We’re all familiar with the Elephant Room - the iconic basement venue that’s been the homey hub of the Austin Jazz community since 1991. You may have read the many accolades the club has received over the years from local, national and even international magazines and personalities. You’re likely familiar with its cool, laid back atmosphere, the no frills, old-school drinks, dozens of international beers, all the many regular and familiar faces and, of course, the great local jazz music. But it’s highly unlikely that you have ever met the gentleman at the heart of it all - Mr. Jean-Pierre Vermaelen.
JP was born in Lueven, Belgium, in 1950. His father was a businessman and later became City Manager of this Belgian beer brewing capital. His brother, followed in their father’s footsteps. JP, on the other hand, was a bit of a black sheep, and in 1984 after spending a year in the Belgian army, decided to venture off to America following his childhood running buddy Luc Vanmechelen (aka Bobo).
Bobo, a bit of black sheep himself, had come to the US in 1979 and opened up the Belgian beer bar and restaurant, Gambrinus, on Congress Ave. Working there JP came to know a couple of the real estate executives from Trammell Crow who owned the buildings across the street, including the historic Swift Building that had a basement. He inquired about that vacant basement space but they weren’t leasing it.
JP Remembered a couple of cool jazz clubs in Brussels, both of which were in basements, so he was keeping his eye on that space. In 1985 it became the storage tank for the largest excavation of mastodon bones west of the Mississippi. Then, later those bones were taken to the Smithsonian and around 1989, the real estate giant changed its tune and executives approached JP about taking a look at the space.
In 1990, he formed a partnership with local attorney David Chamberlain and in January of 1991 his basement jazz bar opened with the sounds of the Jazzmanian Devil (Tomas Ramirez) wafting up the staircase to the street.
JP is not one for small talk, gratuitous socializing or self-promotion. While the club’s growing reputation began to attract attention and garner press, JP would slip quietly into the office and let someone else do the talking. He is not a frontman. What he is is a damned hard worker and a devoted friend, who cares deeply for those surrounding him, even going out of his way with unspoken acts of true kindness whenever he sees a need.
That quiet, stout and stoic personality is perfectly reflected in the room he built, the room we all feel so at home in when it draws us down those stairs with great jazz and gives us a sense of reliable, solid ground in a cozy, warm space that is the Elephant Room. That is JP Vermaelen.