A New Home for Jazz at Armstrong Jazz House

Ever since the city shuttered Open Stage Club on Galiano Street, Coral Gables has suffered a deficit in jazz venues — notwithstanding the marvelous three sets of Afro-Cuban jazz that The Globe puts on every Saturday night. Now, your jazz sweet tooth can be satisfied all week long at the Armstrong Jazz House on Miracle Mile. Owner Alfred Santamaria calls it a “passion project,” meaning that he’s not out to make money, but rather to honor his love of this All-American music genre.

The nightly schedule features a jazz saxophone from 5 to 7 pm, then a jazz combo from 7 to 10 pm, followed by the return of the solo saxophonist. The musicians are young aspirants, mostly from the Frost School of Music at University of Miami, but their take on classic riffs is solid — think Oscar Peterson meets early Dave Brubeck — mounted with the traditional trio of bass, piano, and drums, accented by the occasional trumpet or, of course, sax. There will be some special guests now and then, but the nightly crew does the job.

The interior of Armstrong Jazz House is cozy and rich, with four chandeliers, a bar, five tables, and a floor-to-ceiling glass bookcase laden with jazz mementos and other odd bric-a-brac, like Chinese vases, books about Paris and New York, and statuettes of astronauts (the Armstrong in their title refers to Neil, not Louie, ahem). The menu is a work in progress, but the vibe is sweet and well worth a visit.

Armstrong Jazz House
271 Miracle Mile
305.488.9955
armstrongjazzhouse.com