John Katsilometes stops in for an eye-opener at Downtown Coffee Company

Sunday, Aug. 20, 2006 | 7:44 a.m.

For the nearly two months the Downtown Coffee Company's free Friday night jazz jam sessions have been one of the city's best-kept secrets.

Not anymore. Today the place is outed.

After weeks of prodding by event organizer Daryl Morris, (who is also by happenstance the son of renowned drummer Bobby Morris, who from the back fronts the loosely assembled band each Friday), I stopped by the club/deli/coffee house for a few minutes Friday and wound up staying for two hours. The business is a partnership between lifelong friends (and lifelong Las Vegans) Andy Katz and Jim Barbarite, with the younger Morris serving as emcee and talent coordinator.

The business is housed in the former First United Methodist Church of Las Vegas, the oldest church in Las Vegas, which was constructed in 1905. Katz and Barbarite took over the building three years ago with the idea that it could be a combination of Starbucks and Kinko's, catering to an early-morning professional clientele, and serve as a deli later in the day (its non-jazz hours are 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily). But when Bobby Morris saw the layout, the one-time music director for Elvis Presley thought "music club," and began organizing weekly jam sessions known as "Jazz at the Church" in the building space that, decades earlier, was in fact the church chapel.

Friday night drew a hodgepodge of performers: Those taking the stage included accordion legend Dick Contino, throwback comic Babe Pier, clarinet virtuoso Steve Johnson, and R&B vocalist Jeremy Cornwell (who bolted for his regular gig at Kennedy at the District at Green Valley Ranch after his short set), and blues singer Mary Oliver, who recently won a BET award as LasVegas' top blues vocalist.

This place is already turning away some performers who hope to take the stage - not enough time for everyone to play - and within weeks should be standing-room only.

NoteMart

MySpace.com (which, by the way, is seizing control of the planet) has announced that the first live performance of the upcoming CD "Sam's Town" by the Killers will be Wednesday night at an exclusive VIP event at Celebrity Showroom on the corner of Third and Ogden streets in downtown Las Vegas. Don't know what will be more rollicking - the show or attempts by the band's aggressive fans to gain entrance into the show.

Those of us who write around-town columns receive scads of celebrity "sighting" reports from club/restaurant reps. On Saturday we reached a new level, I guess, with a "sighting" of former major league relief pitcher John Rocker on Friday at Rain nightclub at the Palms.

This year's Emmy Awards "swag" bags (which are reportedly packed in a rolling footlocker for transport) are to include a VIP stay at Caesars Palace valued at $8,500, part of a $42,000 consolation prize package for Emmy "losers."

Horse-powered: A reader reports tailing a silver Saturn convertible east on Desert Inn Road with the plate HOSILVR.