"Guests entered from the cool late-fall air to vie for one of the main floor's 15 tables or for a spot at the long bar, which seats 11. During the MLB season, regulars watch the Dodgers or a movie on the corner television. On this night, a mixed crowd of millennials, Gen Xers, and twenty-somethings leaned their ears towards the saxophone, upright bass, and percussion."
"In 2017, Gail Casburn, her husband Judah, and their son Owen took over the building, opening it as the 1881. That same year, Taylor, a touring and session drummer for notable recording artists like Michael Bublé, Rick Springfield, and Bobby Caldwell, approached Gail Casburn to launch a Friday jazz night. With each passing week, the club grew into a captivating place to hear seasoned musicians play and a refuge that helped heal a historic neighborhood, one improvised note and cocktail at a time."
On a November night in 2025, drummer Joel Taylor tightened his cymbals to begin a set at 1881, a jazz club on the Altadena–Pasadena border. The main floor seats 15 tables and a long bar seats 11, attracting a mixed crowd of millennials, Gen Xers, and twenty-somethings. The club opened in 2017 when Gail Casburn, her husband Judah, and their son Owen converted a 1933 building into 1881. Taylor launched a Friday jazz night that grew weekly, drawing seasoned touring and session musicians. On January 7, 2025, the Eaton Fire destroyed homes and instruments belonging to Taylor and pianist Quinn Johnson, displacing neighborhood residents.
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