A ‘Love Note’ to Evanston: Club owner hopes to build community through jazz
After more than three decades designing retail spaces and displays for companies like Nike and L’Oréal, Kurt Schauer decided to build a room of his own in Evanston, the city where he was born and raised. In spring he plans to open a live-music venue called Local Note and become “the master of [his] own journey,” he said. To give his professional life more meaning, he wants to create a space rooted in music, connection and community.
The venue is scheduled to open in June 2026, with operating hours set for mid-evening Tuesday through Sunday, closing at 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 11 p.m. on the remaining nights. It seats about 45 customers. The club’s website features a quote from drummer Art Blakey, “Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life,” which reflects the “needed” role the space will play in Evanston’s artistic landscape, Schauer said.
Schauer hopes to bring an elevated, “seductive vibe” with velvet drapery and craft cocktails. Though he will book artists from different genres, he is concentrating on jazz performances. Designed as a walk-in neighborhood spot rather than an exclusive destination with a cover charge, the club will welcome longtime jazz fans, Northwestern students and curious newcomers.
Local Note signals Schauer’s belief in jazz as both a powerful art and a communal experience. NBN chatted with Schauer about why Evanston felt like the right place to construct a room of his own. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What about jazz has sparked your passion for the genre?
Music has always been a big part of my life. I was a drummer in a band and that got me into the musical world. I had friends that were, after college, in a well-known group. I’ve always been surrounded by it.
Depending on the day and the mood you’re in, you could get any number of different moods off of that [jazz]. It’s never the same, no matter how many times you hear it. There’s always something there, some familiarity with it. Depending on where you’re at in your life, it can give you a different meaning. Jazz is a little bit more expansive like that. It’s open to individual interpretation.
When did you come up with the idea for the jazz club?
A couple years ago, I was over at [my friend Steve Bollinger’s], just sitting around the fire pit, and I brought up that idea [of] how it’d be cool to just have a club where we could play jazz and have some quality cocktails. So we just started talking about it, not really thinking anything was going to happen.
Around the same time, I started to have this kind of “why not me?” epiphany. I was “Yeah, why not? Why can’t we do this?” We just kept talking about it, and then one day, I just started looking online at properties in Evanston.
Why is Evanston the right home for this type of club?
I know the city well. I know the neighborhoods and the people are a creative community as a whole. There’s a ton of musicians and jazz musicians, Grammy winners, artists from different mediums. Northwestern gives some kind of younger vibe to the city.
People want to be a part of a community. We show up for each other and support each other. They want to just come back together and socialize.
People are hungry for something like this.
How do you plan to bridge generational gaps between older jazz fans and younger audiences who may be new to the genre?
We’ve thought about that. You know, jazz could be considered a little more sophisticated for music people. The whole experience wants to give you that elevated, kind of luxurious, immersive experience when you’re in there. But we want it to be accessible to everybody.
Whether you’re just coming in and want to hear some music for a little bit, whether you’re on a date night, whether you’re a regular that comes in every Wednesday or you’re out of town and looking for something unique to do, that’s what we want to offer. We’re aware of that whole spectrum of listeners.