Backstage Pass
Blue LLama Jazz Club with Dave Sharp
We spoke with Dave Sharp, a world travel instrumentalist and head of the jazz band, Dave Sharp’s World Quartet. Dave serves as the Artistic Director of the Blue LLama Jazz Club and Restaurant, where he books world-renowned entertainment year-round, balancing local and touring artists with diverse musical influences.
Below is a summary transcript of our conversation with Dave.
Hi Dave, Take me through your introduction to this role. When did you begin?
Dave: I began at the Blue LLama when we opened in 2019. Before that, we had two years of designing the club. I've been on the team for nine years.
The Blue LLama is known for bringing in fantastic artists. How do you go about booking artists across the world to play in Ann Arbor?
Dave: Ever since we opened, there have been main agencies on the East Coast that we work with. They know we have really good food. They know we have an appreciative audience. They know everything will run smoothly when they come to the Blue LLama.
The Blue LLama always serves fantastic meals. Do you ever work hand-in-hand with the chef to create a perfect combination for the night’s festivities?
Dave: Yes, we have paired our menu items with our artists. We had artist Malika Zarra, who is Moroccan and lives in Paris. When she performed, we tilted the menu toward French and Moroccan cuisine. We had a great bassist from Senegal, Alune Wade. We were able to feature our Senegalese-inspired cuisine during that show in November of last year.
What have you learned since you've started your role as the Artistic Director of the Blue LLama Jazz Club?
Dave: I've learned that keeping different sub-genres of jazz on the schedule is very important. Some people love to listen to jazz vocalists. People really connect with the human voice and the story told by a jazz vocalist. However, some people really connect with Instrumental Jazz where there is no voice. It took me a little while to learn that. We've made the foray into featuring Latin jazz, vocal jazz, and traditional jazz ensembles.
Is there anything else you would like the world to know about The Blue LLama?
Dave: At The Blue LLama Jazz Club and Restaurant, you can either make a reservation or walk in anytime. I think it's important for people to know they can come in and have dinner. You can choose your own experience here. Some people are unfamiliar with jazz and want to learn more. We want those people to come in.
We also feature other styles of music besides jazz. We also have a YouTube channel where you can listen to recorded shows, and our record label, called Live at Blue LLama. Our label is available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. We want everybody to check it out and see what we're doing.