Irvin Mayfield performs at Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse.

Irvin Mayfield’s Residency at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse to End

Irvin Mayfield’s residency at the club that bears his name will come to an end on October 31. According to NOLA.com, the controversial musician will play his final show at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse during the venue’s Halloween Bash.

Mayfield, a Grammy-Award winning New Orleans jazz icon, helped Bourbon Street’s Royal Sonesta Hotel open the club on its ground floor in 2009. The venue featured consistent performances from Mayfield, as well as a variety of acclaimed artists from throughout New Orleans and the world (Stevie Wonder even dropped by for a surprise appearance after his Jazz Fest set was cancelled earlier this year).

However, Mayfield has been dogged by allegations of impropriety in recent years due to an ongoing journalistic investigation by WWL-TV. Those reports have suggested the jazz musician used his position on the New Orleans Public Library Foundation’s board to funnel money to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), a nonprofit he founded in 2002 and which paid him a six-figure salary. Mayfield resigned from the library foundation’s board after the allegations came to light, and NOJO has since agreed to pay back the money in question (Mayfield also stepped down from his position as NOJO’s artistic director).

Additional reports have focused on the Mayfield’s use of library foundation funds for travels expenses, including an $18,000 hotel bill that library foundation officials have said had nothing to do with their work. Those reports have also suggested that federal criminal investigation of Mayfield’s activities is underway, though no details regarding it have been made available to the public.

Now that Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse will no longer be associated with its namesake, there are a few questions surrounding the future of the establishment. NOLA.com reports that Royal Sonesta general manager Alfred Groos declined to elaborate on the venue’s long term plans, but did hint that it would stay in business.