Aboard KLON’s Caravan to Club Scene

When veteran Bay Area tenor man Vince Wallace and his colleagues--keyboardist Kent Glenn and bassist Mark Proctor--were performing last Friday at Legends of Hollywood, only a handful of customers sat in the room with a zesty ‘50s look.

On Tuesday, the place was packed, as well over 100 fans listened to the ardent modern music of pianist Cecilia Coleman’s quintet.

The reason for the difference: the KLON Spring Jazz Caravan, which found close to 2,000 fans riding on buses to hear music at 16 clubs, including the World Cafe in Santa Monica, the Jazz Bakery in Culver City, La Ve Lee in Studio City, the Baked Potato in Pasadena and the Cat and Fiddle Pub in Hollywood.

Many of the caravaners, like Eleanor and Phil Martinez of Montebello, were regular jazz buffs who saw the occasion as a chance to help KLON--the event was a fund-raiser for the station--and to hear a number of bands.

“We started out with Anita O’Day at Vine Street Bar & Grill. She was great,” said Eleanor Martinez. “Now we want to go hear Conte Candoli,” who was appearing with Sid Jacobs’ quartet at the Club Brasserie.

Others, like Kerby Kuntsler and Jeff Caudill of Newport Beach, had never been to a jazz club before. “We want to find out which clubs might be good,” said Caudill, as the pair sat waiting for Jack Sheldon to start his third set of the night at Cinegrill in Hollywood.

Owners had mixed feelings about such heavy turnouts on a Tuesday night.

“It’s great. I love it,” exclaimed Kim Gardner, owner of the Cat & Fiddle, where the Pat Britt-Wilbur Brown band, a Sunday mainstay at the club for eight years, held forth.

“I’d like to have it like this every night,” said Bob Marks, the drummer-singer who runs Legends, which, despite a strong lineup, has had difficulty drawing good crowds.

Ron Berenstein, owner of Vine Street, was more philosophical. Looking at his packed club as O’Day prepared to launch into her third set, Berenstein said, “This type of success proves that there is an audience willing to hear jazz. The sad thing is that people don’t go out that frequently and they have to be pushed by an institution like KLON to do it.”

The event grossed approximately $25,000, according to a KLON spokesperson.

New Venues: Noted blues/jazz guitarist Roy Gaines has opened Gainesville, a club/restaurant located in the mid-Crenshaw district at 5716 Crenshaw Blvd. The spacious, well-appointed room, which boasts a “non-smoking, non-alcohol ambience,” debuts tonight and Saturday with singer Oscar Brown Jr., percussionist Mayuto Correa, Gaines’ blues band and others performing shows at 9 and 11 p.m. Brown et al. appear indefinitely; Joe Sample and Hubert Laws are tentatively scheduled, but no dates have been confirmed. Cover charge is $15, two drink minimum. Gainesville, which sports a varied Southern-style menu, will also offer a gospel showcase, Sundays, 2 p.m., and and a blues night on Mondays. Information: (213) 293-2551. . . .

Jazz can now be heard Sundays, 4 to 8 p.m., on the patio of the L.A. Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive. The venue, being booked by Dennis Duke--who also handles nearby Chadney’s--will feature a full bar, a special Sunday jazz buffet, and will charge no admission. Artists on tap include Abe and Sam Most on Sunday, organist Bill Heid, with guitarist Frank Potenza and drummer Sherman Ferguson on May 1, and Jack Sheldon’s quartet on May 8. Information: (818) 840-1313.

Critic’s Choice: Bill Cunliffe, the decidedly talented, multidirectional keyboardist, offers his take on post-bop-flavored acoustic jazz Sunday at the Jazz Bakery, Monday at Randell’s in Santa Ana and Wednesday at the Baked Potato in Pasadena. Cunliffe’s trio will deliver selections from his recent “A Rare Connection” Discovery album.