Care for a little bit of live jazz with your dinner? Of course you do.

And thanks to local musician Jay Anderson, you’ll soon be able to experience a new school version of an old-school jazz age supper club at Company Brewing, 735 E. Center St.

Anderson, who has worked with owner George Bregar to book a variety of jazz acts at Company Brewing, says the new supper club series was the result of his own personal research and a desire to take people back to a place where food and music went hand in hand.

History has long loved the combination of great food and music. Take for instance the opulence of dinner gigs played at the Cotton Club in Harlem during the 1920s.

The popular club drew in regular crowds by transforming what may have been an ordinary dinner into an engaging, unforgettable affair. Waiters dressed in red tuxedos played the role of butlers, deftly popping champagne corks and serving exotic dishes from a midnight supper menu of trendy dishes like venison steaks, chop suey and toasted sandwiches. Meanwhile, the crowds enjoyed music from bands including Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and house band, The Duke Ellington Orchestra.

In a similar fashion, the new Supper Club Jazz series will unite the stylings of talented jazz musicians in concert with three special supper club themed courses orchestrated by Company Brewing Chef Rosalin Rodriguez.

"We were really looking to create an interdisciplinary relationship between food and music, and between the musicians and guests," says Anderson of the series. "Bringing people together for a unique experience where food and music work together to create something that benefits everyone."

Miles Davis tribute

The first event, which will take place on Friday, April 15 at 9:30 p.m., will be a tribute to Miles Davis, arguably one of the greatest musicians in modern history. The band will feature Jay Anderson on saxophone, Russ Johnson on trumpet, Mark Davis on piano, Ethan Bender on upright bass and Mitch Shiner on drums.

The menu will feature a first course lazy Susan including truffled deviled eggs, fried cheese curds, Usinger’s summer sausage, pickled vegetables, marcona almonds, marinated olives and grilled baguette (paired with Poor Farm Pils); a second entree course will include Jefferson Township grass-fed filet mignon alongside pan-seared sea scallops with garlic puree, sauteed spinach and bearnaise (paired with Chairman Hecto-Hop Double IPA); and a third course of sticky toffee puddding with whipped creme fraiche, golden raisins and rum caramel (paired with Oaky Doke White Oak Red Ale).

The cover charge for the event is $10 at the door (without dinner) or $5 with a dinner reservation. Cost for the three-course dinner is $38 per person for three courses or $46 for three courses with beer pairings.

Reservations for dinner will be accepted for 8:20 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 8:40 p.m., with music beginning at 9:30 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling (414) 930-0909 or by emailing reservations@companybrewing.com. Unreserved bar and hi-top table seating will also be available, as well as standing room.  Items from the regular Company Brewing menu will also be available for purchase on Supper Club Jazz nights.

Future Supper Club Jazz

Can’t make it to Supper Club Jazz on April 15? No worries. Future supper club events are scheduled for the following Wednesday nights through June:

April 20 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Stomata Trio
May 4 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Hanging Hearts
May 18 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Davis Peplin Guitar Duo
May 25 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Sound Underground
June 1 at 9:30 p.m.: Dinner and music by the Mark Davis Trio
June 8 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Quintin Farr (solo piano)
June 15 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Mrs. Fun with Jay Anderson
June 22 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Mitch Shiner (solo vibraphone)
June 29 at 8 p.m.: Dinner and music by Devin Drobka’s Wild at Heart