Since opening its doors three years ago, The Century Room has hosted New Year’s Eve celebrations — including New Year’s Eve Eve — every year. Exploring various themes to inform each experience, this time around, the theme is set to be “Songs of the Silver Screen.” 

“The 1930s, ’40s and ’50s specifically, were the golden age of songwriting in America — that’s when Tin Pan Alley was active, you had Broadway shows and also the Golden Age of Hollywood,” Founder Arthur Vint said. “I hope (guests) will get to experience the glitz and glamour of an academy awards ceremony from the golden age of Hollywood.” 

The Century Room will ring in the new year with live music performances from headlining artist Sarah Tolar — an acclaimed jazz singer and vocal coach. She will be joined by guitarist Matt Mitchell, saxophone player Brice Winston, Dr. Angelo Versace, bass player Scott Black and Vint on drums.

Through the evening of Jazz music, the venue’s standard menu will be available and the event will culminate with a champagne toast and mirror ball drop. Additionally, the team has set up a red carpet and photo opportunity for attendees, building on the Hollywood theme. The host, Paul Bowman, will introduce each song as if announcing an Academy Award, the club founder said.  

Vint explained that the Century Room included a third show this year to ensure it could accommodate the demand of patrons who would like to celebrate the occasion at the jazz club. The show times are at 6:30, 8:30 and 11 p.m. — though at the time of publishing, the 8:30 p.m. show is sold out. The founder noted that the venue seats 85 guests and said he encourages patrons to get tickets as soon as possible, as they are selling quickly. 

“Songs of the Silver Screen,” Vint said, explores the music from the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s — especially pieces featured in classic films. He said that his plan for the performance is to show clips from the films each song is featured in and inspire attendees to rediscover some of their favorite movies and music, or delight in experiencing them for the first time.

In previous years, the events for the New Year’s Eve Celebration have included 1920s New York hot jazz, 1930s Cuba and vintage Caribbean and 1940s “Midnight in Paris.” Moving forward, Vint said, the themes will surround mid-century and more contemporary eras of jazz and mentioned that the team may also repeat themes some years.

“The Cuba theme was really popular and fantastic, so we may repeat it at some point,” the founder said. 

Though each theme differs from the others, Vint said they all are centered around a celebration and showcase of eras of jazz music — in keeping with the heart of the club. 

Despite spending much of his time running The Century Room, Vint said that drumming is and has remained a strong passion in his life and is excited to perform again. What makes Jazz music stand out, he said, is the musician’s tendency to stray from the notes written on the page and improvise. 

“We’ll start by reading music and then we each get to take turns improvising over those over the form of the song and I think that’s what draws a lot of people into jazz — the spontaneous composition,” the drummer said. “The history of jazz is very compelling — it comes from the Black American experience, it’s got great rhythm, really rich harmony, beautiful melodies and a history of great technicians on their instrument.

“My first love is being a musician and I’m excited to get to play with my colleagues.”  

For Vint and The Century Room team, New Year’s Eve is a celebration of rebirth and renewal. He said that they consider the occasion to be a “big accomplishment” and a halfway point between its busiest seasons — the Christmas shows prior and the upcoming Jazz Festival in mid-January.  The founder and drummer said that the team is always on the lookout for reasons to celebrate, including various musicians’ and composers’ birthdays.  

With the venue still being young, nearly four years old, Vint said that the completion of each year continues to be a major milestone. 

“It’s very rewarding work to see what we’ve built in terms of community and all the great shows we put on — it’s really satisfying and makes me very proud,” he said. “We’re always improving and building on what we’ve done and I just hope everyone that comes has a great time.” 

New Year’s Eve — Songs of the Silver Screen

WHEN: 6:30, 8:30, 11 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 31

WHERE: The Century Room, Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street,
Suite 1811, Tucson
COST: $45 to $75
INFO: hotelcongress.com