HOME OF EGG ROLLS
JAZZ AND BLUES
John Chan’s Museum of Jazz, Art and Chinese Food in the heart of Woonsocket.
The Valley Breeze article written by staff writer Corey Plante.
For nearly five decades, John Chan has been on a quiet mission to turn his family’s Chinese restaurant into something far more ambitious: a world-class jazz club, an eclectic art gallery, and a cultural archive hidden in plain sight on Main Street.
Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining may be best known for its take on Chinese-American cuisine and weekend music performances, but it is also a living museum: a personal project lov.ingly curated by its owner for almost half a century. With paintings lining the walls, jazz legends memorialized in signed photographs, and stories for every surface, Chan’s is less a restaurant and more a museum with food and music.
“I collect art. I appreciate art. And I love the music,” John Chan told The Valley Breeze. “This is all part of me.”
Chan still books all the shows himself. He also enjoys golfing with celebrity friends and painting watercolors for fun. Much of his artwork is hung throughout the restaurant, which also features the largest known collection of paintings done by George Frayne IV, more commonly known as the frontman of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.
For Chan, he said his vast collection is about honoring the people who have come through his doors. That includes everyone from icons like Dizzy Gillespie and Leon Redbone to young musicians just starting out. Many of them have become friends, and some, like blues’ guitarist Monster Mike Welch and saxophonist Grace Kelly, started performing at Chan’s as teenagers.“All of Tony Bennett’s last band played here,” Chan said, pointing to a wall of photographs featuring longtime Bennett collaborators like Marshall Wood and Mike Renzi. “Renzi was one of the most sought-after accompanists in the world, and he was from right here in Providence.”
Much of Chan’s memorabilia collection has been donated or gifted over the years: there’s a gold record from the J. Geils Band and even an Oscar given to him by the Farrelly Brothers for his brief role opposite Cher in “Stuck on You” (2003).
There are also signed movie posters throughout the lobby of every Farrelly Brothers film, from “Dumb & Dumber” to “There’s Something About Mary.”
Chan met the Farrelly Brothers when they were classmates at Providence College in the ‘70s, and their friendship has flourished over the years. He smirked as he pulled out a small notebook and flipped through until he found it: a hand-sketched self-portrait by Cher from their time on set, along with similar doodles from the likes of Jason Isaacs, Huey Lewis, George Lopez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Cedric the Entertainer, and more.
Chan’s parents purchased the restaurant in 1965, becoming just the second family to run the business since its 1905 founding. Chan graduated from Providence College in 1974 and took over shortly after that, transform.ing the New Shanghai restaurant into what is now the House of Chan. Live music began in 1977. This year marks the 48th season of “Jazz and Blues on the Menu.”
He said the food has evolved over time, just like the music. Once centered around chow mein and chop suey, the menu has grown with changing palates. But for longtime customers, some things haven't changed. The stage and paintings remain as the collection is still always there, with music all weekend, every weekend. The phots and paintings remain as the collection all grows.
