BrEndAn Ring, Proprietor, Nighttown

2007 Martha Joseph Prize for distinguished service to the arts

Brendan Ring, a native Dubliner, took over the venerable restaurant Nighttown in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in 2001, after working there for several years, and he added live music. But not just any live music; he took a huge risk and started booking the top names in jazz; then he added cabaret, folk and world-music artists. He has kept the atmosphere casual and friendly and the room in which the acts play comfortable and intimate. (The musicians feel so much at home there that they often hang out with the audience between sets and after the shows.) And Ring has kept ticket prices as low as possible. 

As a result of his cultural entrepreneurism, the original restaurant has flourished and expanded. The neighborhood has improved as a result of Nighttown’s stability and the people coming and going at all hours due to the addition of an almost year-'round outdoor patio. Now Nighttown is nationally recognized as one of the best spots to hear live jazz music. In fact, it has been designated as one of  the world's top 100 great  jazz clubs by Downbeat magazine’s "International Jazz Guide."