Losing Legends hurts local jazz scene
By Bob Karlovits
TRIBUNE-REVIEW MUSIC WRITER
The silence on the North Side is a little scary to anyone who loves jazz.
Legends James Street Tavern closed a little more than two weeks ago, its owners citing "undercapitalization" and a feeble cash flow.
The dark shadow of blame could be cast anywhere, but the most important point is simple. Right now, there is not a good jazz club in this area.
The Crawford Grill on the Square in Station Square, South Side, is a great space for jazz, but doesn't have much to speak of. Big-name guests are virtually unheard of. Local performers do a nice job, but they are the people whose faces get all too familiar.
Places like Martini's in Jefferson Hills, CJ's in the Strip District or the Wooden Nickel in Monroeville present a steady stream of players, but none of them will make you go out of your way to get there.
Dowe's on 9th, Downtown, would seem to offer the biggest hope, but it's been in a jazz coma of late. Club owner Al Dowe insists he takes such a summer break every year, saying summer is a lousy time to program acts. Dowe has brought in some good-drawing pop acts, but there hasn't been a name jazz guest there since Kevin Mahogany in May.
He seems to be doing well in a business sense with local jam sessions and performances by local players. But that gets rather ordinary after a while.
He has has other acts at his club, too, such as guitarist Raul Malo, who will return Nov. 5. But where are the jazz stars who should be featured at his jazz club?
Dowe says Saturday's show by trumpeter Maynard Ferguson is the start of jazz concerts that will roll through the cooler months. But, when asked, he added there were no other jazz acts booked yet.
There is a good variety of jazz events taking place in concert settings around the city, but club life -- the real heart of jazz -- is in a sad state.
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