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A new jazz club is opening in an old space.
Soul'd Out Productions is partnering with Rialto's new owners Frank Faillace to and Manish Patel to turn the Jack London—the basement bar underneath downtown pool hall Rialto—into a venue focusing on live jazz.
Soul'd Out co-owner Nicholas Harris says he can't yet release many of the details, but says the he hopes the new club, which will retain the Jack London name, will help fill the void left by the recent closure of Jimmy Mak's.
Related: "With the Impending Closure of Jimmy Mak's, Portland Jazz Faces an Uncertain Future."
"The goal is to build off, and create space for, the Jimmy Mak's players over the years," he said, adding that they also want to "expand and make a broader access point" for jazz by featuring younger musicians, both local and national.
In December, Patel and Faillace—who also owns Star Theater, Dante's and several strip clubs—purchased Rialto, saving the nearly century-old bar from impending closure. A fire at the adjoining Hotel Alder on January 5 forced the buildout off schedule, Harris said.
Related: A Christmas Miracle: The Rialto Will Not Be Closing
Harris could not confirm an opening date, but said a tribute show, featuring several Jimmy Mak's regulars, is scheduled for the final night of the annual Soul'd Out Music Festival in April. Part of the proceeds will go toward funding a jazz scholarship at Portland State University named after Jim Makarounis, the owner of Jimmy Mak's, who passed away in early January.