JAZZ IN A JAM : The Local Scene Is Worthy of Note, but More Acts Need a Showcase

You’re about to bite into your burrito when the keyboardist sitting in with the cantina’s house band grabs your attention with a rhythmic flourish. Looking up, you realize it’s the guy with the hit fusion album who’s been playing all the big-ticket concert venues, and he’s just inches from your refritos.

Or your excitement at seeing one of jazz’s best known vocalists in the intimate confines of a 150-seat supper club is more than justified. Before the first set, the singer walks around the room and gabs with each table, including yours, about the recording of “Let Me Off Uptown” or her days with Stan Kenton’s orchestra. Later, when she sings, it seems only for you.

Or, you’re enjoying Sunday brunch when you realize the bearded fluegelhorn player blowing warmly on the bandstand is that character from the Lighthouse All Stars who wrote music for “The Wild One” and “The Man With the Golden Arm.” And the pianist in the group, playing the leader’s originals from music spread out above the keys, sounds a lot like the late Bill Evans. Who can he be?

Yes, there’s jazz to be had, up close and intimate, in Orange County. All of these examples --David Benoit’s jam session appearance with the Luther Hughes Trio at El Matador in Huntington Harbour, Anita O’Day’s cozy appearance at the Cafe Lido in Newport Beach, Shorty Rogers’ Sunday afternoon concert with keyboardist Les Czimber at Gustaf Anders in Santa Ana--and a host of others just as enticing, happened here just last year.

Though the area lacks a showcase jazz room, like Catalina Bar & Grill in Los Angeles or Elario’s in San Diego, where big-name, East Coast-based performers make appearances lasting several days, the scene here is far from dull. On any given weekend, performances ranging from quiet vocal sessions to searing fusion outings can be found in a handful of clubs and restaurants scattered around the county. And the talent is consistently high. The area’s proximity to the studios and recording industry in Los Angeles assures a constant supply of quality performers.

“That’s a real advantage,” says Luther Hughes, bassist, host of KLON-FM’s program “Jazz Today” and leader of the house band at the El Matador restaurant in Huntington Harbour. Hughes, who plays Thursdays through Saturdays at the restaurant, has been booking his buddies from the music business, most of whom have recording contracts, to jam with his trio since last May. “There’s a wealth of talent to pull from in Southern California. We’ve had players like Stix Hooper, Wilton Felder, Russell Ferrante (keyboardist with the Yellowjackets), Justo Almario and Terry Trotter (Larry Carlton’s keyboardist) come here to sit in with us. You wouldn’t find this caliber of musician in just any part of the country.”

Hughes was skeptical when he first heard that the Mexican restaurant was interested in booking jazz. “I thought, geez, it’s probably some old guy who wants Glenn Miller music.”

But as it turned out, George Gallardo, who along with his father Marcial, owns and operates El Matador, had musical tastes similar to Hughes. “I’m a big David Sanborn fan,” Gallardo says, “and I like Spyro Gyra quite a bit. But I also like Ella Fitzgerald and I greatly admired Sarah Vaughn.”

The resulting partnership has created one of the more interesting venues around. “It’s been a pleasant surprise,” Gallardo says. “Luther’s been bringing in some great talent. It’s really helped the business.”

In a realm where clubs open and close without much notice, the Studio Cafe on the Balboa Peninsula is practically a relic. Chiz Harris, a drummer who has worked with Harry James, Les Brown and Lou Rawls, has held down the Saturday night spot there for 17 years. GRP recording artist and Orange County resident Eric Marienthal, best known for his continuing association with Chick Corea, started there as a relative unknown eight years ago and still plays the Wednesday night slot when he’s not on the road.

“It’s been great,” Marienthal says. “You have to give the management credit. They’re pretty much responsible for keeping jazz alive in Orange County. They never dictated what we could do--they just let us play.”

There were fears that the music policy at the Studio would change when new ownership took over last July. “I was in Europe when it happened,” Marienthal relates, “and I kind of wondered what would happen. Happily, I found out that he (new owner, Albert Chammas, wasn’t changing a thing.”

Not far away, Joe Sperranza, owner of the Cafe Lido, one of the few clubs that features music seven nights a week, is also playing the longevity game. With 2 1/2 years at its present location and another seven around the corner at 29th Street and Newport Boulevard, the Lido has beaten the odds.

“Even though there’s a small market in Newport for jazz, we’ve never catered to tourists,” Sperranza, a trumpeter who’s been known to join groups on his bandstand, explains. “They’re more than welcome here, but we cater to the locals and try to generate repeat business.”

To get that repeat business, Sperranza gives musicians their own night in the club usually for the space of a month. “I try to get everyone in here on a long-term basis. If you like what you hear on Monday, you’ll be back in the next week. The repeat business we get on specific nights is amazing. And the artists become more sensitive to the room the longer they’re here.”

Speranza says he tries to book a balance of well-known musicians as well as fresh faces. He’s booked a number of Orange County musicians into his room, including singer Stephanie Haynes, trombonist Mike Fahn and keyboardist Peggy Duquesnel. Being close to the L.A. music scene also helps. “I can hire great sidemen, have quality jazz and fill the room.”

But bringing in musicians who are well-known among die-hard jazz fans doesn’t always generate a crowd. “I had (saxophonist) Pete Christlieb and (trumpeter) Conte Candoli come in and they should have packed the place, as great as they are. But they didn’t. If people don’t know the names, they won’t come in. And Orange County doesn’t know a lot of jazz names. I don’t mean to be condescending, but I don’t think people read the liner notes to learn who the sidemen are like I did when I was growing up.”

Over at the Studio Cafe in Corona del Mar, general manager Frank Licata says that adding vocalists to his lineup has helped business, which has been off “since around last September” because of the recession. “We’ve always been a jazz-oriented club, but the crowd tends to lose interest in straight-ahead jazz. But I’ve been booking vocalists on Friday and Saturday nights, and that’s been the key. Now the crowd sticks around and listens.” Licata says the L.A. connection has also worked in his favor. Don Preston, a pianist-composer who’s worked with a number of big jazzers, now drives down from the city three nights a week to play the room. “He’s developed a following,” says Licata. “People call wanting to know if he’s the Don Preston who was in the Mothers of Invention.” (He is.)

There are a number of restaurants that provide jazz for their customers, including the Monarch House in Monarch Beach and the Cattleman’s Wharf in Anaheim. Owen Ringold, manager of Gustaf Anders, says a jazz policy has brought in new customers who are unfamiliar with the restaurant. “It’s been going real well,” says Ringold. “People come in to enjoy the music and are exposed to our food. It’s something we’ll continue.” The Santa Ana dining establishment features Les Czimber’s trio Thursdays through Saturdays and brings in special guests such as Shorty Rogers and Conte Candoli once a month to work the Sunday brunch.

Bistango, where drummer-vocalist George Griffin holds forth on weekends, is another restaurant that has offered music since its opening 2 1/2 years ago. “We started out with just a pianist, then gradually grew to duos and trios,” says owner John Ghoukassian. “It takes time to establish something like this, but we have a much better response now than in the beginning. We intend to stay with it.”

But not everybody does. Orange County-based singer Shelley Moore can name a half-dozen places she’s worked that no longer exist. “You can’t always blame the music,” she asserts. “Sometimes places have other, business-related problems.”

“Today, club owners require that the musicians supply the sound system, the customers, the piano, everything but the food and drink,” Moore claims. “Very few have a stage, a professional sound system or lighting. You sometimes end up singing in the shadows between tables or in the corner. Even the big names need some kind of presentation.”

Moore will have her own chance to show musicians the respect she says they deserve. She’s set to book the music at a new restaurant, the Bay Colony in Newport Beach, scheduled to open early this spring. “We’ll have a proper stage, sound system and piano,” she promises. “We’ll start off cautiously, not book music every day to start. We’ll have some big names and some local musicians.”

Opening a jazz venue, always a risky business, seems even more daring in these days of war and economic distress. Sperranza, of the Lido, says he hasn’t yet decided how to handle the slowing of business caused by the recession and the Persian Gulf situation.

“It’s going to curtail people from going out and having a good time,” he predicts, even though January, February and March are usually the club’s best months. “Personally, I would almost feel guilty going out and enjoying myself as things get more and more serious over there.”