Earlier this month, Vancouver's jazz scene got a little quieter as longstanding restaurant and live venue Rossini's closed its doors after 18 years. A family business if there ever was one, Rossini's began on the beaches of Kitsilano with drummer and music producer Arni May hatching a plan with his son Shayne to bring live jazz and authentic Italian cuisine to the people and provide a venue for travelling acts and local performers looking for a start.

In August 1992, they took over the former Fish on Yew location and quickly became a Vancouver institution, playing host to jazz legends such as the Ray Brown Trio, Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, McCoy Tyner and Stanley Turrentine as well as countless up-and-coming and established local entertainers, including Denny Clark, Amanda Wood, Bob York, actor Michael Moriarty, Michael Bublé and Rossini's mainstay and grandfather figure Linton Garner, older brother of Errol Garner.

"I remember sitting on the beach with my father before it even started, doing a lot the business on the beach," recalls the young May. "The vision was really simple--take good care of people, give them great food and great music. Music, food and fun."

May says it wasn't long before his wife Shannon, his mother Anne, his two brothers Stephen and Mark, and Mark's wife Janette got in on the act. May's daughter Malia, an aspiring singer, also performed on Rossini's famed stage. In 1999, they expanded with a second Rossini's location in Gastown, but it was eventually closed down after enduring months of nearby construction from the now-defunct Storyeum tourist attraction.

"It's great to be a part of a great team that made it happen," May says. "That's not to say there wasn't a lot of fighting. But we were family."

One of May's favourite memories of Rossini's was when legendary jazz pianist McCoy Tyner performed six or seven years ago and the power went out in the middle of his set.

"Packed house, and then all of a sudden the power goes out. No lights, no nothing... We put candles throughout the whole restaurant, on the piano, on the stage, and it had to be one of the most magical nights I've ever experienced in my life."

Another memorable evening was the time May's father Arni, who has drummed over the course of his career with everyone from Elvis Presley and Paul Anka to Neil Sedaka and Rolf Harris, was able to sit in with Grammy Award-winning Latin percussionist Poncho Sanchez.

As for the closure of Rossini's original Kits location, it's a familiar tune: the need to renovate and keep up with the times and neighbourhood but an inability to secure a long-term lease to make it financially viable. May also acknowledged his father's health has become a growing concern. Although Arni is "73 years young," his son wants him to retire and enjoy a more relaxed life.

"He's not doing great, but not doing too bad," May says. "He's got many different things he's dealing with, with his health. But he's old school. 'Ah, they don't know what they're talking about,' he says, and then smokes another cigarette."

Besides the toll on his father, May says the hardest part about closing Rossini's is the restaurant's loyal clientele, not to mention the local talent they've supported over the years.

"I feel proud for the simple fact that this was what my father wanted to do," May says. "I'm very proud of the people who have learnt and come to our stages and never would have been given a chance anywhere else, and my father just said, 'Let's give it a go.'"

To that end, this Thursday, Aug. 26, some of those local musicians who first honed their chops at Rossini's will join in celebration and song at the Performing Arts Lodge (PAL) Penthouse, 581 Cardero St., with music starting at 5 p.m.

"At first they wanted to do it as a wake," May says. "But Mom and Dad said, no, no, this is not about a wake, this is about a celebration--18 years of a fantastic place to listen to music--so let's celebrate."

mkissinger@vancourier.com