Kelly and Massa Photography

The former Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus in Northern Liberties, which closed its doors in April, hosted generations of Temple students as performers and listeners.

Saxophonist Tal Shtuhl stood on a stage draped in blue mood lighting, glancing up periodically from his music charts to watch the door as the final players trickled in. With everyone on stage, Shtuhl gave a quick rundown of the set list, making sure everyone was on the same page, before launching into an up-tempo jazz arrangement.

A few months ago, this scene might have played out in Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus, the historic Northern Liberties venue a few blocks away from Temple’s Main Campus. For more than two decades, jazz artists and aficionados — including generations of Temple students — gathered at the club to hear some of the best music in the genre. But Ortlieb’s closed its doors in April, leaving a gaping hole both in the local jazz scene and in performance opportunities for Temple musicians. So on this night, Shtuhl, a senior music major, and his ensemble were performing in the Temple Student Center as part of a new series that is filling that gap with monthly performances at the Underground student night club.

“It was a shame when Ortlieb’s closed,” said Shtuhl. “It was a guaranteed audience and a really great venue for jazz in the city.”

Mindful of the impact of that loss, Boyer College of Music and Dance Professor of Jazz Terell Stafford began the new program to allow jazz students to continue to learn the process of producing a live performance. Dubbed Jazz@The Underground, the series features a different group of students, faculty and guest artists in performance each month.

“Jazz at the Underground provides a venue for students to present their groups, compositions and musical concepts to the student body and community,” said Stafford. “These opportunities are helping students better prepare for the music scene.”

Students interested in performing at the Underground submit recordings of their music at the beginning of the year with hopes to be chosen for the series. If selected, they coordinate all aspects of the performance, including planning the program, rehearsing and promoting the date.

“It’s a real learning experience for our students,” Stafford said. “They’re responsible for everything that it takes for a professional artist to produce an evening of enjoyable music.”

Danny Janklow, a senior saxophonist who often performed at Ortlieb’s, knows that the club will be difficult to replace. Still, he is grateful to have a new outlet for jazz even closer to home. His quartet was first to perform there as part of the series.

“The Underground is on campus and that’s a great thing,” he said. “There’s no excuse when it’s a block away from your house.”