A new jazz venue has opened in Evanston, aiming to offer an intimate and focused live music experience centered exclusively on jazz. Local Note, which began operating in late July 2026, features a small, 50-person capacity space designed to discourage side conversations and promote attentive listening. Located behind an unmarked entrance accessible only via a nearby alley, the club operates primarily on a reservation basis, though walk-in patrons are occasionally accommodated.

Local Note was founded by Evanston resident Kurt Schauer, an industrial designer with a long-standing personal interest in jazz but little prior experience in the live music industry. Schauer developed the concept with Stephen Bollinger, a former restaurateur now responsible for the club’s operations and strategy. The pair drew inspiration from Evanston’s previous jazz offerings, including Prairie Moon’s weekly jazz nights and monthly jam sessions, and sought to create a venue with a deeper, more curated musical focus tailored to an older, local demographic rather than the predominantly student-oriented nightlife.

Bollinger emphasized that the venue fills a gap in Evanston’s after-hours culture for Generation X and similarly aged residents. “At our age, what do you do after 10 o’clock?” he remarked, highlighting Local Note as an alternative late-night destination.

To establish credibility and connections within the Chicago jazz scene, Schauer and Bollinger recruited Chris Anderson, an experienced booker currently with the Fulton Street Collective and a longtime figure in Evanston’s jazz community. Anderson’s background includes bartending at Pete Miller’s, booking at Nevin’s Live, and managing the Green Mill for more than ten years, where he became known for encouraging audiences to respect the music by minimizing chatter. Anderson stressed that Local Note aims to create an environment where musicians feel genuinely heard, contrasting with many gigs where jazz is relegated to background music.

Local Note prioritizes local talent, with an emphasis on musicians from the North Shore area. The club also offers a cocktail menu focusing on classic drinks, with plans to incorporate seasonal ingredients and expand to a nonalcoholic mocktail selection. The venue maintains a strict 21+ age policy, limiting access to Northwestern University students.

Though the club has received coverage from local media and Northwestern’s student press, Schauer and his team have deliberately restrained their marketing efforts to avoid overwhelming the limited capacity space. “We can’t handle 200 people trying to get in here,” Schauer said, acknowledging the need for cautious growth.

The venue is booked through December and will soon launch a monthly jam session starting after Labor Day. Upcoming performances include appearances by vocalist Abigail Riccards and guitarist Steve Night on September 10, pianist Jim Trompeter with his quartet on September 11, and Green Mill saxophonist Pat Mallinger on September 25. As the Northwestern academic year resumes, Local Note is exploring the possibility of late-night sessions to engage students from the university’s jazz program.

Schauer expressed confidence in the local talent featured at the club, stating that it can compete with musicians in any major market and emphasizing the importance of showcasing the region’s thriving jazz community.