Austin Jazz Band

Austin Jazz Band plays The Elephant Room on Monday, September 28, starting at 7 PM. They're led by Brian Bettger, who's directed the ensemble for years.

It's a big band, which is a bit of a rarity to catch live in the city. The band itself has a long history here: Bobby Davis and trumpeter Steve Fleckman founded it back in 1993, and they started it with a specific goal in mind—bringing professional and amateur players together around a shared love and respect for jazz. Since then, it's grown under Bettger's direction into one of the top big bands in Texas.

They're playing at The Elephant Room, which is an Austin icon in its own right. It's a candlelit basement room inside the historic Swift Building on Congress Avenue, and it's been filling with Chicago, Kansas City, and New York-style jazz since 1991. The walls are framed with famous autographs, and it's earned a few nods along the way: a Senate Bill Resolution named it one of the top ten jazz venues in the nation, and Down Beat Magazine listed it among the top 100 in the world.

If you're planning to go, a few practical things to keep in mind: the room is 21+, and it's open seven nights a week. Happy hour music starts at 6 PM, and there's no cover before 8 PM, so if you get there early, you can catch the pre-show atmosphere without paying a door charge. The Austin Jazz Band takes the stage at 7 PM.