May 27 marks the end of a jazz era in Las Vegas.

Dan Ellis, leader of the Las Vegas Classic Jazz Band, says Boyd Gaming has pulled the plug on the long-running afternoon music performance.

“A lot of fans are going to be upset,” said Ellis, a keyboardist.

The roots of the six-piece band stretch back 34 years, making it the longest-running lounge act in Las Vegas.

Local casino legend Michael Gaughan hired a jazz band in 1973 to play at his Royal Inn (now the Greek Isles). It was called the Royal Dixie Jazz Band.

When Gaughan opened the Barbary Coast, the band (then headed by trombonist Jim Fitzgerald) followed him and performed at the venue for six years.

When he opened the Gold Coast in 1987 they followed him there and became the Sorta Dixie Jazz Band and eventually the Kinda Dixie Jazz Band.

In a shakeup in 2005, the Kinda Dixie Jazz Band dis-banded and then re-banded days later as Dan Ellis’ Las Vegas Classic Jazz Band. That was about the time Gaughan sold his Coast properties to Boyd Gaming.

That makes 23 years that the band, or a version of it, has played afternoon jazz at the Gold Coast.

Members include Ellis (leader, piano, vocals), Steve Johnson (frontman, sax, vocals), Tom Ehlan (trumpet, vocals), Nate Kimball (trombone, vocals), Kenny Seiffert (bass) and Paul Testa (drums).

Ellis says he isn’t sure why management decided to turn off the music.

“We were drawing pretty good crowds, under the circumstances,” he says. “And our Wednesday afternoon dance sessions were always packed.”

Ellis is looking for a way to keep the music alive.

He’s knocking on doors from one end of the valley to the other.

He even approached Gaughan, who now owns the South Point.

“I talked to him already, but it’s not going to happen,” he says. “I would love to work for Michael Gaughan. He’s the greatest guy in the world, but all he as at the South Point is that one showroom, and it’s just not the right fit.”

Ellis was shocked by the news.

“I’ve been doing it for 14 years,” he says. “I had a steady paycheck, now suddenly it’s going to be gone.”

He thinks one of the factors in the impending demise of jazz at the Gold Coast is the demographics.

“They just don’t seem to be interested in the 50 to 70-year olds,” he said.

Ellis isn’t giving up. He believes there is still a place for his group, some of the finest musicians in Vegas.

“It’s very sad,” he says.

For more information, contact Ellis by e-mail at danellis@lvcjb.com or call him at 290-0581.

by Jerry Fink

thejerryfink.com

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