This story originally appeared in our Oct. 28 – Nov. 10, 2026 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.
Brent Gallaher and Vanessa Keeton, both musicians, have created a musical legacy in the Queen City.
Nearly a decade ago, the married couple had a vision for the future. They thought their hometown of Cincinnati lacked a premier venue for audiences to see and hear great jazz. They envisioned a place comfortable for audiences, where the music would be the main attraction.
They wanted a venue that could showcase not only local players but regularly bring in national and internationally known talent.
After more than a year of planning, looking for a space, seeking dollars, designing, wishing and hoping, they opened Caffè Vivace as co-owners in the spring of 2018 at 975 East McMillian Street in Walnut Hills.
Caffè Vivace occupies the first floor of the historic Trevarren Flats building. It now hosts some of the world’s best-known jazz musicians, as well as many of this region’s finest players, in an intimate venue that accommodates an audience of 60 at tables and along the bar.
The club is also a key link in a chain of developments revitalizing Walnut Hills, a neighborhood that saw its Kroger store depart in 2017, a time when much of the neighborhood’s commercial space sat empty.
The neighborhood was not without a jazz club when Caffè Vivace opened. The Greenwich Tavern, around the corner on Gilbert Avenue had hosted jazz performers – local players and an occasional national act – for decades, but it hasn’t been staging jazz regularly for several years.
Caffè Vivace has since established its place in the neighborhood’s musical tradition. It was included in DownBeat Magazine’s 2026 Guide to the Best Jazz Venues, a list that includes premier clubs around the world.
The idea to attract big-name jazz talent to perform there wouldn’t have worked without the creation of Jazz Vivace, a nonprofit (501)(c3), that helps the club raise money to pay for that talent. Ticket sales for such a small performance space help but can’t pay all the bills.
Gallaher said national acts are important and have put Cincinnati on the map as a city where you can hear big-name jazz acts, but local musicians, including the venerable Blue Wisp Big Band, are a big reason the club exists.
“This city is loaded with wonderful musicians, and showcasing them is a main reason we’re here,” Gallaher said.
Gallaher and Keeton originally envisioned Caffè Vivace as a coffee house by day and a jazz club by night. But he said the coffee house wasn’t sustaining itself financially, and it’s no longer part of their operation. Although, Gallaher said, as the neighborhood is becoming more vibrant, with new residents occupying new apartment buildings, the coffee house could be revived. “We just might give it another try.”
Gallaher has played tenor sax with Cincinnati’s Blue Wisp Big Band for a little more than 30 years and gigs occasionally in the area with his own trio. He recently answered a few questions, sent by email, about the jazz club’s origin and operation. His answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q. What do you remember about the very first show at Caffe Vivace?
We did what’s called a “soft” opening for a few weeks (starting in March 2018). The Rob
Allgeyer Trio played the first night. We didn’t even advertise because our liquor license was held up until that day. We already had musicians and staff lined up, so we figured we’d take walk-ins and figure some things out with a sort of dress rehearsal. Vanessa was in charge that night. I was playing in the pit at the Aronoff Center for the musical Chicago.
Our official grand opening was April 7, 2018, with the Mike Wade Quartet. We got a ton of walk-ins from people coming back from a soccer game when FC Cincinnati was down at the UC campus. It was kind of crazy. But I guess it was a good sign that there was interest. We just had to learn how to run a bar.
(Rob Allgeyer and Mike Wade still perform extensively with their own groups in Cincinnati and beyond.)
Q. Who are some of the biggest acts you’ve booked?
(Trumpeter) Randy Brecker was our first, what you’d call a “big name.” My father, Chris Gallaher,
was a friend of Randy’s; they attended Indiana University together in the mid 1960s.
As the word has gotten out, we’ve been fortunate to have so many of the living greats grace our stage, including Joshua Redman, Samara Joy, Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett, Jeff Hamilton, Emmet Cohen, Brian Blade, Anat Cohen (a clarinetist from Israel) … The list goes on, and I’m sorry to everyone I’ve not thought of off the top of my head.
Q. How did you get the idea for the nonprofit Jazz Vivace?
The idea grew from hearing how nonprofit organizations in other cities helped sustain live jazz. Vanessa and I recognized that ticket sales alone would never allow us to present nationally and internationally recognized artists. Supporters of our venue asked how they could help and sometimes offered to give us money to bring in non-local acts.
It wasn’t an entirely original model. We knew of nonprofit jazz presenters in other cities working with commercial venues, including organizations such as Angel City Arts and the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles. We thought that if people in Cincinnati wanted to help sustain serious live jazz through charitable giving, we should create a way for them to do that.
We thought a nonprofit could give people who value live jazz a direct way to help make that programming possible. And since then, it’s grown from the occasional donor helping to bring someone in every three to six months, to sustaining eight to 10 touring groups a month. It’s more than we hoped when we started.
Q. How does the nonprofit work to cover costs?
Earned revenue — primarily ticket sales — accounts for about 50% of our annual income. Donations and sponsorships account for approximately 45%, with grants providing the remaining 5%. Ticket revenue generally covers 80-90% of the artists’ performance fees, while contributed support helps make up the gap, underwrite artist lodging, transportation, hospitality … a few part-time staff, like
our emcees, sound engineers, development director and booklet designer, as well as
other direct programming expenses.
Q. How much money are you getting annually from regular donors?
Over the past two years, Jazz Vivace has received about $250,000 in combined donations and sponsorships — roughly $125,000 annually. We currently have 38 major donors who contribute at least $500 per year, along with many additional supporters who give at other levels. Our records show just over 130 people and companies who have donated at any level over the years.
Q. What’s the best way to donate?
The easiest way to donate is via our JV (Jazz Vivace) website. But many donors contact us and send checks through a charitable foundation, such as Vanguard Foundation, or send personal checks to our address. It really depends on the level of relationship they want to have with us. Anyone who wants more information can email supportjazz@jazzvivace.org, and one of our staff or board members will get back to them.
Q. Who manages the nonprofit’s funds?
The Jazz Vivace board.
Q. Is the club in the right neighborhood?
Yes, absolutely. Walnut Hills has a rich history, a strong cultural identity and a real sense of community. Walnut Hills has proven to be an ideal home for Caffè Vivace because it is centrally located and accessible to people from throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. We’ve also been fortunate to develop strong relationships with the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, the Model Group, neighboring businesses and the people who live in the community. We’ve watched the neighborhood continue to grow while maintaining its distinctive character. We’re proud to be part of that growth and very pleased that we recently extended our lease through 2031.
Q. What feedback do you get from artists who perform there?
They love the intimate atmosphere and the care/respect we give them. And we’ve worked pretty hard to improve things over the years. We originally had no green room and very limited options and help catering for them, but as we’ve grown, we’ve improved the facilities, and our board and network of helpers have grown. It’s still a challenge sometimes, but the artists express gratitude for the efforts we’ve made. They also appreciate that we made the effort to groom our audience as a listening audience. We don’t want any artists to play our place and feel like they are wallpaper.
Q. Could you say a little about Keeton’s role in the operation of the club?
Although she isn’t involved in the club’s day-to-day operations, she played a major role in developing the original concept and design. She worked alongside architect Katie Taylor, who was then with New Republic Architecture. Vanessa is also president of Jazz Vivace, currently serves as our interim social media director and helps with donor and customer relations. Otherwise, she works full-time in software development, which, especially those first few years, gave us the financial security to allow me to focus my energy on this venture and make it successful.
Q. What do you see in the future for Caffè Vivace?
I want Caffè Vivace to continue doing what it does best: presenting exceptional jazz in an intimate listening-room environment and giving artists and audiences an experience they can’t find elsewhere in the region. I also want Jazz Vivace to become more sustainable, expand its donor base and continue helping Cincinnati earn a national reputation as a city where serious jazz artists want to perform.
To check the schedule of shows at Caffè Vivace visit jazzvivace.org.
This article appears in Oct. 28 – Nov. 10, 2026.
