One of Houston’s Most Beloved Midtown Bars Is Dropping a Jazz Album

Axelrad is releasing a vinyl “Live at Axelrad, Jazz Wednesdays,” a compilation of its greatest Jazz Night hits to celebrate its 10th anniversary

One of Houston’s hottest hangouts and live music venues is releasing a jazz album.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Midtown hangout Axelrad has compiled Live at Axelrad, Jazz Wednesdays — an eight-track vinyl recorded at the bar’s weekly iconic jazz nights, including a buzzy rendition of Nat King Cole’s “Autumn Leaves.” The album, which features live recordings by musicians who regularly perform at Axelrad, including Houston Ensemble and Mark Simmons Jr. Quartet, will be sold at Houston’s historic record shop, Cactus Music, in Montrose. The album is a pared-down version of Axelrad’s digital album, which is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify, and for purchase on iTunes and Google Play.

Axelrad’s managing partner and jazz aficionado Monte Large says he and his team sifted through hundreds of hours of music, whittling it down to the greatest hits. “In our opinion, it’s the best of the last few years featured on our live stage… It’s been a long journey, and it’s been such a passion project, too,” Large says.

Large says even before opening Axelrad in 2015, he and his business partner, Adam Brackman, noticed that many of the homes in Third Ward that were once havens for jazz performances disappeared with the increasing cost of real estate prices. There weren’t many places where jazz musicians could perform, except Cezanne, which closed in 2021. So, Large and Brackman’s launch of Axelrad also led to the inception of Jazz Wednesdays.

Large and Brackman brought in several partners (42, to be exact), including New Orleans jazz trumpeter and singer Kermit Ruffins, to open the space. Ruffins would come up once a week to play music for free on Wednesdays, and “that just continued on for the last 10 years,” Large says.

Since then, the bar has welcomed musicians and alums from Houston’s Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, the prestigious local music school that superstar Beyoncé and jazz icon Robert Glasper both attended. Large’s dad eventually suggested that he record some of the music during the live shows, which became a year-and-a-half-long project, and a gift to Axelrad’s patrons. “It was a personal mission of mine to press it on vinyl, because that’s the best way to listen to jazz,” says Large, who teamed up with East End-based live music venue, studio, and label Wonky Powered Records for the recording. “It’s a very expensive process, “ Large says. “I don’t know if we’re going to make any money on this proposition, but it’s a fun project. We’ve been lucky to have great patrons who have frequented our business for a long time. It’s a way to give them a piece of the experience.” Large dedicated the album to his father, an older guy he describes as “Mr. Cool” and a dedicated jazz night fan and attendee.

And so Axelrad’s 10th anniversary is also a celebration of community and its contribution to jazz music in the city. It also coincides with the building’s 100th year in Houston. Constructed around 1925, it was nearly torn down when Large and Brackman wanted to purchase it. “It was vacant, flea-infested, and ready for demolition,” he says. “We convinced our partners that we should renovate it… It just felt like the building needed to be loved. It has such history.”

Max and Gertrude Axelrad, the husband and wife for whom the building is named, were its original owners, Large says. The Jewish German couple fled Germany during World War I before settling in Sealy, Texas. The Ku Klux Klan later drove them out, and, from there, the Axelrads moved to Houston, where they were determined to stay. They built a grocery store on the corner of Alabama and Alameda streets, and lived there with another family. “They wanted it to be a space for everyone,” Large says. “We feel like we carried on that legacy.” Today, Large says the Axelrads’ great-granddaughter is a business partner. Known for its spacious backyard patio, the bar has become a place of community, hosting monthly live music, fundraisers, markets with pop-ups (Top Chef finalist Evelyn Garcia once hosted a stall here), and themed events, including Cumbia and movie nights, many of which are family-friendly. It’s also been a place to convene and commiserate on Election Day, and it still serves as a welcoming, unpretentious space where it’s possible to get in without paying cover and score its Beer of the Day for $3.50 — a key option to making it an “approachable … place where people wanted to go,” Brackman says.

Tommy Middleton

The celebrations have already begun. Axelrad will host free events on Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19, with live music, drink specials, and an album release party. Friday will kick off with live music from DJ Rosez and groups, including Los Yesterdays, the Gabriella Martinez Selena Tribute band, and Chicano Boulevard, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. On Saturday, Axelrad will feature family-friendly activities, including markets, a stilt walker, and face painters, followed by live music from 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Drink specials will include some of the bar-favorites, such as $9 El Pepino (cucumber vodka, lime, pepper-infused syrup); $10 Frozés, Hop Collins, and Impeachments (peach vodka, lime, mint, ginger ale); and $12 El Cosmicos (mezcal, tequila, lemon, honey, bitters). On-site Luigi’s Pizzeria will also be open.

Axelrad will host its official album release party at Cactus Music at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, where a limited number of albums will be available to purchase. Marlon Simon Latin Jazz Trio will perform. In honor of Axelrad, a group of staff also got tattoos illustrating noteworthy parts of the bar and their experiences there. One bartender got a tattoo of a bar spoon with Axelrad’s name. Another has a tattoo of the bar’s landmark neon-lit tree and logo.

“We’re really proud that it still exists here,” Large says of Axelrad. “Our hope is that it’s up for another 100 years.”

Axelrad is located at 1517 Alabama Street. Jazz Nights are held every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.