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<\/p>\nIt seems that jazz is everywhere in Los Angeles. Blue Note opened a club last year, venues like Sam First, Catalina\u2019s, Vibrato and the Baked Potato draw large crowds, and hotels and bars are adding jazz to their schedules.<\/p>\n
But every week, a semi-secret event at the tony Los Angeles Athletic Club lets anyone experience a near-private concert from legends such as Rickey Woodard, who played saxophone for Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and others; and Nolan Shaheed, trumpeter for Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye and more.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s before you get to the evening\u2019s singer, who might be 96-year-old pianist Betty Bryant, former Raelette Val Monroe or singer and Grammy-winning songwriter John Proulx.<\/p>\n
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Until recently, the Sunday night Jazz Salon was free. Now it charges a nominal $10 per person, which is still an outrageous bargain, so be sure to add something to the tip jar on the piano, and maybe try one of the cocktails or the steak frites.<\/p>\n
Inside the club\u00a0<\/p>\n
Walking into the club earlier, you see black-and-white photos of all types of healthy pursuits on the walls, as well as trophies and mementos of the club\u2019s nearly century-and-a-half history. Plush sofas, high ceilings and book-filled shelves are the order of the day, and alongside members in gym gear or lugging laptops, you go up in one of the elevators to the third floor, where the Jazz Salon takes place.<\/p>\n
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Dave Ross, bassist and founder of the Jazz Salon.<\/p>\n
The bassist who built it\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, Dave Ross, 76, was setting up the amps, drum kit, mixer and mic stands. He also administers the website<\/a>, acts as MC and plays double bass as part of the ensemble. He began the venture over a decade ago, when he persuaded the LAAC, of which he had long been a member, to host concerts in their redecorated restaurant and bar.<\/p>\n Ross draws from a repertory group of about 15 artists, and the concert takes place opposite the bar in a wood-paneled room of just a few dozen leather chairs and tables. This small scale makes the night intimate and unique.<\/p>\n Sunday Night Jazz Salon<\/p>\n Location: Invention (3rd Floor), The Los Angeles Athletic Club, 646 S Olive St., Downtown Los Angeles <\/p>\n
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