New outlook on Baker-Peters Jazz Club
When I first started this job, I went to a now-defunct jazz club called 4620. There, I saw an amazing jazz band led by vocalist Sarah Clapp. Since last March, I haven’t had a chance to see her play again.
Recently I read that she would be playing at Baker-Peters Jazz Club. Although I previously wasn’t impressed with Baker-Peters, my tastes have changed and I decided to give it another shot. I figured if nothing else, I’d get to see Sarah Clapp again.
Well, I was wrong.
It turned out to be a far different nightlife experience than I thought it would be. First of all, I went down early to meet two professors from the UT journalism department who agreed to come out with me for the sake of journalism. Whereas I usually don’t hit the bar scene until 11, I ended up at Baker-Peters around 7.
But this isn’t a problem. I have always promoted starting early. My general nightlife rule is there’s no such thing as starting early as long as you can still stay out late.
But I did run into a problem. As Paul Ashdown and I grabbed a table near the “stage” (which is just an open floor space up against the back wall) I noticed a sign that read “Slow Blind Hill,” the name of a prominent band in town. With a board full of guitar-effects pedals, I eventually deduced that this wouldn’t go well with a jazz quartet, and realized that unfortunately, Sarah would not be playing. Our server later confirmed this.
And although the bluesy style of Slow Blind Hill wasn’t what I was in the mood for, and didn’t fit the atmosphere of the place, I really enjoyed the setting. It’s far more upscale than most bars, which I’ve grown to appreciate. The crowd usually features older men and younger women (though at 23 I feel it’s safe to say I was the youngest person there all evening), who are dressed up for something nicer than your usual trip to the neighborhood bar.
No one’s drinking cheap college-student beer (although I did attempt to buy a High Life with no avail). Most people are drinking cocktails or classier beer, like Sierra Nevada or Newcastle. Although this is expensive, it’s become more enjoyable for me to buy one or two decent beers instead of 12 cheaper ones (don’t take that as a slam against High Life — I would never do such a thing).
I did, however, make an amazing discovery. Over the past few months I’ve become a huge fan of gin, specifically gin and tonics. As such, I decided to go for a dirty gin martini. Previously, I haven’t enjoyed martinis, and I’ve wondered why anyone would want to order such a thing. I’ve always ordered them with vodka, however, because that’s what James Bond does. But I loved my gin martini. In fact, I ordered two, even though they were $7.50 apiece.
And although my professors and I had a fairly good time watching Slow Blind Hill and chatting, something was off. The blues music just wasn’t clicking with the laidback, comfortable-yet-upscale atmosphere. Couples had clearly come to the place to enjoy a cocktail and have a peaceful evening, but blues guitar tends to rev things up a bit and fits in better at other venues.
I wished we had seen Sarah.
But even though I confused her schedule, she has a number of dates coming up at Baker-Peters, which is just the venue. It’s got couches to lounge around on and a nice bar upstairs to chill at, and her music fits in with the remodeled-old-house setting.
There’s something about her band that can be liked by everyone. They’re jazzy, with the electric keyboard, the flat-sounding upright bass, the soft splashing of cymbals and calm scratching of the snare drum. Sarah’s voice fits into the jazz genre, as she has expert control over it, singing with power but not overdoing it. If she pushed much harder, it’d sound too Motown. If her voice was scratchy, she’d sound too rock ’n’ roll, but don’t get me wrong: Sarah still rocks. The band is accessible to anyone who appreciates music, but unlike most accessible music, it’s not watered down. There are genuine jazz elements that shine through making for an incredible performance.
She’s one of the best reasons you’ll ever find to head down to Baker-Peters.
By Greg Wood
Friday, August 17, 2007
© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
