For more than 40 years, Deidra Willis has dreamed of doing this.

When she was growing up, her mom Ann Willis would play Miles Davis and Nancy Wilson jazz albums on Saturdays while cleaning the family's northwest Huntsville home.

"It was calming, peaceful," Deidra, now 50, recalls. "The music slowed things down."

Those small-but-resonant moments made young Deidra want to have her own live jazz venue someday.

That someday is now.

Willis and daughter Bria Willis are opening The Rhapsody, a jazz café, at Huntsville mixed-use outdoor shopping center Bridge Street Town Centre, address 365 The Bridge St. The venue and restaurant will be housed in the space formerly home to upscale restaurant Watercress, next to burger eatery Red Robin and across from the Cinemark movie theater. The Rhapsody is expected to open by late May. A firm opening has yet to be determined.

Deidra, whose work background is in education, daycare and grant-writing, says the deaths of her mom, grandmother and aunt inspired her to finally make the leap on opening a jazz joint.

“I’ve got to do this because I’ve got to leave a legacy and also be able to give back to my community,” Deidra says. Bria and Deidra happen to be African American. The Rhapsody’s social media proudly notes minority women own the venue.

From left: Bria Willis, Deidra Willis and Jesse Johnson, of The Rhapsody, a jazz cafe opening at Bridge Street in Huntsville. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)

Once a 20-day or so buildout is complete, capacity is expected to be around 180 to 220. The Rhapsody will host live music seven nights a week. A house band led by local saxophonist Alex Banks will perform Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Cover will be around $10 those nights. Touring and regional acts take the stage Thursdays through Sundays, with ticket prices usually in the $25 to $40 zone.

The food menu will mix soul-food and fine dining, Deidra says. Menu items will include hot collard greens, spinach and artichoke dip appetizer, red velvet waffles and chicken, Southern fried fish and sweet potato pie. Sunday brunch items will include shrimp and grits and a broiled grapefruit brulee. There will also be vegan options available, Deidra says, “We’re just trying to make sure everyone feels comfortable and at home.”

The Rhapsody's first show will take place before the venue is even ready.

Grammy-nominated saxophonist Boney James will perform 7 p.m. May 9 at The Rhapsody’s “pre-grand opening,” to be held across the Bridge Street’s open concourse, inside the Westin Huntsville hotel’s ballroom. Deidra says as of April 3, only 180 or so of the event’s 400 general admission tickets ($55 with service fee, via eventibrite.com) remain available. VIP tickets have already sold-out, she says.

A former sideman for the likes of Isley Brothers, Morris Day and Teena Marie, James has released 16 solo albums, 11 of which have topped the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart, including his latest LP, 2017′s “Honestly.” James’ primary musical influences include Grover Washington Jr., Tower of Power and Steely Dan. In 2009, Billboard named him one of that magazine’s top contemporary jazz artists of the decade, along with Norah Jones and Kenny G. James is from the New York area and currently based in Los Angeles.

James is one of Deidra’s favorite contemporary artists and she says this show with be his first ever in Huntsville. She’s booking The Rhapsody with help from Hoover jazz club Perfect Note. Her venue will host a variety of jazz subgenres, including cool jazz, smooth jazz, etc., she says.

Since Watercress shuttered in 2013, this prime, corner space has housed Bridge Street's security office and seasonal holiday giftwrapping. On a recent afternoon, yellow security jackets, safety cones and an electric-cart were still being stored here.

Soon though, the 5,000-square-foot space will be redone in a white, black, silver and red motif. A curved stage will be installed. Rows of cocktail and bistro tables, a greenroom, curtained VIP sections and full bar are also part of the plan. The Rhapsody will employ a staff of around 25 or 30.

Bria and Deidra co-own the venture with local businessman Jese Hawthorne. Another of Deidra’s daughters, Alexeis Peacock, is also involved, working with The Rhapsody’s front-of-house personnel. Bria Willis is in charge of marketing and, this being 2019, has been relying mostly on social media for that. But she says word-of-mouth about The Rhapsody is spreading too. “I wear this shirt,” Bria says, pointing at the gray Rhapsody logo emblazoned tee she’s sporting, "and they’re like, ‘Oh you’re the one that’s opening that up.’ And I’m like ‘Yeah, me and mom, we’re doing it.’

A new mother herself, it’s not lost on Bria her six-month-old daughter could one day be part of the fold here too. Growing up Bria developed a taste for jazz from her mom as well as her dad, who often played jazz on his car’s stereo. These days she’s more likely to listen to R&B singers like Avant or rappers such as Cardi B.

Deidra considered opening The Rhapsody in a University Drive space. But The Rhapsody's general manager Jesse Johnson, who is also Deidra's romantic partner, says Bridge Street's diverse clientele made this the ideal location. "Jazz crosses all races," says Johnson, a Mobile native with restaurant experience going back to 1988. "Especially in this time of division, this is going to be something where everybody can come together."

The summer 2018 closing of downtown nightspot Amendment XXI, which hosted a weekly jam popular with local jazz-heads, was a blow to those who liked seeing live jazz on a regular basis, locally in an intimate setting. As Huntsville moves towards filling music hall, large rock club and amphitheater holes here, a jazz cafe may seem like it’s filling a smaller void. But it’s still a void. And one involving one of America’s greatest indigenous art forms. Since the latter 20th century, jazz has moved to culture’s periphery. But even in the streaming era the music of genre giants like John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk still exudes timeless cool. Deidra hopes this vibe will help The Rhapsody become a go-to Huntsville “date night” spot.

Asked what she hopes people will be thinking as they leave a Rhapsody show for the first time, Deidra smiles and says, “When’s the next one?”

And what will she be feeling when her venue opens, finally after all these years, jazz flowing from the bandstand and customers grooving? “So excited,” Deidra says. “And I can hear my mom saying, ‘Job well done.’”

More: therhapsodyjazzcafe.com