New jazz club.
Milwaukee guitarist Evan Christian has commanded clubs throughout Milwaukee for 16 years.
Now he’s got a club to call his own.
The versatile Christian — flamenco, jazz and blues are among his specialties — opened a jazz joint, Gibraltar, last December.
“It’s been a dream of mine for quite some time,” Christian, 39, said. “To be able to play in my own space is so much better than the word ‘fantastic.’”
Formerly Felipe’s Place, the building at 538 W. National Ave. was purchased about a year ago by developer Dieter Wegner, who encouraged his friend Christian to open a club in the space. Its namesake is a British-controlled region on the southern coast of Spain, a country Christian called home for six years.
“The bathrooms were removed, the bar was removed, we replaced the floors and walls,” Christian said.
The result is a warm space reflective of the sharp-dressing Christian, with rich maroon walls, rustic exposed brick, handsome wooden floors, elegant chandeliers plush furniture in the back, and some of Christian’s guitars hanging on the walls among a handful of paintings.
Aric Weston, formerly from the Iron Horse Hotel, manages the charming bar, and Christian’s kept the cozy stage busy with live music six nights a week. Mondays feature an open mic, followed by DJ Bizzon spinning soul and funk songs. Gibraltar features flamenco (and often, its owner) on Wednesdays, and blues on Thursday. Past performers have included an unplugged set by the BoDeans co-founder Sam Llanas, and Chicago-based jazz guitarist Justin Dillard.
The club booked a return gig with Dillard, plus shows with Chicago acts the Twin Talk Trio and the Christian Greene Quartet. In April, it hosts New Yorkbased artist Adem Tesfaye, who jumps from hip-hop to funk to blues.
“Going from being a performer to running a club can be very arduous,” Christian said, saying that the legal steps to get the place open were particularly head-spinning and eye-opening. “But anything a person wants to do in this world that is going to mean anything usually is arduous. I would like to make Gibraltar a destination spot, not just for local and regional talent, but for national and international talent.”
Gibraltar already has a grateful following. The place was packed for Dillard’s January show, on a Packers Sunday no less.