Jazz Reviews : Johnny Varro Solos at the Encino Marquis

The piano bar is a curious institution, providing casual entertainment primarily for a small group of drinkers gathered around the keyboard. Typical of these venues is the Encino Marquis on Ventura Boulevard, where pianist Johnny Varro holds forth Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Varro’s credentials go back to the early Eddie Condon days in New York, and to the type of music now branded as traditional, regardless of whether the songs are of jazz or pop origin. Clearly aware of the contributions made by such pioneer pianists as Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller, Varro devotes himself to unspectacular treatments of “It’s Been So Long,” “It’s You or No One,” and whatever else he may have heard on late-night radio during his formative years, along with the occasional piece by Waller or Louis Armstrong.

Now and then he will venture somewhat tentatively into stride, though more often his left hand seems to cry out weakly for the companionship of a bassist and a drummer. In fact, Varro has been heard to better advantage in the more encouraging setting of a small band; as a soloist he is not quite strong enough to overcome the burden of material that too often sounds superannuated. But that, presumably, is what people who sit around a piano bar are happy to accept.