A High Note

During one of my first visits to Los Angeles, I brought high expectations to town. Fresh out of college, my buddy Mike and I went club-hopping in search of live music. We started at a famous rock-and-roll joint on the Sunset Strip called Whiskey a Go Go. This is the place where Jim Morrison and The Doors were discovered, amongst other bands.

We stepped inside the club expecting something different. I don’t know WHAT exactly we wanted to see and hear. But we hoped for a radical upgrade from the seedy college bars back home that we’d grown to known and love. You know the type: places where the house bourbon singes eyebrows, where they shut down every night with a rousing encore of “Jesse’s Girl.”

Upon entering the Whiskey, we were at first disappointed. The interior of the place looked stark, barren, and industrial. Bare walls, concrete floors. Let’s be honest: it looked like a dump, just like our grungy haunts back in college. “What’s the big deal about this place?” we wondered aloud.

But then the band came on stage, and started playing. Pretty much from the first wailing guitar chord, we realized what was different. The talent on stage was undeniable. The band was playing original music we hadn’t heard before, but it didn’t matter – they were great!

I’ve since learned that Los Angeles is blessed with a deep well of musical talent. Many of the best and the brightest migrate here.

As I’ve matured, my tastes have graduated from screeching guitars to the more sophisticated (and far less painful) notes of jazz. Thus, our recent evening at Steamers Jazz Café listening to Chris Williams was a huge treat. Chris leads an incredibly talented jazz band, and he’s an energetic, dynamic live performer. For more information about Chris, check out his website at cwjazz.com.

Next stop: SAN DIEGO!