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| Fat Kid Wednesdays at the Ice House |
© Andrea Canter
Last night I enjoyed my first visit to the new Ice
House, a restaurant/bar/club in south Minneapolis housed in, yes, an old Ice House.
JT Bates is booking cutting edge jazz every Monday night, on the order of his
gig at the old Clown Lounge but in a much larger and definitely more upscale
setting. James Buckley is booking
weekends which for now include bass/piano duos anchored by Adam Linz. My
inaugural visit featured Fat Kid Wednesdays, a trio of local geniuses (Linz, JT, and sax giant Michael Lewis) with a reputation
that extends way beyond the Midwest to New York
(where they’ve played The Stone) and Europe.
Since the closing of the Clown two years ago, FKW gigs here have been few and
far between. Judging by the crowd response to their bop-heavy opening set last
night, we’ll be seeing them more often. And nothing brings in a
cross-generational audience better than Monk and Parker filtered through
sensibilities that run from Coltrane to Ornette to the Shaggs. Bathed in glowing purple light shafts on a
perfectly raised stage, FKW sound better than ever, eliciting not only
enthusiastic applause but generally rapt attention. Sure, there were very few
of us AARP-eligible patrons but, somehow, no one made us feel old. And any bar
that stocks Brau Brothers Milk Stout is on my A-list.
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| "Three Flights Up" at The Nicollet |
Yet tonight, I will make my last visit to The
Nicollet, a coffee house just a few blocks down Nicollet from the Ice
House. After about a year offering up great coffees, pizzas, and music—jazz on
Tuesdays booked by Maryann Sullivan and Rhonda Laurie, The Nicollet will close
this weekend, making tonight the finale of the Tuesday series. The main fare at
The Nic has been swing—swinging small ensembles, vocalists, and usually a swarm
of swing dancers who manage to find the beat even when the musicians on stage
take a post-modernist direction. Mostly this no frills, no bar, no cover venue
has hosted talented up-and-comers like Emily Green (who is on stage tonight) and
Maryann herself, and established but under-presented veterans like Rhonda and
Vicky Mountain. And we’ve heard some of the most popular instrumentalists in
the area as well, including Rick Carlson, Chris Lomheim, Doug Haining and Dave
Graf. Maybe the lack of a liquor license proved fatal. And this corner location
has not proven successful since the Acadia moved to the West
Bank.
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| Rhonda Laurie and Maryann Sullivan |
Over the past few years, it seems the jazz scene has gone
through continuous cycles of openings and closings. But each venue makes a
unique contribution to the community. The loss of The Nicollet is not
compensated by the opening of The Ice House. They each support the music in a
different way, and we need both. Best wishes to The Nicollet owner Jeremy
–maybe he will find a way to bring his ideas to another venue. And best wishes
to JT, James, and the crew at The Ice House to sustain their initial success.
All music venues need audience support. Get out to the
concert halls and theaters, the long-time jazz clubs, and especially the
smaller scale venues in your community that often offer top-rung talents at
little or no cover. Let’s keep jazz alive – all of it, everywhere.
The Ice House is located at 2528 Nicollet; Monday night jazz sets at 9:30 and 11:30; weekend sets at 8 pm, cover $5 if any. Hear the final Tuesday jazz night at The Nicollet (corner of Franklin and Nicollet) with vocalist Emily Green, no cover, 7:30-9:30 pm.
