Downtown Austin jazz club the Elephant Room set to reopen this week

Austin 360

The Elephant Room reopens Tuesday, June 22, after being closed for more than a year during the coronavirus pandemic.

Downtown Austin jazz haven the Elephant Room is set to reopen on Tuesday, the club announced on Friday via social media.

Closed for more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Elephant waited longer to open than other Austin legacy venues such as the Continental Club and the Saxon Pub. The comparatively limited ventilation in its downstairs space — it is located in a basement below the Swift's Attic restaurant at 315 Congress Ave. — meant owners took extra caution in when they decided to open, said Laura Mordecai of BBA, which books the venue.

The first event since mid-March 2020 at the Elephant, which features live music seven nights week, will be the Mitch Watkins Trio's happy hour set at 6 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a 9 p.m. show with the Jon Blondell Quintet.

Other acts booked this week include Adrian Ruiz Quintet and Jitterbug Vipers on Wednesday, the Tony Bray/Toro Florez Quartet and Trip Trio on Thursday, the Elias Haslanger Quintet and Sharon Bourbonnais on Friday, and the Ephraim Owens Experience on Saturday. The full schedule for June is posted at elephantroom.com.