Mercury Legacy Jazz Jam & Poetry Open Mic

For decades, Friday nights at The Mercury Cafe were home to one of Denver’s most beloved traditions: live jazz, spoken word, community, creativity, and the kind of magic that could only happen when musicians and poets gathered in one room together. As Denver mourns the closing of the historic Mercury Cafe building, The Karma House is deeply honored to help carry a piece of that legacy forward.
From 7 PM - 9 PM, jazz musicians will take the bar for an open jam session full of improvisation, collaboration, soul, and sound. Then from 9 PM - Midnight, the mic opens for poets — from seasoned veterans of the Denver poetry scene to first-time performers finding the courage to share their voice for the very first time.
This isn’t just another open mic. This is the continuation of a Denver cultural tradition that has existed for over 30 years. A space where art, music, vulnerability, resistance, storytelling, and community meet each other in real time.
Expect passionate poetry, smoky jazz vibes, unexpected collaboration, laughter, heartbreak, fire, tenderness, experimentation, and moments that remind you why spaces like this matter so deeply.
Whether you spent years at The Merc or are experiencing this tradition for the first time, you are invited to be part of this new chapter as two communities come together to celebrate legacy, resilience, and rebirth through art.
Come listen.
Come play.
Come perform.
Come witness.
Come help keep the legacy alive.
About The Karma House:
The Karma House is a community-centered kava bar and gathering space in Lakewood focused on connection, creativity, healing, and belonging. We host a wide variety of events including live music, workshops, movement classes, support groups, comedy, poetry, art, and community gatherings.
We proudly serve kava, a traditional plant beverage originating from the Pacific Islands and used ceremonially and socially for generations throughout cultures including Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Samoa. We honor and acknowledge the Indigenous Pacific Island communities who have cultivated and protected these traditions for centuries.