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Most Coloradans associate Jazz Aspen Snowmass<\/a> with its Labor Day Experience, where the likes of Stevie Nicks, Weezer, and Kanye West have played to massive crowds in Snowmass Town Park. The music education nonprofit, however, also runs year-round programming that includes the 15-year-old JAS Caf\u00e9 concert series<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not 10,000 people in a field\u2014it\u2019s 200 people in a nightclub,\u201d says JAS founder Jim Horowitz. Since the series\u2019 first events, held in an underutilized room in the basement of the Little Nell, JAS has hosted intimate jazz performances in venues across town, including the Aspen Art Museum.<\/p>\n But when the floor above the legendary Red Onion restaurant downtown became available in 2018, JAS took the opportunity to secure its own stage. With funding mostly from private individuals, including local businessman and JAS board chairman Andrew Paul, JAS meticulously turned the second-story space into the Paul JAS Center<\/a>, a multifaceted, music-centered destination.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how the organization intends to get 300 days of use per year out of the venue, which publicly debuts on December 20 with a performance by jazz-funk band Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.<\/p>\n Working with a sound consultant, JAS designed the center\u2019s lounge for acoustic harmony. \u201cYou want a certain combination of surfaces that enliven the sound and reflect it, and then other surfaces which absorb it,\u201d Horowitz says. \u201cIt\u2019s part art and part science.\u201d The space will seat around 150, with food available from an on-site commercial kitchen run by Aspen\u2019s Epicure Catering and drinks from a full bar. JAS expects 45 nights of shows\u2014mostly on winter and summer weekends\u2014in the first year that feature jazz and related genres (think: blues, soul, funk, world music, and gospel).<\/p>\n At stage left, a glass wall offers a glimpse into the JAS Center\u2019s state-of-the-art studio. During live performances, sound engineers can watch artists play and adjust levels in real time while recording. The rentable tech-filled space, which is adjacent to the green room, also includes mixing and finishing equipment.<\/p>\n Since its founding in 1991, JAS has generated more than $10 million for Colorado music education programs that reach youth across the Roaring Fork Valley. In addition to using the studio to teach students about the production side of the music industry, \u201cthe building will be available for performances,\u201d Horowitz says, \u201cwhich will be exciting for a kid, to be on the same stage where professionals play.\u201d<\/p>\n Horowitz has visions of hosting special events\u2014perhaps a cooking demonstration tied into the Food & Wine Classic or a TED Talk\u2013style salon during the Aspen Ideas Festival\u2014but JAS also plans to rent the center out for birthday parties, wedding rehearsal dinners, and business meetings. With its skylight and 600-square-foot terrace overlooking East Cooper Avenue, \u201cthe fact that it\u2019s a single, turnkey venue will make it very unique in Aspen,\u201d Horowitz says. \u201cThe word to me that sticks out, especially in our post-COVID world, is \u2018gathering\u2019; creating a place people are going to enjoy together.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More: Meet the Man Behind 30 Years of Jazz Aspen Snowmass<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n1. Nightclub<\/h4>\n
2. Recording Studio<\/h4>\n
3. Classroom<\/h4>\n
4. Event Space<\/h4>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/cdn.5280.com\/2025\/11\/Interior-JAS-Center_Courtesy-of-Charles-Cunniffe-Architects_Entry-Level-Galllery.jpg\")