A little history

Copenhagen JazzHouse plays a central role as an international jazz venue, being a direct descendant of the two world-famous jazz clubs in Copenhagen which operated under the name Jazzhus Montmartre.

Jazzhus Montmartre
The first of these was situated in St. Regnegade from 1961-1976 under the leadership of Herluf Kemp Larsen. The club became a springboard for many young Danish musicians, who became world famous as a result of long associations with some of the world's best jazz musicians. For many years, the "house trio" consisted of pianist Kenny Drew, bassplayer NHØP and drummer Alex Riel.

Among the many musicians who played in Montmartre for longer periods were Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford, Jan Johansson, Sonny Rollins, Dollar Brand and Hank Mobley.
When the Montmartre club closed in St. Regnegade, a group of people centred on Arnvid Meyer and restaurateur Kay Sørensen seized the initiative and opened a new Jazzhus Montmartre in Nørregade in what was the old Adlon night club.

These premises were rather larger than the previous ones, and soon acquired a very popular night discotheque, which really created the economic foundation for the jazz club.

The club existed until Kay Sørensen's sudden death in 1988. Several attempts were made to carry it on in various guises, but none really succeeded. At one time, the popular singer Anne Linnet tried to run the club, but to no avail.
In the 12-13 years that the club existed in this incarnation it did, however, make its mark internationally, with a veritable galaxy of the world's most famous jazz stars. Here, one could name Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul to name a few.

The idea behind Copenhagen JazzHouse
After a row of small jazz clubs active during and after the Second World War had planted the seeds which led to the establishment of the two Montmartre jazz clubs, these clubs in their turn created the environment for a high-profile international jazz club in Copenhagen when Montmartre in Nørregade closed.
These two clubs were run by individuals, and when they stopped, so did the clubs.

When Montmartre in Nørregade began to loose its identity as a high-profile jazz club, a sense of frustration began to grow amongst jazz musicians in Copenhagen.

The initiative was taken to collect together musicians, teachers and movers and shakers for a public meeting, where the will and means to found a successor to Montmartre was discussed. Over 200 people turned up.

A working group was set up in January 1990 and 18 months later, Copenhagen JazzHouse opened in October 1991 as the declared successor to Montmartre in Nørregade. The model was the same, with an international, high-profile jazz club and a night club which offered music, dancing and smooching until the early hours.

The last 17 years have put Copenhagen firmly on the map as one of the world's most important jazz venues, with over 250 concerts per year.
The list of Danish, European and American top names who've played here is very long.

A random list would comprise Herbie Hancock, Michel Petrucciani, Dianne Reeves, Curtis Steigers, the Woody Herman Orchestra, NHØP, Palle Mikkelborg, Bo Stief, Eliane Elias, Wayne Shorter, Richard Bona, Dave Holland and many others.