Avalon Jazz Lounge

Specialties

The Avalon is the Bluewater District’s prime Cajun-​Creole cuisine featuring authentic gumbo, jamalaya, blackened catfish, moules-​frites, bourbon shrimp and po’boy sandwiches. We have 10 taps with the city’s best selection of local craft brew, English cider, fine wines and a selection of fine single malt scotch whiskeys. Live jazz Thurs through Saturday with a Sunday Jazz Brunch, Trad Jazz jam Wednesdays and Tuesdays are just Special.

History

Established in 2015.

The sign in the window said «Turnkey. 100% Owner Financing» and I got on Facebook and said, «Anyone want to start a jazz club?» — it wasn’t quite so simple and many months of business-​plan revisions and investor wooing and menu planning and a lot of signatures later there I was, standing out front with the keys in my hand when Patti drove by, snapped a picture and there I was up on Facebook: proprietor of Owen Sound’s first jazz club. Or so I thought.

The legendary jazz drummer Earl Georgas was in, and he asked me, «Why the name ‘Avalon’?» and as I told him about Jolson and Bix and Benny Goodman at Carnegie and King Arthur healing his battle wounds, Earl’s impish grin just got bigger. «Then … you don’t KNOW do you?» he teased.

1944, Owen Sound at 10^th St and 2^nd, above the Chinese restaurant, a teenage Earl Georgas would scale the fire-​escape to peek in to watch the big bands play at the Avalon dance hall. Earl added, «That’s what inspired me to play jazz!»

Meet the Business Owner

Gary M.

Business Owner

Leader of local trad-​jazz ensemble The Eighth Street Orchestra and long-​time member of the Owen Sound City Band, Gary’s involvement with the periphery of Canadian jazz stretches back to Toronto’s Mother Necessity of the 1970’s, running a jazz record store and as a jazz radio host and producer for CJUM-​FM. Gary also worked for and was inspired by John McHugh of Yorkville’s legendary Penny Farthing and by Derek Andrews, Gary Topp and Gary Cormier at the legendary Edge.