Blue Wisp to go to highest bidder

The name. The iconic sign. Photos of the jazz greats who played there. The remaining assets of Cincinnati’s legendary Blue Wisp Jazz Club are about to be auctioned off to the highest bidders.

All that is left of the Blue Wisp, which closed its doors in June 2014, will be sold and its proceeds distributed to creditors, according to Hamilton County court-appointed Cincinnati attorney Andrew W. Green. Although the time and date of the auction are not yet firm, Green is hoping to hold it on Sept. 14 in Cincinnati.

And whoever buys the business at auction – including the name, intellectual property rights, website, Facebook page and any other assets – could resurrect the storied jazz club once again.

The club operated for four decades in several venues throughout the city. Its final location, a 7,100-square-foot-space at Seventh and Race streets, formerly housed RedFish, Sully's and Bagpipes Irish Pub, and included a restaurant and bar.

When it closed suddenly in 2014, then-owner Jack Brand was the only remaining partner of a group that had tried to make a go of the oft-struggling jazz venue. He transferred ownership to the court in September of 2014 after failing to sell the business, said Rodger Moore, Brand's attorney at the time of the Wisp's closing.

“Frankly, the reason it didn’t sell to anyone else was because of the debt,” said Moore, who said debt owed to creditors amounted to six figures, but could not be specific.

The Blue Wisp Jazz Club was established in 1973 by Marjean and Paul Wisby in O’Bryonville. Besides Brand, a builder/developer, the most recent partnership consisted of former classmates from Walnut Hills High School who purchased the business in 2007. Philanthropist Hank Schneider dropped out earlier, and lawyer Ed Felson, a conservatory-trained bass player who booked the acts, sold his share in 2013.

Blue Wisp timeline

1973: Marjean and Paul Wisby buy the Blue Wisp - then in O'Bryonville. Described as "a funky little neighborhood bar," local jazz musicians convince the owners to include live music to increase business. The Wisbys make it a jazz-only club and book local luminaries such as Jimmy McGary and Cal Collins. They also attract national talent.

1980: A group of local musicians, including legendary drummer John Von Ohlen, found the 16-piece Blue Wisp Big Band, which gains an international following.

1984: Paul Wisby dies of a heart attack at age 45.

1989: Marjean Wisby loses her lease. Faced with the decision to close the Blue Wisp or move it, she chose the latter and moved Downtown to a subterranean space on Garfield Place.

2002: The Garfield Place lease ends. A Covington native, Wisby applies for a Kentucky liquor license and considers moving across the river.

2003: With financial help from City Council, Wisby moves to 318 E. Eighth St., Downtown. Big-name jazz artists such as Joe Lovano as well as CCM jazz students and faculty members are regulars at the club.

2006: The owner dies of pneumonia at age 62. Musicians put on a concert to raise money for her funeral and struggle to keep the financially-strapped club open.

Nov. 2007: A partnership of Cincinnati businessmen who have known one another since their days at Walnut Hills High School buys the club at 318 E. Eighth St., Downtown, for an undisclosed amount.

The location, with windows on three sides, combines a big-city feel with the ambiance of a car dealership - the building's original use. Dim lighting hides the drab interior of black tables and chairs. Two fish tanks cast an eerie glow over the bar. Although the club's former versions were thick with smoke (an extensive system of smoke-eaters remains overhead), the Blue Wisp goes non-smoking. There's no kitchen, but the new owners – Jack Brand, Ed Felson and Hank Schneider -- experiment with pizza, soft pretzels and desserts.

Feb. 11, 2011: George Clooney surprises big band fans when the actor, along with his parents, Nick and Nina Clooney, and actors Ryan Gosling and Evan Rachel Wood from his film, "The Ides of March," show up to listen to the Blue Wisp Big Band.

Nov. 2011: The club signs a 15-year lease with Towne Properties to move to a space at Seventh and Race streets that formerly housed RedFish restaurant. The space is 7,100 square feet in two rooms. Plans are in the works to staff the kitchen, build a stage and renovate the dining and performing space.

Jan. 2012: The club moves to its new home. Investor Hank Schneider pulls out shortly after the move.

May 23, 2012: The Blue Wisp Jazz Club celebrates what would have been Rosemary Clooney's 84th birthday by renaming its music performance area the "Rosemary Clooney Room."

Jan. 6, 2013: Barely a year after moving into its new home at Seventh and Race, Downtown, the Blue Wisp Jazz Club could close by the end of the month unless its owners find a way to keep it alive. Faced with the challenge of running a combined restaurant and jazz club, as well as a scheduled rent increase as part of a 15-year lease with Towne Properties, co-partner Ed Felson sent an e-mail to patrons saying the iconic jazz club could close by Jan. 31.

July 2013: Musician and booking expert Ed Felson sells his share of the Blue Wisp Jazz Club, leaving it in the hands of former partner Jack Brand and a new manager, hospitality expert Ken Moore.

Aug. 2013: The club strikes a note of discord with its landlord. The jazz club files suit in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court against Groton Lofts, which is owned by Towne Properties, as well as the Piatt Park Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., claiming breaches of contract and "unreasonable demands."

March 2014: The parties agree to dismiss the case after reaching a settlement.

June 6, 2014: The Blue Wisp officially closes.

The Enquirer archives contributed to this report.