Twin sisters Kelly and Maze Tesfaye, owners of Twins Jazz in Washington, D.C., announced they are permanently closing their popular U Street lounge of more than twenty years due to "the harsh economic circumstances brought on by the ongoing pandemic." (Courtesy photo)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: August 31st, 2020
New York (TADIAS) — It was only three years go this past Spring that The Washington Post highlighted the Ethiopian American owned Twins Jazz club as one of the few surviving jazz institutions in the U.S. capital city.
But this week, the owners announced that they are permanently shutting down their popular U Street lounge of more than two decades due to the current economic downturn caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
“It is with profound sadness and sincere regrets for the impacts on all of you that we must announce that, owing to the harsh economic circumstances brought on by the ongoing pandemic, Twins Jazz has been forced to close its physical location at 1344 U Street NW Washington DC,” said Kelly and Maze Tesfaye in a statement. “As members and beneficiaries of a greater artistic community in DC and the National Capital Region, we hope to remain engaged with the local creative music scene in other ways, but despite concerted efforts over the past five months (to which some of you have kindly contributed), it has proved infeasible for Twins to remain in operation as a brick-and-mortar business.”
Kelly, left, and Maze Tesfaye came to the United States on a student visa in 1972. After opening a restaurant, they found themselves hosting jazz acts. Now, at its second location, on U Street, Twins Jazz has survived while other lounges have closed. (The Washington Post)
The Tesfaye sisters first launched their business in 1986 in a different location before re-opening in 2000 as Twins Jazz Club in the U Street neighborhood that’s famously referred to as the Black Broadway of the 1960s.
The statement added:
It has been an honor and privilege to serve the Jazz community in Washington, DC for 33 years,” “We came to this country from Ethiopia with a dream of owning our own business and we have done more than we could have ever imagined. The decision to close was very difficult, however we knew the safety of our patrons, musicians and staff was our top priority and given the uncertainty of when we could safely open our doors, we decided to close our location permanently.
On behalf of our entire family we would like to thank the amazing musicians and our dedicated staff who created an irreplaceable experience for our patrons. Thank you to our beloved city for supporting our establishment. To all of our supporters – local and abroad, THANK YOU.
We are taking this time to reimagine how we can continue to serve the DC jazz community in a new and innovative way that provides musicians with a platform to perform and continues the legacy that Twins Jazz has established in Washington, DC over the past three decades. Please remain tuned in to our social channels to learn more about ways to collaborate and support.”
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