Club Owners Singing the Blues

Is the economic downturn affecting Los Angeles’ jazz clubs? You bet.

In a survey of some of the area’s major rooms, most owners report that business is at best maintaining grosses of a year ago--at worst, down as much as 30%.

“Things are OK, but they are a little slower than usual. Weekends are still good, but the rest of the week is slow,” says Catalina Popescu, owner of the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood, where pianist Ahmad Jamal performs through Sunday.

“We’re only down slightly. The club is holding its own,” says Dale Jaffe, one of the owners and the booking manager at Le Cafe in Sherman Oaks, where drummer Terri Lyne Carrington holds forth tonight..

Diane Varga, who is in charge of entertainment at Lunaria near Century City, where trombonist Jimmy Cleveland’s octet appears tonight and Monday, says: “It’s an uphill battle. People aren’t going out as much.”

One room reporting solid business is Chadney’s in Burbank, where John Bolivar plays tonight. “The weekends are good as they’ve ever been since we went to a jazz format two years ago,” says Dennis Duke, the club’s booker. Still, he says, “people aren’t spending as much as they used to.”

Popescu and Varga agree.

With little hope for a quick U-turn out of the fiscal doldrums, what’s the general plan of attack?

Varga is taking an aggressive stance: “We’re trying everything we can to stimulate business during the week.

Popescu has opted for a wait-and-see approach: “We’re going to have to be very patient, cut expenses and survive. Hopefully, it won’t be too long. A few months, maybe a year, we can handle that.”

Closings and Openings: Today is the final day of business for Bon Appetit in Westwood, where contemporary jazz has been featured seven nights a week for almost eight years. Owner Don Gimpel, 65, is retiring and the new operator will not continue the room’s music policy, according to Gimpel. “I’m sorry about that,” he says.

To celebrate the club’s finale, many of the artists who have appeared there, including saxophonist Brandon Fields, will take part in an all-star jam session. “Even though I prefer another kind of music than was played here, I’ll miss this place,” says Gimpel. . .

Will Raabe, former proprietor at the defunct Comeback Inn, is booking jazz acts into the Venice Bistro on Wednesdays through Saturdays. Reedman Buddy Collette’s foursome performs tonight.