DON’T STOP THE MUSIC: Cellist Dan Kassel is among the artists appearing at Small World Coffee on weekends this month. Music and visual arts are a priority for Jessica Durrie, who opened the Witherspoon Street branch 29 years ago.

By Anne Levin

Since opening Small World Coffee on Witherspoon Street in 1993, Jessica Durrie’s mission has been about more than creating the perfect lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, and macchiatos.

“It’s about coffee, of course,” she said. “But it’s really about building community through coffee. And in order to build a rich community, it has always been important to me to bring in the arts.”

Small World has presented local musicians and exhibited local artists since its earliest days. On weekend evenings this month, the popular coffee house, which has a sister location on Nassau Street, will present performers in a range of styles, from Latin jazz to pop nostalgia and more.

“We’ve dedicated wall space to visual art, and Saturday nights and some Fridays to music,” Durrie said. “It gives musicians a local venue, and it provides the community with a place to see random musicians that they might not realize are just out their back door.”

The first band to play Small World was led by local musician Chris Harford, known for his “Band of Changes.” Harford, who has his own recording studio in Hopewell, has returned many times to perform. “Chris has such a depth of connection in the music industry, and is so loved by everybody, which has been a big factor for us,” Durrie said. “We’ve had members of Ween perform at the café, which was just wild. Also, we’ve had Joe Russo of [the band] Joe Russo’s Almost Dead play here a number of times with Chris. In our early years, we had The Spin Doctors. It was insane — really packed. And it was a lot of fun.”

Durrie is especially proud to be presenting the Nick Cosaboom Quartet this Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5, doing Latin jazz from Puerto Rico. Cosaboom, a percussionist, is her son.

“He went to the Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico in San Juan for five years, and was the only American from the mainland who was there,” Durrie said. “It’s an amazing conservatory, but nobody knows about it. We’re flying in four musicians, who are fellow graduates of the conservatory, to play with him.”

Other performers coming to the café this month are Darla Rich Jazz on November 12, cellist Dan Kassel on November 18, guitarist Tom Trovas on November 19, and B.D. Lenz playing jazz, funk, Latin, and rock on November 26.

Durrie leaves the selection of talent to Small World’s General Manager Vin Jule, who is a musician. A link on the website smallworldcoffee.com allows people to submit suggestions for musical shows and visual art exhibits.

Another community event at Small World is the annual Open Mic Night, organized by the Corner House Student Board and usually held in the spring. “We’ve done it about nine years in a row, for high school kids from both public and private schools,” said Durrie. “It is literally one of the sweetest nights of the year. It’s always packed. They’re sitting all over the place. It’s a beautiful thing, where the kids are so supportive of one another. It’s great to be able to house that kind of event.”

Musical performances are from 6-7:30 p.m., always free. “Depending on the musicians and their personal marketing efforts, it can get quite crowded,” said Durrie. “Other times, it’s more mellow.”

The performers are always paid. “We have had an amazing roster of talent over the years, including local musicians who fill stadiums and other large venues yet still enjoying performing at our humble café,” Durrie said. “We try to create an environment that enriches both the musical acts and the audience.’’

Navigating the pandemic, and more recently the reconstruction of Witherspoon Street, has been a challenge. “I think people’s patience is starting to grow thin,” Durrie said. “Foot traffic is down. But all of us, the merchants, are trying to look to the future.”