In the basement of Notre Dame’s LaFortune Student Center was a little room called The Nazz.
On weekend nights, students crowded in to hear other students play jazz, folk, soft rock and the songs of the era. There were open stages, packed performances, Christmas shows and musicians like Rich Prezioso and Rick Walters—some of whom would also find their way onto WSND-FM.
For one Notre Dame student, The Nazz was where he first remembers hearing “Amie” and “Desperado,” played not from a record, but by another student with a guitar.
Drawing on contemporary issues of The Observer and Scholastic—and memories from someone who was there—this Chesterton Radio Deep Dive returns to a nearly forgotten corner of Notre Dame life and the music that once drifted up from the basement of LaFortune.
THE NAZZ — NOTRE DAME
Deep Dive Source Links
Notre Dame Scholastic — “Jazzing Up the Nazz” (December 9, 1977)
https://archives.nd.edu/Scholastic/VOL_0119/VOL_0119_ISSUE_0006.pdf
The Observer — The Nazz: “We’re Back!” / Rich Prezioso and other performers (September 6, 1979)
https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v14/1979-09-06_v14_008.pdf
The Observer — The Nazz schedules performers; Rick Walters and Rich Prezioso (February 8, 1980)
https://archives.nd.edu/Observer/1980-02-08_v14_081.pdf
The Observer — “Rick Walters Plays Acoustic on Nightflight” / WSND-FM (May 1, 1980)
https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v14/1980-05-01_v14_131.pdf
The Observer — The Nazz feature: music, Open Stage, Rich Prezioso, Rick Walters (September 11, 1980)
https://archives.nd.edu/observer/1980-09-11_v15_015.pdf
The Observer — Rich Prezioso & Kevin Quigley / Country Rock Jam preview (October 31, 1980)
https://archives.nd.edu/observer/1980-10-31_v15_047.pdf
The Observer — Country Rock Jam review / Prezioso & Quigley / Pure Prairie League connection (November 13, 1980)
https://www.archives.nd.edu/Observer/v15/1980-11-13_v15_056.pdf
The Observer — Christmas Nazz (December 4, 1981)
https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v16/1981-12-04_v16_069.pdf
The Observer — Campus performers who regularly played The Nazz (February 3, 1982)
https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v16/1982-02-03_v16_088.pdf
Notre Dame Performing Arts — History and legacy of The Nazz
Notre Dame Observer Digital Archive
https://archives.nd.edu/Observer/Observer.htm
Notre Dame Scholastic Digital Archive
