The dining and music scene in the Greater Lowell area is (a)live and well. With a little on-line search, or word of mouth, anyone can find a venue within a 20 minute drive that caters to the atmospheric mix of good food, live music, and sometimes a little dancing. Maybe we’re catching on late, but there seems to be a renaissance with the whole supper club/music cafe concept in the local area in the last ten years, and we couldn’t be happier. We differentiate the “supper club” from the bar & band scene in terms of musicians as professional artists and the audience that tends to be in the thirty-five-plus age range. Not that the bar & band scene isn’t fun and worthwhile, we really enjoy that too. In fact, we expanded our recent evening's entertainment with a really good local band at one of our favorite watering holes.
There is a wide community of talented musicians living and working in the area from whom we can enjoy the vast catalogue of original works, as well as American and international standards. Where covers are concerned, it is always interesting to experience the artist’s interpretation that sets them apart from anyone else.
A couple of Saturday’s ago we went to the Acton Jazz Café. This little gem is tucked away in the back, lower level, of a small building that houses a bank, of all things, on Boston Road in Acton. It is not obvious despite the signage on the front of the building. Even if you pull into the parking lot you will still not see the cafe until you drive all the way around back. Once back there you still have to look beyond the drive up kiosk before the warm lighting behind curtained windows comes in to view. When we first walked up to the back of the bank we still couldn’t tell if the door in front of us was going to lead to the club. It looked like the entrance to one of those indoor ATMs. But entering what is essentially a foyer, and looking right, confirmed we had arrived at the right place. A gentleman standing at a podium beside a double door waved us over. He confirmed our reservations and signed us into the guest book. At that moment a petite women with dark hair came over to great us and show us in. We were to learn later that this woman is Gwen Vivian, the proprietor of the Acton Jazz Café. She personally welcomes her guests. It is no doubt a testament to Gwen, her dedicated patrons, and coterie of fellow musicians that the café has survived for thirteen years in this same funky location. Gwen has recognized the spectrum of her patrons’ tastes, so the café presents not just jazz, but also blues, and poetry. A patron has the opportunity to listen to the individual vocalist or pianist, a poet on open mic nights, the multi-piece acoustic or electrified band.
We were there for the early show, 7:00 PM, and upon entering were immediately entranced with the low amber lighting scattered around the room, candles on small square bistro style tables, and white Christmas lights draped outside the windows. Curiously, a television was elevated on a faux hearth at one corner of the room, running a loop of burning logs in a fireplace. However, this rather artificial set up did not detract from the entire setting, but actually added to the interior lighting. Gwen decorated the room with various posters and photos in the music/musician motif, and once seated we noticed that the double doors served as a graffiti board for what we assumed were her many friends in the business. Tables were arranged in rows on either side of a small dance floor that is located in the middle of the room before the band stand, and along the walls to the left and right of the room. The proximity we had to others with the table arrangements encouraged introductions and dialogue. A cozy looking bar at the rear center of the room glittered with reflections from glass ware and backlit shelves of bottles holding varied spirits.
The evening’s entertainment was Johnny Hoy & the Bluefish. Billed as a “dance blues band”, the four piece combo originates out of Martha’s Vineyard. They put on a fine show with some very infectious and original numbers in the delta blues/rockabilly vein. The vibe for the night was vey honky tonk, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. More than a few couples got up to do some dancing, completely packing the tiny dance floor. We were content to munch our light fare of Tex-Mex nachos, salsa, spicy peanut sauce and bar-b-q chicken fillets while listening and watching. The Manhattans and Cosmopolitans were made to order. Conversation could be heard in the background while the band played. Johnny and his boys didn’t mind one bit, this wasn’t a recital after all. We had fun chatting up two couples from Maynard and Chelmsford who sat on either side of us. Our random and free flowing banter was lively and punctuated by some ribald humor. We love people who can let their hair down a bit on a first meeting. We’ll probably connect with them again. By the time the set ended it was 9:30 and a new group of patrons arrived for the later show. We said our good-byes to our new-found acquaintances and headed back to Lowell.
Once in town we headed over to Centros to see our favorite bartenders, and enjoy the evening’s “theme drinks”. We were pleasantly surprised by the fact Centro’s brought in a band for the evening, which was a new wrinkle in the restaurant’s typical M.O. But we have to say Charlie Christos’ band was tight and put out an eclectic mix of cover music that spanned Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. And we have to say the vocals on the Cash number were spot on. During one of their breaks we took the opportunity to purchase a CD from the band called “Woman’s Gun”; an eight song collection of “stories and verses”. It contains some very good original music. A couple of the tracks are reminiscent of Bruce Cockburn. We stayed for a couple of rounds and a set of music before heading back to the homestead, happy in each other’s company and pleased with what we had for an evening of enjoyment.
