COVID put the kibosh on most live music. The live music that does exist is often an improvised setup with makeshift street-based tables or in a parking lot. You have to love that solution-based approach, but it is not elegant. Thankfully, Casa Romantica’s Fourth Annual Casa Jazz Club is keeping summer music festivals beautiful. It is also strikingly affordable. You can purchase the entire weekend for $95 ($80 for Casa Members).
Casa Jazz Club, happening on Sept. 3-4, will be held in the historic Casa Romantica Courtyard. Each show is limited to 50 attendees. This makes the event intimate and it follows the CA Dept. of Public Health guidelines. Prior to each show, guests will be treated to complimentary tray-passed appetizers provided by Rocco’s Restaurant. Drinks are available at a low $5 donation. This is the only series in 2020 that offers a lovely atmosphere, an ocean view, complementary snacks, first rate jazz musicians and NO food/beverage minimums. That and Casa Romantica will maintain additional staff to deploy COVID safety procedures.
The Lineup
Sept. 3: The Lao TIzer Quartet. Tickets are $50 ($45 for Casa Members). Lao Tizer performs genre-bending mix of jazz, classical, new age, and jam-oriented music. This may be a good gateway drug to introduce newbies to the instrumental jazz. I must confess, I am not familiar with Lao Tizer, but his resume is long and I am familiar with his sax man, Eric Marienthal. If you listen to KJAZZ, you have heard Eric. Here is a clip of Lao Tizer and his band.
Sept 4: Gerald Clayton Duo. Tickets are $55 ($50 for Casa Members). Gerald Clayton hails from jazz royalty (his father is John Clayton, founder of The Clayton Hamilton Orchestra, another KJAZZ mainstay), has played with jazz royalty (Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, John Scofield) and earned four Grammy nominations. Here is a clip of Gerald Clayton.
Act Fast!
Casa Romantica’s other 2020 music events have sold out. Given the short supply of southland music events plus the quality provided by Casa Jazz Club, I can’t imagine this series staying available for long.