By William Croyle
Enquirer contributor

NEWPORT - A jazz and blues dinner restaurant will open June 9 on the first floor of the old Otto Zimmerman printing building across from Newport on the Levee.

One of the managing partners, Steve Taylor, said Thursday that it's something the Levee area lacks.

"I thought there was a real void on the Levee for live music in a mature, adult setting," Taylor said. "We're not here to blow your ears out."

UpStarCrow will be open seven days a week and will feature live music each night. The main act five nights a week will be local jazz musician Steve Barone.

The restaurant will be 8,000 square feet and seat 275. It will have a 40-foot racetrack bar and a stage. The entire place will be nonsmoking.

Taylor expects to hire close to 80 employees.

The menu will include appetizers, steak, chicken, seafood, pasta, salads and homemade cheesecake.

Taylor said he expects an average bill will run $30 a person.

Managing controller Michael Ringering said soft jazz music will be featured until about 10 p.m., with the tempo picking up a bit with jazz and blues music the rest of the evening.

The building, constructed in the mid-to-late 1800s, also has some historical significance in the jazz world. Taylor said he found out that according to the autobiography of W.C. Handy - who has been called the father of blues music - the sheet music for Handy's song "Memphis Blues" was printed by the Otto Zimmerman Co. in that building.