Famed keysmith Jeff Kazee takes center stage for a residency at The Club Room. He’ll be playing this September from 6:30PM-8PM on select Wednesday thru Saturday nights! From his longtime tenure with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, to stints with Bon Jovi, Roger Waters and beyond, this Ohio native lights up every room he appears in. Get to know this keyboard titan.

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Baby, it’s hot outside! Where does a piano man go to escape the city in the summer?

Most often at the Jersey Shore—though, the quiet part, LOL. My wife Constance and I always find a few days to stay in Spring Lake, NJ, just chilling and not making a lot of noise. Spring Lake is basically dedicated to that premise. As I make my living by making noise—Solo, in Trios or Quartets, or in a large Soul/Rock band with horns, QUIET is a big goal for me on my time off.

  

Favorite summertime beverage?

I have a few. A cold Arnold Palmer in the day. Can’t go wrong with a Red Stripe lager while manning the grill—and a Ketel One, soda & lime, over crushed ice in the night. I’m a simple man.

 

 

Tennis or Golf?

Golf, golf, golf! Does that answer the question? Typically, I walk two rounds in a week and now take a few golf trips throughout the year. It’s one of my passions in life—and one that keeps my competitive edge alive. Plus, I play with a collection of friends that are quite diverse, twisted and interesting—and none of them in the music industry. Perfect.

 

 

Olympics or CNN?

I’m a news junkie, but for two weeks every four years, the Olympics give me some respite from a lot of the world’s madness. I love to see athletes perform at the highest peak.

 

 

Tell us about your new Internet series “One Verse, One Chorus”…

Oh, it’s me performing super short arrangements of my favorite songs. Very casual, and barely produced—it’s just a quick and fun way to give my Social Media followers a random track of the very large album that constantly shuffles in my head! Best way to see/hear them is on Instagram, or my (quite new) TikTok account.

 

 

Rumor has it you just got back from a European tour…

It’ true. In July, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes went to London, Italy, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Netherlands & Paris, France for some shows—but spread it out over two weeks, so we had quite a few days off in some of the best places in the world. Eating food and drinking wine in Bologna, Rome & Paris is tough work, but somehow, I powered through.

 

 

Favorite show you just played? 

Probably the Utrecht show. It’s about 45 minutes from Amsterdam, an old University town that has a beautiful city center and an exceptional arts center—which we filled! We usually play The Paradiso in Amsterdam, but this year we rotated out for this show. A lovely city.

 

 

Strangest tour happenstance?

I regret the fact that nothing seems weird or bizarre to me anymore—even on the road. 

 

 

Most bizarre song in rotation at Chez Kazee?

I just learned a beautiful song called “99 Miles From L.A.” that I look forward to performing. It was written by Albert Hammond & Hal David, and has been covered by Art Garfunkel, Dionne Warwick and others. While I had heard the song before, I really got turned on to it by seeing Johnny Mathis just kill it on of those classic PBS TV concerts they use as fundraisers. I passed on the tote bag, but I kept the song. Now, just trying to make it my own.

 

 

Best song to beat the heat?

“Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly Stone & the Family Stone always moves my vibe to the proper level.

 

 

Billy Joel just wrapped up his 10 year MSG residency. Discuss!

What a run! Pretty cool for Billy to basically use The Garden as his monthly pub gig—flying to and from the shows in a helicopter. Back in his Long Island home within an hour of saying “Good night”. Pretty good gig while it lasted/

 

 

Would you be willing to take over his gig?

Yes. Unfortunately, ticket sales might take a small dive. But just think of the merch sales!

 

 

What can people expect to hear at your trio show at the Club Room on August 15?

A fantastically entertaining and swinging band—playing interesting jazzed-up arrangements of great songs, pulled from a ton of genres. I love to see the faces of the patrons unexpectedly recognizing (and digging!) a favorite song, but via our original sound. I live to make my musicians AND the audience interested and happy.