Friday, June 17, 2005 | 8:13 a.m.
A lot of musicians lost a friend when pub owner Jim Holcombe died June 9 after suffering a stroke.
Come to think of it, everyone might have lost a friend.
The venerable 76-year-old owner of Pogo's, 2103 N. Decatur Blvd., didn't know any strangers.
"My dad's personalty was that he talked to everybody," his son Jamie Holcombe said following services Wednesday at St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, Catholic Church. "It didn't make any difference to him who it was -- a prince or a pauper. Either one he could fit in and have a conversation with."
Perfect strangers quickly joined his wide circle of friends.
"Everybody felt he was part of Dad's family," Jamie said. "I heard so many times the last couple of days, 'He was like my second dad.'
"And it was true. He was just that kind of person, a nice, giving person."
Jim Holcombe, a native of Plattsburgh, N.Y., opened Pogo's in 1968 after working for years at the Nevada Test Site.
For 40 years, in his spare time, he officiated school basketball games. In 1997 he was inducted into the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame.
The modest club that was his pride and joy features a horseshoe-shaped bar, a pool table, a jukebox that plays golden oldies and, on Friday nights, a jazz jam session that has been a staple for more than 30 years.
Drummer Irv Kluger, 84, has led the band for the past 20 years, attracting a following of musicians who sit in for a set or two between 8 p.m. and midnight.
Holcombe once said he didn't start out with jazz, it just survived by attrition. He tried a variety of music in the early days, but jazz was what his customers seemed to like.
And he always tried to give his customers something -- whether it be cheap drinks, friendly conversation or music.
In an interview, Holcombe said he never made any money off the bands, and not enough off the liquor to survive. The slot machines at the bar were what paid the bills and made it possible for him to keep Kluger and the gang going, at least one night a week.
Following Wednesday afternoon's services, a celebration of life was held at Ellis Island.
"Pogo's couldn't hold all of Dad's friends," Jamie said.
Ellis Island was a natural choice. It has the space, and the Holcombes and the Ellises have been friends for years.
The original Village Pub was inside Ellis Island.
"Gary Ellis' dad opened the Village Pub the day before my dad opened Pogo's," Jamie said. "Gary and I have been friends since we were kids."
Ellis now owns Ellis Island. He and Jamie are partners in the Village Pub chain that dots Las Vegas.
Jamie and his father were partners in the Lakes Lounge.
Although Jamie's name was on the license, he did not share ownership of Pogo's with his father.
"My name has always been on the license in case something like this happened," Jamie said.
Many wonder what will happen to Pogo's, and to the Friday night jazz jams.
"Since his passing I have been in there trying to get everything straightened out, get a feel for it," Jamie said. "I have a manager at the Lakes Lounge who has been helping me out.
"Hopefully, we will be able to just keep it going."
That includes the jazz.
"Hopefully, we will continue that," Jamie said. "We will evaluate it later, but for now it is status quo."
Even though the reception was held at Ellis Island, Kluger and his band were on hand to perform -- him and keyboardist Dick Fazio, saxophonist Dick Moreno and guitarist Roland Leone.
"So, Pogo's is here, and so is my dad," Jamie said. "He loved their music."
Lounging around
John Lee Hooker Jr. and the R&B band Blowin' Smoke will be among the featured entertainment at the Cannery's third annual Blues, Brews, and Barbecue festival from 5 p.m. to midnight today and from 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday.
Admission is $5.
The John Haig Orchestra will headline the eighth annual Lamont Patterson Big Band Dance at the Stardust starting at 7 p.m. Monday.
Admission to the three-hour concert is free.
Patterson was a Las Vegas-based jazz and entertainment columnist for more than 15 years. Before his death in 1997 he established a trust fund for a music scholarship at UNLV and an annual free big-band dance.
Previous events sponsored by the Patterson trust fund starred the bands of Jimmy Dorsey, Woody Herman and Buddy Childers.
The Haig Orchestra has been playing Vegas showrooms since 1968, backing artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley, Natalie Cole, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.
On June 20 the 17-piece ensemble will play tunes made famous by top-name bands of the Swing Era, including Glenn Miller, Harry James, Count Basie, Bunny Berigan and Benny Goodman. The band's book also features arrangements written for Sinatra by Nelson Riddle and Don Costa.
The Artisan Hotel/Spa features a jazz brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays and jazz by The Gents of Swing from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Brunch is $12.99 and includes a "bottomless glass" of champagne, mimosa or bloody Mary.
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