Interview with Nicole and Scott Mattson, owners
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: Scott has a background in jazz music and worked professionally as a jazz drummer while earning his degree in music education. At the same time, Nicole was studying hospitality and beginning her career in hotels and restaurants. The idea of creating our own take on a jazz and supper club was just a dream for a long time, simmering on the back burner of our lives until we started to contemplate the decline of live jazz. It’s such an important part of our American culture and as we grew more passionate about doing our small part to keep jazz alive, we put the wheels in motion to create an experience that would bring jazz to a fun, hospitality-forward atmosphere.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: We put as much focus on the quality of our food, cocktails, and wine lists as we do on the quality of our music. There’s an art in a beautifully crafted dish just as much as there is art in a pianist’s solo. We encourage the bands that we book to push themselves in new directions with original compositions or deep studies of particular artists. Similarly, we push the kitchen to explore new ideas by drawing inspiration from iconic jazz albums. When you are faced with creating a dish that reflects the time, place, and feel of a particular song, it forces a certain amount of innovation and risk. We are constantly trying new things to keep the experience at Nocturne a very special night out.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: There are nights where you can feel the magic happening in the room. The musicians are giving it their all, the audience is engaged, there are champagne buckets on tables of people celebrating, and the energy has a certain buzz about it. We are absolutely thrilled when guests leave for the night telling us that they had one of their best nights out ever.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Nocturne combines a lot of risky pieces outside of the “normal” restaurant experience. A chef’s tasting menu inspired by a jazz album — it’s a little esoteric. A wine list that is mostly boutique and natural producers, full of names that not many people recognize. And jazz is a music genre about which some people tend to say “I don’t get it.” It can be challenging to encourage people to be up for the adventure, but the guests that embrace that adventure are telling us to keep doing what we’re doing.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: We put a lot of our own blood, sweat, and tears into making Nocturne come to life a year ago. We weren’t afraid to get dirty in the name of making our dream come true. Now, no matter how hectic an evening might get, we can look back and be thankful that we are spending our nights doing what we love.
Profile
Business: Nocturne
Address: 1330 27th St.
Hours: 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Founded: 2015
Contact: 303-295-3333, , @NocturneDenver
Employees: 22
