Music Adds Different Note to a Comfortable Hangout

J.P.’s Money Tree has all the looks of a classic neighborhood joint.

The interior is decorated in dark wood and brick trim. Ceiling fans whir quietly. A dozen booths and tables fill much of the room. At the bar sit a couple of loudmouthed guys and a suited gentleman who quietly smokes a cigar.

“It’s all regulars here,” says Gary McMillan, the bartender at the 40-year-old Toluca Lake restaurant. “It’s a comfortable room and everybody who comes in here knows each other.”

McMillan wears a Chicago Cubs pin and has tuned the televisions at each end of the bar to a game. This could be any neighborhood hangout.

Except for the pictures.

Black-and-white photographs on the walls provide the first clue that J.P.’s extends beyond the ordinary. Al Jolson, Al Hirt, Louis Armstrong--their likenesses hang with a certain reverence. And in the back of the dining room stands a piano.

Seven days a week, J.P.’s serves up an evening’s worth of jazz, instrumentals and vocals, along with whiskey on the rocks. Mondays through Wednesdays, it’s Karen Hernandez on keyboard with accompanying musicians. Page Cavanaugh’s trio--featuring Al Viola, a guitarist who used to accompany Frank Sinatra--performs Thursdays through Saturdays. The Executives appear on Sundays.

The sound is mellow and intimate, with seating for a half-dozen around the piano. Often other musicians arrive to sit in.

On a recent Tuesday night, a good-sized crowd assembled. When the music started at 9 p.m., McMillan switched off one of the televisions in deference. The bar conversation continued at a healthy volume, but a dozen or so people sitting in the dining room offered their full attention.

The selections ranged from old-time standards to more contemporary songs such as Leon Russell’s “Masquerade.”

“You don’t find piano bars around much anymore,” said Sonny Orling, the manager. “What can I tell you?”

J.P.’s also offers a full dinner menu. Customers can start with the potato chips and bleu cheese dip ($3.25) and work their way up to such entrees as steak Diane, linguine with clams or sausage Florentine in the $12 to $15 range.

Those looking for an evening on the cheap: Be advised that J.P.’s never charges a cover or a minimum. You can relax in a booth to listen to music, or cozy up at the bar to catch the last few innings.

J.P.’s Money Tree, 10149 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Call (818) 769-8800.