The neighborhood just north of the city-county line near Lake Roland has in its midst one of the most unique live music venues in the Baltimore area — Jazzway 6004.
As the name implies, the bill of fare is jazz, presented by hosts Howard Katz and Marianne Matheny-Katz. I call the Katzes “hosts” because Jazzway is actually in their home.
House concerts have long been a fixture on the classical and folk music scenes, but they remain something of a rarity for jazz. However, Jazzway’s reputation is such that the world’s oldest, most popular jazz magazine, DownBeat, has identified this local jazz spot as one of top three house concert sites in the nation.
Jazzway’s success and popularity are due in no small part to the skills and personalities of its founders. Howard Katz brings knowledge gained from launching and running several business enterprises.
By nature, he is a gregarious person while his wife, Matheny-Katz, a retired economist for the federal government, is an accomplished jazz vocalist who twice came in second in the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition. She also served on the board of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance for several years.
Matheny-Katz describes herself as “an extroverted introvert.” Yet her husband proudly proclaims that “Marianne puts on a show that is second to none.”
A year after relocating to their home at 6004 Hollins Avenue in North Roland Park from the Patterson Park neighborhood, the Katzes started Jazzway in 2007.
Over the next 13 years, they presented 90 concerts. In 2013, they incorporated Jazzway as a nonprofit organization, one devoted to the community, not just among musicians but throughout Baltimore.
Jazzway has sponsored music workshops for youth and adults, concerts at Artscape, Creative Alliance and An Die Musik, and helped produce a five-part, online documentary on Baltimore’s rich jazz history, “Tell Me More — And Then Some.”
A portion of each ticket for streaming Jazzway’s concerts goes to a pair of local charities. “
We are absolutely committed to presenting a good news story about the vibrancy of the arts in Baltimore. This is a beautiful place,” says Matheny-Katz.
Of course, Jazzway’s activities were curtailed by the pandemic, but last December they came back in a big way, with a capacity crowd of 80 attending saxophonist Tim Warfield’s “Jazzy Christmas” concert.
Concerts in April and June of this year continued to draw capacity crowds.
Among Jazzway’s promotional materials, you’ll see, “When is the last time you had dinner and dessert with a Grammy nominee or Grammy winner?” That is no exaggeration. The band that played in June was led by internationally acclaimed vibraphonist Warren Wolf and included eight-time, Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride, Grammy-winning pianist Alex Brown and Grammy-nominated drummer Kendrick Scott.
The roster of previous performers is filled with other Grammy winners and nominees, a Latin Grammy nominee, winners of numerous other music awards and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master (saxophonist/composer) Benny Golson.
In addition to such jazz world stars, Matheny-Katz says, “We’ve had a lot of people who are on their way up.”
“Jazzway, where every ticket is a backstage pass” is the house concert venue’s tagline. After each concert, audience members are invited upstairs for fabulous desserts created by Matheny-Katz and a chance to meet the artists.
“It’s like being at a fun, upscale party,” says local pianist/vocalist Liz Fixsen.
Not only do audience members talk about the Jazzway experience as “magical,” but musicians also love the experience. There is no stage, so performers are on the same level and right in front of the audience.
Says Baltimore-based, internationally known vibraphonist Warren Wolf: “Jazzway is very special to me, and what makes it special toeverybodyis that it’s so intimate and close. I just love playing here.”
In 2013, Howard Katz said to a writer for the Baltimore Jazz Alliance newsletter, “We like having a jazz club in our basement.” While Katz’s enthusiasm has not diminished over the years, it has been tempered by the hard economic realities of putting on high-quality jazz concerts.
In addition to musicians’ pay, these expenses include insurance, fees to composers’ organizations, audio recording and video streaming of each concert, liquor licenses, meals for the artists and desserts for the audience.
Consequently, ticket purchases only cover at most 40 percent of each concert’s cost. “For arts organizations, it comes down to donations and sponsorships,” says Matheny-Katz.
With this in mind, Jazzway eagerly solicits sponsors and donors, offering numerous incentives for each (and way better than mugs and tote bags).
At this time, Jazzway has concerts scheduled for Sept. 14, Oct. 20, Dec. 14 and March 15, 2025. For information, visit Jazzway6004.com.
Bob Jacobson is a local freelance writer and jazz enthusiast.
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