One Hot Potato
Dim and a little dingy, except for the warm, pink stage lights that bathe the musicians as they play, the Baked Potato resonates with 25 years of jazz evolution. The music is be-bop, fusion, rock. Many of today’s most renowned contemporary jazz musicians, like Lee Ritenour, play here.
The Baked Potato is run by Don and Justin Randi, a father-and-son team. Both are musicians: Don (the dad) has his own jazz band, and Justin (sporting a head of blond, quintessentially “musician” hair) is in a blues-influenced rock band. The Randis alternate playing their club on Thursday nights, their respective musical styles spanning two generations of jazz.
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THE VIBE: It’s a tight squeeze at this tiny club, where you’ll find yourself nestled in extra close to your date. The ceiling, made of many orange and some brown panels, looks as if it just might cave in, and almost every inch of wall space is taken up with weathered concert posters. Clearly a musicians’ club, the Baked Potato has a cool, but definitely inviting, atmosphere: no snobbery here. If you like jazz, you’re part of the family.
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THE CROWD: Up against the side wall, a flock of flannel-wearing Gen-Xers groove to the live music, occasionally tapping out the beat on their jeans. Clapping and hooting the band along in front of the stage are the longtime jazz buffs--men in slick, understated suits, women in sexy, knee-high lace-up boots, an occasional tourist paying homage to the legendary club--representing all walks of life (all ages, all races).
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THE SPUDS: The only cheese you’ll find oozing in this jazz joint is the plentiful fromage melted onto the 20-plus varieties of baked potatoes--thus the name of the club. Potato toppings range from the traditional cheese and bacon to the health-minded chicken teriyaki. Don Randi said the tater theme came to him when he and his wife visited England during the 1960s and sampled tiny, stuffed baked potatoes.
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THE GOOD: The Baked Potato is so cool that Isaac Hayes (as in that baritone soul artist who sang the “Shaft” theme) made an appearance last week.
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THE BAD: $10 cover plus a two-drink minimum. Ouch! (But honestly, it’s worth it. This is one of the best jazz venues in all the San Fernando Valley.)
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THE WORD (or proof positive that The Baked Potato, strictly a beer and hard liquor joint, is reserved for the coolest):
Blond customer: I’ll have a Zima (crystal-clear malt liquor).
Waitress (bewildered) : Did you just ask for a zebra?
* The Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. W . , North Hollywood. Club hours: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly. $10 cover, two-drink minimum. Information: (818) 980-1615.