Beginning Friday, there will be a new word frequenting the lips of Oak Harborites — Jazzbones. Say it with me now, Jazz-bones.

You’ll need all the practice you can get, because beginning with its grand opening June 15, Jazzbones Oak Harbor is likely to become the new definition of what dining, live music and entertainment can be in this city.

“Our strength will be both the music and the food,” said Jason Youngsman, bar manager and talent buyer. “We want people to enjoy a good meal, have fun and ultimately stick around for a great show.”

Jazzbones Oak Harbor will open as a 21-and-over establishment until a second phase of renovations can reconfigure the layout to allow for family dining.

The front half of the house will be a restaurant serving a lunch and dinner menu featuring steaks, seafood, pasta, salads and a sushi bar.

At the Sushi Raw Bar, East Coast sushi master Mr. Lee will combine traditional Japanese cuisine with Northwest influences. Raw Bar menu will include 30 specialty rolls, 20 types of sashimi and sushi, as well as salads. Classic martinis, decadent desserts, Japanese beers, hot and cold sake, creative champagne and sake cocktails, and wines will enhance the experience.

Jazzbones owner Terry Suzuki is entrusting the daily operations to two people already familiar to the building and the city.

General manager Shelly Gary, and bar manager/talent buyer Jason Youngsman’s employment dates back to when the establishment was For Pete’s Sake steak house more than five years ago. Both look forward to the transition and ushering in a new wave of food and entertainment in Oak Harbor.

“This will really be the wave of the future for Oak Harbor,” Gary said. “We want to duplicate the success of Tacoma and build on it.”

Youngsman said Jazzbones will be unlike anything anyone in Oak Harbor has seen before.

“We will be so eclectic with our offerings and will appeal to a broad spectrum of people,” he said.

Gary said she wants to see Jazzbones as the place for everyone from seniors to young families.

“It’ll be everyone’s gathering place,” she said.

Both acknowledge the building’s former bad rap, whether it was justified or not, but say it’s a thing of the past.

“There were people who were afraid to come downtown,” Gary said. “They won’t be when we get everything going we have planned.”

Gary is looking to hire a crew to help make the Jazzbones vision a reality. Gary is now hiring servers, bartenders, chefs, clean-up crew, etc. Everyone must be 21 and be ready to set a new standard for Oak Harbor.

Suzuki and a group of other investors purchased the PW Murphy’s restaurant and club in 2005. Last month, Suzuki and his siblings, who co-own Atlas Development, Inc., jumped on the opportunity to purchase the more than 14,000 square foot building.

“It’s now 100 percent family owned and I’m able to make the decisions I couldn’t when it was a group of investors,” Suzuki said.

Atlas Development’s past success include a Jazzbones in Tacoma, the Firecreek Grill in Kent and Goldie’s in Seattle.

“We want to piggyback our track record to what we’re doing here in Oak Harbor,” Suzuki said. “We want to fit in with the neighborhood and how Whidbey is the ideal place to visit.”

Like Jazzbones Tacoma, the Oak Harbor location will feature live music, “rockaroake,” comedy, and DJ nights. The live music will be a varied menu of jazz, blues, rock, reggae, funk, alternative country, pop, and jam rock (local to national acts).

Suzuki and crew have planned to kick off Jazzbones Oak Harbor’s opening in a big way. Friday night, Vicci Martinez will take the stage as the establishment’s first performer.

Martinez is a 22-year-old Tacoma native singer-songerwriter who’s receiving national acclaim for her passionate voice, profound lyrics and incendiary live performances. She consistently sells out shows in Seattle, and has shared the stage or opened for the likes of Sting, Annie Lennox, BB King, Etta James, Christopher Cross, Supersuckers, Jonny Lang, The Presidents Of The United States Of America and many more. From the Puget Sound to around the nation, Martinez is stirring quite the buzz while maintaining her grassroots charm.

Don’t expect the entertainment to stop with Martinez. Already, Youngman is hyped on the acts he’s scheduling for his hometown. The Paperboys perform in July. Jamaican reggae great Clint Fearon, who toured with Bob Marley, will also come to town. Expect to see funk legend George Clinton in November. Jazzbones will have a VIP area with plush furniture and a sophisticated ambiance. Many of the shows, such as grand opening headliner Vicci Martinez, will allow VIP ticket holders to get up close and personal with the acts.

A second wave of renovations to be completed by mid-July will allow the establishment to accommodate persons under 21. It will also mean a grand opening for the 4,500 square foot upstairs level of Jazzbones that will have catering and banquet facilities, a martini bar, art gallery space and more. A ground-level convenience store is also planned for the space formerly occupied by a computer store.

Suzuki said everyone involved is looking forward to this new endeavor and hopes Jazzbones Oak Harbor becomes known for great service, entertainment and dining.

“We want to impart a further sense of community by offering a wide variety of entertainment and dining in an environment where anyone can feel comfortable,” Suzuki said.