Saturday Night Delight: Peachtree and Blue Room, Benton's

We have friends from out-of-town in for the holiday weekend so we met them Saturday night. We tagged along on their parent-planned excursion to the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District for dinner at the Peachtree and music at the Blue Room.

I used to work for the American Jazz Museum, so I was dearly looking forward to an artery-clogging experience at the Peachtree. However, our babysitters showed up late, and so did we. Our friends were paying their check as we walked in, but I was still hungry, so they headed over to the Blue Room while Ian and I ordered a fried chicken dinner with collard greens and candied yams.

You will never have better fried chicken than at the Peachtree. I stand by that statement. The collard greens are a revelation for white girls like me who have never figured out how to cook this complex and nutrient-rich food without ruining it or making it too bitter to stomach. I think there must be some sort of secret involving pork--I don't want to know. The candied yams are, well, candied. I know some people like Peachtree's signature Peach Cobbler but I'm not much of a cobbler person, rejecting the dough for the sugary sweet filling. Candied yams satisfies this impulse, and the yams at the Peachtree are thick to the point of "soft ball" on your candy thermometor. I do love the spices they use in the yams--pepper, cinnamon and other more elusive spices make them jump in your mouth a bit against all that sweet.

Ian, however, wants me to post about our service. Let me say that I have always received courteous and professional service at the Peachtree, it is their signature. However, Saturday night we came in and joined a party that was leaving, thus bypassing the usual check-in process. Because of that, or perhaps not, we were slow getting menus, drinks, food, silverware. . .everything but the check was late or in the wrong order. No matter, with beer and wine, and a split dinner, we left $25 lighter with greasy fingers and a container of chicken guaranteed to make the interior of the Honda smell like the South.

We walked over to the Blue Room where the Jazz Disciples were headlining along with Pam Watson (vocalist) and Karita Carter (trombonist). Gerald Dunn was on saxaphone, Tyrone Clark on bass, Mike Warren on drums and Everett Freeman on piano. I love jazz and the atmosphere in the Blue Room on a Saturday night is for serious listeners only. . .our friends did not know that, and wanted to socialize. Due to this misunderstanding, we were shot many dirty looks for talking during the performance. One man even came over and asked us to keep it down so he could enjoy the show. The club is non-smoking for the health of the musicians so you know they take it seriously.

This is a common disconnect between people about jazz. Some see it as cocktail music--background music for their enjoyment while they go about their entertainment. Others see it as THE entertainment. I should explain to those people out there who are casual listeners that when you see a pianist, small combo or trio at places like the Peachtree, Cafe Trio, Benton's, etc. these musicians are pretty much hired to provide this background kind of music. They appreciate closer listening, they work just as hard at the spontaneous, improvisational aspects of jazz, but bottom line they are hired for "atmosphere."

A lot of people who don't know any better think the Blue Room is a night club with jazz. It is not (except maybe Friday night happy hour, where they feature more contemporary jazz as background for traditional happy hour type socializing). It is a serious jazz club--some would say the premier performance spot for KC's top musicians. Going to the Blue Room is great if you want to show your out-of-town friends what KC Jazz is all about. Talking through the performance would be like carrying on a conversation during a KC Rep or Lyric Opera performance. You can visit quietly with your neighbor about something or order a drink, but it is not the place for full-on conversations. So, pick a different place if you want to talk.

We paid a cover of $10 a head (high for that night because of the quality of musicians playing) and heard the last part of the first set. The Jazz Disciples are a tight group in the strictest improvisational style. In the interest of full disclosure, two of the musicians playing that night played at our wedding, one is a former co-worker, and one did work with me on educational programs at the museum. These musicians are at the top of their game. Pam Watson, as a vocalist, is not my favorite style--she is a soprano and I prefer lower voiced women to play off the instruments if at all, I tend to lean toward no vocals unless it's a big band setting or a soloist. Karita Carter is an amazing jazz trombonist. I play trombone, and I have seen her perform with the KC JAzz Orchestra at Unity temple. She is a real inspiration to me as she blows a bass trombone, with amazing support and really can nail the fast Parker-inspired runs which I can NOT do! Mike Warren is a master drummer, he is really sensitive to what the other musicians were doing, and knowing that he is a dedicated teacher really makes me appreciate him more. Tyrone Clark on bass is the heartbeat of the group. Basses rarely get any notice by casual jazz listeners, unless they take a solo or something, but their job is really difficult and you tend to notice it more when they DON'T do their job. It would be easy to settle into auto-pilot, but Mr. Clark plays each note with conscious conviction. Gerald Dunn was the voice of the melody when Ms. Watson wasn't singing, and he plays effortlessly off almost everyone. He was trained in Texas, but he has a style all his own with its KC-inspired flavor, but shots of older and newer influences as well. I don't know enough about the great jazz saxaphonists to hear all of his influences but my untrained ear heard shout-outs to Parker and Lester Young, and maybe a little of Louis Armstrong (what jazz musician taking a solo doesn't reference his straightforward but exciting exploration of single-note rhythms and melody?) I know Everett Freeman the least, but was impressed with his style. Pianists have to switch back and forth between rhythm and harmonic support of the song and soloists, and being a melody or solo artist themselves.

I hope everyone will get a chance to enjoy the Jazz Disciples or another group at the Blue Room--just remember, you are there to see the music, not talk. Since this was a conflict for us (our friend's hadn't picked the place) we decided to go somewhere we COULD talk. For Ian and I, that place has become Benton's. At the top of Crown Center's Westin hotel, this out-of-the-way restaraunt boasts a lovely quiet lounge. The crowd is tourists, old people, and us:) We like going up there because there is always parking, no smoking, and it's quiet and intimate. A jazz combo plays every Friday and Saturday nights. The musicians change but the atmosphere is more for visiting, enjoying their custom martinis and whatnot. We ordered a $32 bottle of champagne. Our pregnant friend got a couple of virgin cocktails complementary from the sympathetic bartender. I didn't catch his name, but we had him before and he is a great bartender. I guarantee you will have a good time if you want a sophisticated, intimate setting for not a lot of dough.