With Kelly’s connections you never know who’ll show up to been around since 1976 and is a small, no frills lounge
perform or observe. The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley and complete with plastic ferns hanging from the ceiling,
Bucky Heard, as well as local faves Gordie Brown and Frankie 1980s artwork on the wall and a wooden waterwheel prop
Scinta have all made regular appearances. As far as the that looks like it came out of a mobile home park. This is
crowd, it’s always packed and enthusiastic. You just might the place, I was told, to find world-class jazz on certain
spot a famous boxer carbing-up with lasagna, a Hollywood nights, courtesy of musical mastermind and juggernaut,
star eating pizza by hand, or there just might be a few Uli Geissendoerfer.
behind-the-scenes casino execs or booking agents search-
ing for new talent between slurps of Zuppa di Minestrone.
Originally from Munich, Germany, Uli moved to Las Vegas in
2009 and worked as the musical director for Cirque Du Soleil’s
As a side note Kelly told me about how she got her start at a
similar open mic night back in the mid-1980s at the long-
gone Maxim Hotel and Casino where she honed her talent
under mentor Frank Link. Ever since, it’s been her wish to pay
things forward by creating an experience where veteran and
aspiring artists alike can congregate, network and keep the
classic nightclub scene alive...and if that’s not an awesome
and generous thing to wish for, I don’t know what is! Check
out BootleggerLasVegas.com for the lowdown.
Uli Geissendoerfer’s Jazz Club –
The Dispensary Lounge
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While looking into live music and chatting with local artists,
most all the performers I met kept telling me to check out
The Dispensary Lounge on East Tropicana. The place has
short-lived “Viva Elvis” show. A world-traveling musician,