ASHEVILLE — It's been a remarkable run, but Tressa's Jazz and Blues will soon close after 22 years of floating jazz, funk and soul notes into the Asheville night.

April 25 was to be the last night of blues dancing at Tressa's, local vocalist Jesse Barry posted on Facebook, hours before she would take the stage for that event.

"I will never forget what an impact Tressa's club has had on my career," she wrote. "I first sang there when I was probably 12 years old — thanks to Peggy Ratusz for hosting me at her female spotlight."

The club's proprietor Tressa Thornton confirmed the closure later with her own Facebook post: "After 22 years of good times and great music, Tressa's is closing. Please join us this weekend and also this Tuesday, April 30th for last call at Tressa's!"

She also quoted Ecclesiastes 3:1, a Bible passage that's coincidentally found its way into song: To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.

When Tressa's opened on Broadway Street in 1997, Asheville was still sleepy but, with the help of artists, musicians and business owners like Thornton, the city was enjoying a quiet, organic transformation.

A 1997 Citizen Times story said that, after the first few months, the private club had already "signed some 550-600 members, each who paid a $25 annual membership fee." That was according to Terri Abernathy, who co-founded the club with Thornton.

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An earlier article revealed Thornton, who spent 10 years as as bartender in New Orleans, planned to bring some of that Big Easy spirit with her into downtown Asheville.

"Our major thrust here is to get that elegant New Orleans feel of a small, private club," Thornton said.

With live music spilling out on the street, followed by a host of regular patrons, the club did that and more for more than two decades, eventually becoming its own thing, with its own spirit.

Tressa's has long endured as an anchor to Asheville's earlier days, before the latest boom. After April 30, Tressa's will become a part of the city's past, like Vincent's Ear, Be Here Now and other long-gone intimate venues.

Look for a longer story, with comments from Thornton and local musicians, to come.