As some listeners crowded in the doorway of the jazz nightclub Luna, others resorted to sitting on the floor. People packed every table — keeping waitresses scurrying to take drink orders and holding trays high above their heads.
Customers perched on bar stools or relaxed on comfy couches amid intimate, candlelit tables covered with cocktail glasses. On Saturday night at Luna, couples kicked their saddle shoes in the air to the captivating music of the West Coast Rhythm Kings, a local “jump swing” band.
Adam Bernstein, owner of Adam’s Place, a fine-dining bar and grill located at 30 E. Broadway St. on the downtown mall in Eugene, expanded the restaurant Dec. 2 with the opening of Luna next door.
“We have been pleased with the community support,” Bernstein said. “People seem to really enjoy the space and appreciate the difference.”
Bernstein said he’s wanted to open a jazz club for the past five years, with the intent of creating a warm, romantic
atmosphere that offers a comfortable, casual and social environment with “a hint of elegance.”
Bernstein, Luna’s co-executive head chef, said the nightclub specializes in a Spanish tapas menu and fine wines. Tapas — savory hors d’oeuvres believed to have originated in Seville — are prepared either hot or cold at Luna, and can be filled with anything from sausage or duck to anchovies or potatoes. They are typically served with wine or sherry.
The bar at Adam’s Place is 28 feet from the entrance to Luna, Bernstein said, and the venue features live music three to five nights a week, enhanced with new sound and lighting systems. Bernstein said the staff of about 20 employees has been busy, especially on evenings when the place is packed. Luna doesn’t take reservations, so those looking for a table have to arrive a couple hours before showtime.

“It’s a really happening place,” Mike Olson said on Saturday as he watched the lead singer of the West Coast Rhythm Kings, dressed in a red zoot suit, bust out a tap dance. “It’s a good place to dance and have a good time.”
With a wide variety of musicians and talent, Luna offers the over-21 crowd offshoots of jazz music in the form of Latin/world, big band/swing, R&B/soul/blues, funk/groove and acoustic tunes. High-ceilings, modern artwork on the walls and dim lighting give Luna a classic yet eclectic, jazzy feel.
“It’s one of the few places to dance anymore,” Barbara Aten said. “Dancing is the best therapy there is.”
Stepping off the dance floor to catch her breath, the six-year swing dance veteran said she was with a group of “dance buddies” enjoying what she termed “chump blues.”
“I wish there was more music like this in town,” she said.
Luna features longtime local and regional talent as well as nationally touring acts, including its “house band,” Jazz Collective, at 9:30 p.m. Thursdays. The quintet, which has been together for about two months, is composed of pianist and junior jazz studies major Greg Goebel; University graduate Tim Clarke on trumpet; University graduate teaching fellow Todd DelGiudice on tenor saxophone; University graduate Randy Rollofson playing drums; and junior music major Andrea Niemiec on bass.
Goebel said in addition to the benefits of the new, nonsmoking facility at Luna, Jazz Collective also performs for “a fairly good crowd of people who are actually listening to the music.” Goebel said while he would play once a month at Jo Federigo’s Cafe and Bar, having a weekly gig at Luna has been a good change of pace — and the grand piano is another plus.
Patty McCulla, a local musician who books Luna shows, predicted that business will continue to grow, especially after the downtown mall is opened to motor vehicle traffic.
“We feel we are filling a niche that was ready to filled,” she said.
For more information about Luna, call 344-6948, or if interested in performing, contact McCulla at 465-1386. Luna’s talent lineup is listed in the Emerald’s weekly Pulse calendar.