Restaurant Music

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Tonight I took my wife of 18 years out to a nice restaurant for a nice, quiet dinner to celebrate our anniversary. No kids, no mother-in-law. Just the two of us. We went to the Pond View Restaurant in Plaistow, NH. Nice ambiance for a romantic dinner.

So, we're sitting there looking at menu and I start hearing Miles' trumpet playing "Autumn Leaves" from Cannonball's "Something Else". Nice appetizer music.

As the evening wore on, I heard some Sarah with Brownie, some Long Tall Dexter and even some Basie. I made it a point to go find the maitre'd to compiment their musical selections.

I can't remember the last time I had good music to go with good food in a nice relaxed atmosphere.

Later,

Kevin

[Jazzmoose]

Yeah; I can't even remember the name of the place now, but I remember slowly realizing that Coltrane's The Night Has a Thousand Eyes was playing. I couldn't say another word until it finished. Sure brought a smile to my face...

[Spontooneous]

Heard the entire "Sidewinder" album once in a very crowded Italian restaurant in Rockford, Illinois. A nice change from the Dean Martin records I often hear in such places.

[Chuck Nessa]

It all sounds like restaurant music to me.

Ever hear any Hal Russell during the salad?

[Harold_Z]

How 'bout Carla Bley's Dinner Music ?

[Big Al]

At the Johnny Carino's in Mansfield, a couple of years back, they played Kenny Burrell's "Phinupi" (the Blue Lights version), and I was tapping along to Blakey's beat the whole time.

This summer, my wife and I went there again, and I'm having trouble remembering what they played, but I remember thinking "Cool! They're playing something good again!"

[Chuck Nessa]

This summer, my wife and I went there again, and I'm having trouble remembering what they played, but I remember thinking "Cool! They're playing something good again!"

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That happens. Look forward to more of that shit.

[Randy Twizzle]

Coming soon to your local music store: "Jazz for a Romantic Dinner"

[Brandon Burke]

It all sounds like restaurant music to me.

Ever hear any Hal Russell during the salad?

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No, but close. I once heard Corky's Debt to His Father by Mayo Thompson (of the Red Crayola) at a coffee shop.

[Soul Stream]

Just got back from a Chinese place...they were playing Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower"....

[Rosco]

There is a bar/ restaurant near to me that opened about ten years ago, based on a New Orleans paddle steamer (!)... kinda tacky, but not a bad place to go occasionally; the walls had some fine pictures of jazz icons and the music being played was always good... I remember hearing Miles, Dexter, Rollins, Horace, Mingus... (not sure how that fitted in with the New Orleans concept but, anyway...)

Couple of years ago it had a 'revamp'... it now looks like an awful 80s day-glo disco, with music to match; tedious 'dance' music and formulaic R&B (in the current context of that term). Not sure what they did with the photos... I'd have nabbed them given the chance.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Coming soon to your local music store: "Jazz for a Romantic Dinner"

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Already done many, many times!

My current favorite is Ike Quebec's "Ballads" but Stanley Turrentine's "Ballads" is a close second.

And no, "A Love Supreme" is not romantic dinner music.

Kevin

[Big Al]

This summer, my wife and I went there again, and I'm having trouble remembering what they played, but I remember thinking "Cool! They're playing something good again!"

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That happens. Look forward to more of that shit.

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What happens? The memory loss? I don’t remember having any recent memory losses!

[bertrand]

If you ever eat at Panera (good sandwiches on delicious bread), you will have the pleasure of hearing all the great stuff for this is mostly what they play, especially Blue Note material (I was told they have a deal with EMI), but also Verve, OJC you name it. Dex, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Miles, Max, I have haeard all of them there. I like to play blindfold tests with myself when I take my son there (which is often), but of course I can't verify the results. The music is not selected by the employees, thet're just given something form the Corporate office.

Good food, great music, I highly recommend this place.

Bertrand.

[Rooster_Ties]

I worked as a bartender at a Bar & Grill in Galesburg, IL while I was in college, and used to spin the Miles "Jack Johnson" soundtrack all the time.

[GA Russell]

About ten years ago my neighborhood Burger King in Tucker, GA, played jazz over the intercom.

I remember well hearing Horace Silver's Song For My Father while I was having my morning coffee.

[paul secor]

I was eating with friends at a Cambridge restaurant (no clue what the name was) about 15 years ago and they were playing some great obscure Louisiana r&b sides. One of my friends asked if I was able to detect what tune was playing - can't recall now if I could or couldn't - my memory seems to be totally shot. Anyway, it turned out that he made compilation tapes for the restaurant to play in exchange for an occasional free meal.

[Jazz Kat]

Yes! Jimmy Smith's See See Rider. John Coltrane, My Fav Things. MJQ, (the pyramid version of Django)

[medjuck]

My favorite local sushi bar seems to play nothing but KOB and Birth of the Cool.

Edited July 12, 2005 by medjuck

[Jazzmoose]

If anyone happens to go through Sunnyvale, California, there's a Togos (across from the Compact Disc Warehouse) that generally plays either jazz or blues...

[Nate Dorward]

Last visit to the bank there was an MOR "Song for My Father" piped in.

[Alexander Hawkins]

I played a gig in a restaurant (for my sins) at the end of last year. They asked for an 'inoffensive' CD for us to stick on between sets, so I took along one of the Bill Evans trio sides, I think. Unfortunately, I'd had a few CDs lying around that morning, and had accidentally put Ornette's 'Free Jazz' into the Bill Evans case. We decided that we were so tired of 'good' music being talked over, and played at a ridiculously low level anyway, just to see what would happen. And sure enough, eveyone sipped their cocktails to 'Free Jazz'. Not an eyelid was batted in anger. Surreal, but kind of sad

[BruceH]

Tonight I took my wife of 18 years out to a nice restaurant for a nice, quiet dinner to celebrate our anniversary. No kids, no mother-in-law. Just the two of us. We went to the Pond View Restaurant in Plaistow, NH. Nice ambiance for a romantic dinner.

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Hey, I know that restaurant! Quite a few years since I've been there, but nice place.

There's a seafood restaurant in the Castro that on at least three occasions has played good-to-great vocal jazz at a politely low level when I was there. I asked a guy there about it, and he showed my their stash of CD's behind the counter, mostly jazz and blues. It really does enhance your dining experiance.

[mikeweil]

Heard some Billie Holiday at the Wiesbaden Starbucks yesterday - but this is the kind of jazz I hear in coffehouses all over Europe about two to four times every year ....

[BruceH]

If anyone happens to go through Sunnyvale, California, there's a Togos (across from the Compact Disc Warehouse) that generally plays either jazz or blues...

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Is that on El Camino Real?