First Acts Announced for Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

A new blues and jazz music venue on Wisconsin Avenue will soon open its doors, and the club has announced which acts will be the first to take the stage.

The Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club is set to open March 1, and the musical groups lined up range from country to jazz to swing.

Headliners announced on the club's website include Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Marcus Johnson and the Butch Warren Sextet.

The Bethesda Blues and Jazz orchestra is also highlighted on the lineup.

Country singer and Potomac native Maggie Rose will headline the club March 8 and 9.

Tickets range from $10 for the blues club orchestra and swing nights up to $35 and $40 for bigger name shows like Maggie Rose and Irvin Mayfield.

Director of Operations Ralph Camilli, who spent the last 15 years of his 35-year career booking and promoting entertainment at the Blues Alley, is taking the lead with attracting acts to the club.

The club takes over the former Bethesda Theatre space, once an art deco movie theater. Following a $1.5 million renovation, the Wisconsin Avenue landmark will feature “300 seats for dinner, a beautiful new 40 foot bar and lounge and 200 additional performance seats,” according to the club’s website.

Chef Scott Mullen, who will head up the kitchen, will showcase New Orleans cuisine along with favorites like shrimp scampi, prime rib and crab cakes, Bethesda Magazine reported.

“This is not a mosh pit or a stand-up concert venue, this is a sit-down venue [with] tablecloths, candlelight—it’s a very nice setting for high quality entertainment,” club proprietor Rick Brown told Patch last year.

What do you think of the lineup? Are you glad to see a music venue in Bethesda? Will you check out some of the acts? Tell us in the comments.