pianist and composer, started playing at Chris' at age 15 for a cut of the door fees. Now, he comes back to play at the club about five to 10 times a year. He said it's a space for musicians to meet and connect.
"It's important to have spaces like that in cities because that's where the music happens, that's where you can meet someone that might change your life," Block said. "That's where you might meet someone who can really inspire you."
A pandemic breakthrough
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, DeNinno said they were scared and unsure how it would impact the club. About a month in, DeNinno said his sound engineer approached him with the idea of livestreaming events to keep the music going. The team installed a six-camera broadcast studio and posted the videos to Chris' YouTube channel, which reaches nearly 20,000 subscribers in over 75 countries, according to DeNinno.
Anyone who can't make it to the club can watch the full shows live at 7:30 p.m. on show nights. After that, they go behind a $1.99 monthly paywall, though shorter clips are still available for free.
For the musicians, the livestream has meant even more buzz in the international community. Many said they've connected with fans all around the world who tune into the shows virtually or make a special trip out to the cafe when they can.
"Philly's a really, really special place in the international music community, but especially the jazz community," said Alexander Claffy, a bassist who started playing at the club as a teenager. "It's just so legendary that people, when they come to play Chris's, they really come correct to Philly, because the level of musicianship in Philadelphia is so incredibly high."
The Next Generation
In recent years, McMahon has been focused on booking younger musicians and highlighting the next generation of jazz, Block said. That includes bringing in students and groups from local high schools and colleges to play at the club and giving them the chance to meet and work with other more established musicians.
"It's kind of like a breeding ground, and it has so much history," Block said. "Obviously 35 years is nothing to laugh at — a lot of jazz clubs don't even last 10 years. So it's a pretty important venue for the city, and I hope it continues to provide that space for people."
Claffy attributes Chris' long-term success to its forward-thinking mindset, and said DeNinno and McMahon are always trying out new cuisines and programming.
"They're always just upping their game in every regard to give the consumer the best product that they possibly can," Claffy said. "… It's an amazing place, I feel very, very fortunate to be in the lineage of cats that have come out of that club."
For the club's next act, DeNinno plans to add a late-night Thursday show, and he's hoping to expand the hours that Chris' has live bands on stage. As for the music itself, DeNinno and McMahon said their programming will continue to reflect the resurgence of young people interested in jazz alongside some old favorites.
"Chris' is a unique place because it's about art," DeNinno said. "It's not just the music arts, it's also the visual arts — we have photography and paintings that are on the walls that we sell for artists and obviously, the culinary arts is a big part of of what Chris' does and all that gets tied together with the art of hospitality. That's really what Chris' is about, it's about the arts."
