Press
21: jazz scene’s new joint
- March 3, 2004
- Style Weekly
The
Upper East Side Jazz Lounge and Sports Bar is a joint in the very best sense
of the word. The divided nature of this U.S. 1 roadhouse is reflected in
the eclectic mix tiling the walls and the 14 ceiling-mounted TVs; these,
in turn, are reflected in the wall-sized mirrors remaining from its strip-club
past.
“It’s what Richmond needs right now,” insists promoter-booking agent-bandleader-VCU jazz student Samson Trinh, who books performances six nights a week. A recent seven-day schedule included a meeting of the Richmond Jazz Society, a CD release party for Skip Gailes, and a recording session for trombonist Pete Anderson’s Swiss Swank Account, a superior swing ensemble comprised of regulars on the local jazz scene.
The city currently has a wealth of young players, many from the VCU jazz program, who combine and recombine in a kaleidoscopic variety of ensembles. The relationships are not exclusive; Trinh’s new Thursday big-band night shares players with the long-established Devils Workshop Big Band, which plays every Monday night at Bogart’s.
“The local music scene is like a family,” says Trinh. With brother Kem as co-manager and mother Phoenix as owner and head honcho, the Upper East Side is a family business purpose-built to give the close-knit jazz community a home.