Magazine Articles on Ventura County Jazz Scene
COLLECTIVE SOUL
THE RESILIENCE OF VENTURA COUNTY JAZZ
Jun 2, 2021 Cover Story, Marina Dunbar, Music, Ventura County Reporter by Marina Dunbar
As Ventura County slowly begins the process of returning to business as usual, residents are careful to remember that a return to normalcy does not mean a lack of progress. Many have taken the past year as an opportunity to grow amidst hardship. Artists across the board have had their livelihood impacted by the pandemic, but they have also taken time to self-reflect and advance their craft. Jazz musicians have had a particularly unique experience with lockdown as it relates to their ability to play music together.
Jazz music is innovative in that it is a communal activity more so than a solitary one. The concept of the young jazz cat who spends hours practicing alone in his room is a stereotype that unfortunately overlooks the collective soul of jazz. In fact, people often think of “soul” as being the essence of an individual, but in the jazz sense of the word, it refers to a shared energy, a common wavelength. When you say that a jazz musician “has soul,” you do not mean “they’re so individual.” Rather, you mean, “I feel a connection with the music they’re making.”
And speaking of connections, Richard Barth devotes his time to connecting jazz musicians with their local audience. Barth runs VenturaCountyJazz.com, a website dedicated to advertising events and platforming performers.
“One of the reasons I love the scene here is that you’ll get someone who is world renowned who will play these little venues in Ventura County,” says Barth. “They’re not doing it for the money . . . they’ll be helping out a student jazz competition, be a backing band for the kids. Ira Nepus, the trombonist for Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, he’ll go out of his way to schedule a high school band to open for a big band so that they can get real-world experience. So many legends who live right here in the county will come to local jam sessions . . . It’s so inclusive whether you are a big star or a musician who got the call at the last minute.”
This inclusivity is the perfect example of what soul means in the jazz world. As Barth points out, someone who certainly understands this is Ira Nepus, esteemed trombonist, multi-Grammy winner, and local hero to many young musicians.
“I gravitate towards jazz because it makes you feel good. It could make you feel good in a happy way, a sad way, a range of emotions, but it moves you. The swinging aspect is what jazz really comes down to. It should groove,” Nepus explains. “We have to master the technique of our instruments, but when it comes time to play, we can’t be thinking about [the analysis]. We just have to use our ears . . . You want to be enveloped by the music, like someone hugging you.”
Jazz is unique among music genres because it relies on improvisation, and improvisation relies on other musicians to play off of. Due to the communal aspect of jazz, musicians have been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only has live music been halted and local venues shut down, but cats are unable to get together and play. Adam Randall, co-owner of Ventura’s definitive jazz venue Squashed Grapes, undoubtedly knows the value of live music.
“It’s kind of intangible to describe [the importance of live music to a community],” says Randall. “Sometimes we would leave the front door open and let the music into the street . . . I noticed that many people would stop to check us out, some would even pause an errand and get out of their cars to hear the music. Those are the things that tell me how much music means to the community.”
Even before being deprived of live music, Ventura always appreciated jazz. “We have a listening audience,” explains Barth. “[Locals] have an energy that the performers feed off of . . . the audience is attentive, they applaud for solos, they don’t treat jazz like background music. We’re blessed here in Ventura that the audience is sophisticated enough to respect the musicianship.”
Find live jazz performances and more at Ventura County Jazz, www.venturacountyjazz.com.
Ventura Magazine January 2012
Editor's Note:
Spontaneous Interaction Richard Barth hit the first notes hard, blowing double time, riffing like mad about jazz and jazz musicians and jazz venues and Ventura County jazz in general. The man had his groove, no doubt. It was April 8, 2010 and his solo—a scopious email with the subject line, “story idea - jazz scene in ventura county”—listed dozens of jazz bands and individual jazz musicians between T.O. and Ojai. I riffed back quietly, half time feel, side-slipping a commitment. Yes, I told him, a story should be done. But… dot, dot, dot. What I was really thinking was: too much info. How to distill all that jazz into one cohesive article? And what about photos? This thing was an octopus, a tome. And here I am an editor with but a few pages to work with, and really what I need are quick byte queries with tightly focused story ideas and this wild jam session of a pitch was just the opposite of that.
Then Leslie Westbrook blew a change. She pulled me into the pocket with a pitch about another local jazz cat named Richard—Richard Tell, who’d fired up a series of live performances called Ojai Jazz Concerts. Leslie and I bopped back and forth, expanding the focus of her pitch and narrowing the focus of Barth’s. My emails were caveat-laden (“it’d require a lot of phone calls, quote gathering”), hers passionate (“the daughter of a jazz musician and jazz fan—and one who likes to keep jazz alive”). And that was just the beginning. The article (page 31) evolved as one spontaneous interaction led to another. The creative process became something of a multifarious improv: a jazz-style jam, you could say, with photographers, musicians, jazz lovers, concert organizers, a writer, and an editor chiming in. Now that it’s all boiled to a crescendo and cooled back down, this soup pot approach seems entirely fitting. Cover Story: Hear and Now From T.O. to Ojai, the great American art keeps on keeping time. LESLIE A. WESTBROOK riffs on the Ventura County jazz highway. Doug Webb outside the Ojai Valley Community Church, where his quartet performed a tribute to John Coltrane as part of the Ojai Jazz Concerts series. Photo by Sally Rice. IT ALL BEGAN LIKE THIS: Somehow, having learned that I am a jazz fan (as well as a jazz pianist’s daughter), a crazily enthusiastic dude named Richard Tell called me on the telephone and began pontificating about his new series of monthly jazz concerts in Ojai. The lines were burning up with the impresario’s enthusiasm as he raved about some of the musicians he’s featured, as well as his future plans. The concert venue—Ojai Valley Community Church (“Don’t call it a church,” he begged)—was certainly unique. I was intrigued. Anyway, church or no church, I believe that jazz is holy and I embraced the idea with equal parts enthusiasm and curiosity. I will admit that I did find it a bit odd watching jazz bird Denise Donatelli scat in front of a cross, but her performance with her trio was terrific. And I was thrilled beyond belief to find a place (outside of L.A.’s Jazz Bakery or Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theater) where I could listen to jazz, without the clinking of wine glasses, in the company of a mutually respectful, appreciative crowd of fellow jazz fans. So I became a believer—in Ojai Jazz Concerts—and encourage all ye faithful to come to the holy world of jazz. Critically acclaimed jazz singer Denise Donatelli has performed at some of the country’s leading venues, as well as a little church in Ojai. Photo by Mikel Healey. I SENT OFF AN EMAIL to Matt, the editor here at Ventana, telling him about Rich. Soon, he riffed back, “You gotta check out Davey Miller, former pro surfer, artist, musician… He’s passionate about jazz and a classic Ventura character.” Character indeed, with a heart of gold when it comes to top jazz musicians (seasoned pros from L.A. such as bassist Tony Dumont, pianist Mitch Foreman, and saxophonist Doug Webb), whom he invites to Ventura—and pays out of his own pocket—to jam with him in small local venues, most currently at Andres Wine & Tapas Bar in the Ventura Harbor on the first Friday of every month. “I must have played thousands of gigs for free, but I pay the guys,” Davey told me. I landed on Davey’s Myspace page where I was delighted to lend my ears to a sweet and tasty straight-ahead rendition of Cole Porter’s “What is This Thing called Love?” played the way I heard music growing up as a 1950s “cool West Coast jazz” kid hiding beneath my father’s piano. It’s not always an older crowd digging this music these days. “I love jazz,” enthused Ben Norens, a 29-year-old Channel Islands resident I met one night after he and a couple of fellow youthful buddies were lured into the wine bar by Davey Miller and his players’ music while departing the nearby Ventura Harbor Comedy Club. No surprise. It was top-notch jazz, performed by of a quartet of accomplished musicians: super fine vibraphonist Nick Mancini (who drove up from Toluca Lake) bassist Bruce Lett (from Malibu), trombonist Ira Nepus (from Thousand Oaks), and the indomitable Davey Miller on drums and a few vocals. One of New York’s most called-upon studio players, vibraphonist Nick Mancini recently jammed in Ventura with local drummer Davey Miller. Photo by Jay Matsueda. If Davey is the patron saint of jazz in Ventura, then Ira Nepus may well be the keeper of the holy grail in East Ventura. Fresh off the “thrill of his career,” playing two solos for Sir Paul McCartney’s forthcoming album of jazz standards (and sitting next to Sir Paul in Capitol Records’ famous “Studio A” for three hours!), Nepus actively promotes jazz in East Ventura County. (More on that in a moment.) IF THERE'S A HERO IN ALL THIS it’s Ventura County resident and jazz aficionado Rich Barth, a downtown L.A. commuter by day who moonlights as the e-publisher of a monthly list of local jazz events and venues—online at venturacountyjazz.com. This dude is dedicated. He spent two-and-a-half hours crawling through traffic to get to The SideCar Restaurant in Ventura, where we met during one of their steamin’ “Jazz and Grilled Cheese Tuesday” events. Over a great evening of music performed by Coda—made up of David Johnson on vibes, Kevin Fukagawa on piano, David Robaire on bass, and Charles Levin on drums—we dug into a great meal and fine tunes. I hit Cafe Fiore downtown later that same evening, to be delighted by a swingin’ rendition of “If I Only Had Brain” (yes, from The Wizard of Oz), by crooner and Ventura resident Bernie Meisinger (pronounced “my-singer”). An L.A. transplant (via a small town in Pennsylvania), Meisinger met Maria Fiore in the big city before there was Fiore’s in Ventura. A few years later she called. The rest, as they say, is history. “After playing the gig at Cafe Fiore for a few months, I found myself spending more and more time [in Ventura],” says Meisinger. “On days off, I’d ride my motorcycle up here to cool off from the heat of the San Fernando Valley and spend time with folks I found to be genuine and unaffected. One thing led to another, and in 2005 I bought a boat large enough to live on here in the harbor.” Ira Nepus on trombone with the Tom Peterson Group. Also shown: Rich Eames, piano Dick Weller, drums Jeff D’Angelo, bass Clay Jenkins, trumpet and Tom Peterson, saxophone. Down Thousand Oaks way, jazz trombonist Ira Nepus grew up in a jazz household under his father’s tutelage. In addition to his gigs, he puts on the summer series of jazz concerts at Gardens of the Worlds, on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Nepus plays in the world-renown Clayton-Hamilton Big Band, as well as the Boyd Cannon Big Band, monthly at Borderline in T.O. He also went on a world tour this year with Elton John and Elvis Costello. Yet he finds time to organize fundraisers to help local high schools raise money to send their jazz bands to competitions, and sets up gigs for local jazz musicians to play around the county. “What Davey Miller is to the Ventura jazz scene, Ira is tenfold to the Conejo Valley jazz scene,” Barth said. It’s no coincidence that there’s jazz at the Ojai Valley Inn. I first met jazz aficionado Janis Clapoff (the Inn’s former managing director) in the late 1980s in New York City, at a rooftop jazz party she organized at a Park Avenue hotel she was managing at the time. Several hotel gigs later, she brought jazz to Ojai—to the Inn’s Neff Lounge on weekend nights beginning at 8:00 p.m., a policy that I hope will endure. Davey Miller brings some of the best cats to the Ventura/Santa Barbara area. Photo Courtesy of Davey Miller. There are many more spots to hit on the Ventura County jazz highway my bucket list is overflowing with places like the Famous Sports Bar and Grille in Thousand Oaks. Rich Barth spoke before the Thousand Oaks City Council (after writing a letter and soliciting similar impassioned writing from everyone he knew) a few years ago to get a live music permit for the establishment. “I found myself at a City Hall council meeting requesting live jazz,” he explained. “A few weeks later we were elated to get the permit and the owner, Tony Madoyan, invited the first improvisational music group.” Since then, “Jazz Thursdays” have been going strong. Thousand Oaks resident and Grammy Award winner Gordon Goodwin and his eighteen-member Big Phat Band played not long ago to a standing-room-only crowd of multi-generational jazz fans, including local high school musicians. (There’s also a student jazz jam there once a month.) Local resident Roger Kellaway is world-renown for tickling the ivories. Photo by Gary and Pierre Silva. And there’s Hamid Cooper and his Latin Jazz band, who play at various venues, including Zin American Bistro in Westlake and Bogie’s Bar and Lounge at the Westlake Village Inn. There’s resident world-class talent like Bob Bain, jazz guitarist and 22-year member of The Tonight Show Band, who lives in Oxnard Jim Fox, jazz guitar player for the Frank Sinatra Jr. Band, who hangs in Ojai and of course pianist/composer Roger Kellaway (featured in the April 2011 issue of Ventana), who also hangs his hat in Ojai. Oh, and rumor has it that Tom Scott recently moved to Ventura. For those who like early jazz, or “jass,” Piper Winery, high atop Rincon Mountain, hosts a fun potluck/wine tasting/jass jam (Ventana, August 2010) the first Sunday of every month except January in a converted barn with a great view. On Sundays at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Channel Islands Harbor there’s a different focus, with bands from L.A. performing. Simi Adult Community Center has New Orleans jazz, and The Sportsman Restaurant in Camarillo hosts Diz Mullin’s Swing Shift. Third-generation jazz musician Granville “Danny” Young lives in Newbury Park and plays throughout Ventura County. Photo by Julie Cresswell. Other regional big bands include the Ojai Big Band, Ventura Jazz Orchestra, Untouchables, Unforgettables, Swing Shift, Boyd Cannon Big Band, Gordon Goodwin’s bands, Danny Puchillo Four Brothers Big Band, Dean Adams Big Band, Joe Gray and his Late Nite Big Band, The Matt Finders Octet, The Tom Peterson Sextet. And not to be overlooked: the college bands at Ventura College, Moorpark College, and Cal Lutheran University. Phew! That’s a lot of great jazz for just one county. There is much to be celebrated. The musicians I heard were all incredibly talented and completely approachable. The crowds were super friendly, and the great music was often paired with tasty food and libations. But be forewarned: if someone cancels a gig and the musicians or venue don’t get their listing or changes in to Rich Barth’s web guide, you could end up on a dead end street on the jazz highway, as I almost did. Be sure to call the venues ahead of time. So what are you doing sitting here reading this? Get off your duff and hop on the Ventura County jazz highway. I think you’ll find it’s quite a trip, in more ways than one. For the most complete listing of local jazz venues, jazz musicians, and all things jazz-related in Ventura County, log on to venturacountyjazz.com. The next presentation in the Ojai Jazz Concert series will be The Ron Eschete Trio, January 21 at 8:00 p.m., Ojai Valley Community Church. For tickets and details, contact Richard Tell (richardtell@sbcglobal.net 805.746.0936) or visit the Facebook page by searching “Ojai Jazz Concerts.” Special thanks to all the photographers, musicians, and music lovers who contributed to this jazzy conglomeration. Clearly, the article does not mention everyone who contributes to the Ventura County jazz scene. You know who you are.
Rebirth of the cool Jazz returns to Ventura By L. Paul Mann 10/09/2014 Ventura County Reporter
A virtual jazz renaissance has recently permeated nearly every corner of Ventura. From upscale Main Street restaurants to tiny neighborhood bars, the Bohemian lifestyle of jazz aficionados is being embraced by a whole new generation of music lovers. Sitting on the couch in the martini lounge at Cafe Fiore, an Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Ventura, patrons can enjoy live happy hour jazz while sampling from an extensive happy hour menu. Local surfer and painter Davey Miller organizes regular impromptu jazz sessions with veteran musicians from across Southern California. On a recent sweltering Tuesday afternoon, Miller assembled a quartet for a happy hour jam featuring keyboardist Rich Earnes, a prodigious Los Angeles recording artist and television soundtrack composer. The group also featured bassist Bruce Lett, who has become a So Cal fixture since relocating from Indiana. The following night, Miller brought another group featuring jazz fusion bassist Rick Fierabracci to his Wednesday night residence gig at Grapes and Hops where a large crowd gathered to sample some of the best California wines and listen to some great music. At the other end of Main Street, just east of Ventura High School, in a nondescript little storefront, yet another sizable group listened to the Andy Waddell quintet, a young local jazz band featuring Andy Waddell on guitar, Katisse Buckingham on sax, Josh Nelson on piano, Hamilton Price on bass and Aaron McLendon smacking the drums. According to proprietor Adam Randall, the mission of Squashed Grapes is to provide a venue seven days a week for live jazz music, whiles serving up homemade wine. Patrons can even take classes to make their own wine. But it is the music that packs the house late into the night, and the vibe at the comfortable little venue may be the most authentic of any jazz establishment in the county. Sitting at the bar, Rich Barth, publisher of venturacountyjazz.com, could be seen grooving to the music. “Squashed Grapes has become the premier listening room in Ventura County,” he says. “Jazz musicians tell me that they appreciate the attentive and enthusiastic audience.” An old poster on the wall captures the spirit of the place perfectly as it announces a 1964 concert by Dave Brubeck at the nearby high school. Jazz may also be making a comeback at the high school level with a renewed interest in learning the intricate discipline at area schools offering jazz programs. The walls of Squashed Grapes are covered with photos of veteran musicians who have performed there. In fact, the number of established jazz musicians, young and old, who call Ventura or nearby cities home is truly astounding. The short list includes saxophonists Karl Hunter of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Doug Webb, who has performed and recorded with Horace Silver Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Clarke Ira Nepus, a Grammy-winning trombone player with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Ruben Estrada and Jay Jackson, a jazz singer and actor on Parks and Recreation. “You can listen to big bands every Sunday throughout Ventura County,” says Barth as he rattles off a laundry list of events. “First Sunday of the month at Piper’s Winery in Ventura, second Sunday at Simi Valley Jazz Club, third Sunday at Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club hosted by Channel Cities Jazz Club, fourth Sunday at Sportsman’s Restaurant in Camarillo. Jazz jams occur every Sunday at Beachcomber Tavern in Silverstrand Beach . . ..” Jazz definitely seems to be cool again in Ventura County.
THE RESILIENCE OF VENTURA COUNTY JAZZ
Jun 2, 2021 Cover Story, Marina Dunbar, Music, Ventura County Reporter by Marina Dunbar
As Ventura County slowly begins the process of returning to business as usual, residents are careful to remember that a return to normalcy does not mean a lack of progress. Many have taken the past year as an opportunity to grow amidst hardship. Artists across the board have had their livelihood impacted by the pandemic, but they have also taken time to self-reflect and advance their craft. Jazz musicians have had a particularly unique experience with lockdown as it relates to their ability to play music together.
Jazz music is innovative in that it is a communal activity more so than a solitary one. The concept of the young jazz cat who spends hours practicing alone in his room is a stereotype that unfortunately overlooks the collective soul of jazz. In fact, people often think of “soul” as being the essence of an individual, but in the jazz sense of the word, it refers to a shared energy, a common wavelength. When you say that a jazz musician “has soul,” you do not mean “they’re so individual.” Rather, you mean, “I feel a connection with the music they’re making.”
And speaking of connections, Richard Barth devotes his time to connecting jazz musicians with their local audience. Barth runs VenturaCountyJazz.com, a website dedicated to advertising events and platforming performers.
“One of the reasons I love the scene here is that you’ll get someone who is world renowned who will play these little venues in Ventura County,” says Barth. “They’re not doing it for the money . . . they’ll be helping out a student jazz competition, be a backing band for the kids. Ira Nepus, the trombonist for Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, he’ll go out of his way to schedule a high school band to open for a big band so that they can get real-world experience. So many legends who live right here in the county will come to local jam sessions . . . It’s so inclusive whether you are a big star or a musician who got the call at the last minute.”
This inclusivity is the perfect example of what soul means in the jazz world. As Barth points out, someone who certainly understands this is Ira Nepus, esteemed trombonist, multi-Grammy winner, and local hero to many young musicians.
“I gravitate towards jazz because it makes you feel good. It could make you feel good in a happy way, a sad way, a range of emotions, but it moves you. The swinging aspect is what jazz really comes down to. It should groove,” Nepus explains. “We have to master the technique of our instruments, but when it comes time to play, we can’t be thinking about [the analysis]. We just have to use our ears . . . You want to be enveloped by the music, like someone hugging you.”
Jazz is unique among music genres because it relies on improvisation, and improvisation relies on other musicians to play off of. Due to the communal aspect of jazz, musicians have been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only has live music been halted and local venues shut down, but cats are unable to get together and play. Adam Randall, co-owner of Ventura’s definitive jazz venue Squashed Grapes, undoubtedly knows the value of live music.
“It’s kind of intangible to describe [the importance of live music to a community],” says Randall. “Sometimes we would leave the front door open and let the music into the street . . . I noticed that many people would stop to check us out, some would even pause an errand and get out of their cars to hear the music. Those are the things that tell me how much music means to the community.”
Even before being deprived of live music, Ventura always appreciated jazz. “We have a listening audience,” explains Barth. “[Locals] have an energy that the performers feed off of . . . the audience is attentive, they applaud for solos, they don’t treat jazz like background music. We’re blessed here in Ventura that the audience is sophisticated enough to respect the musicianship.”
Find live jazz performances and more at Ventura County Jazz, www.venturacountyjazz.com.
Ventura Magazine January 2012
Editor's Note:
Spontaneous Interaction Richard Barth hit the first notes hard, blowing double time, riffing like mad about jazz and jazz musicians and jazz venues and Ventura County jazz in general. The man had his groove, no doubt. It was April 8, 2010 and his solo—a scopious email with the subject line, “story idea - jazz scene in ventura county”—listed dozens of jazz bands and individual jazz musicians between T.O. and Ojai. I riffed back quietly, half time feel, side-slipping a commitment. Yes, I told him, a story should be done. But… dot, dot, dot. What I was really thinking was: too much info. How to distill all that jazz into one cohesive article? And what about photos? This thing was an octopus, a tome. And here I am an editor with but a few pages to work with, and really what I need are quick byte queries with tightly focused story ideas and this wild jam session of a pitch was just the opposite of that.
Then Leslie Westbrook blew a change. She pulled me into the pocket with a pitch about another local jazz cat named Richard—Richard Tell, who’d fired up a series of live performances called Ojai Jazz Concerts. Leslie and I bopped back and forth, expanding the focus of her pitch and narrowing the focus of Barth’s. My emails were caveat-laden (“it’d require a lot of phone calls, quote gathering”), hers passionate (“the daughter of a jazz musician and jazz fan—and one who likes to keep jazz alive”). And that was just the beginning. The article (page 31) evolved as one spontaneous interaction led to another. The creative process became something of a multifarious improv: a jazz-style jam, you could say, with photographers, musicians, jazz lovers, concert organizers, a writer, and an editor chiming in. Now that it’s all boiled to a crescendo and cooled back down, this soup pot approach seems entirely fitting. Cover Story: Hear and Now From T.O. to Ojai, the great American art keeps on keeping time. LESLIE A. WESTBROOK riffs on the Ventura County jazz highway. Doug Webb outside the Ojai Valley Community Church, where his quartet performed a tribute to John Coltrane as part of the Ojai Jazz Concerts series. Photo by Sally Rice. IT ALL BEGAN LIKE THIS: Somehow, having learned that I am a jazz fan (as well as a jazz pianist’s daughter), a crazily enthusiastic dude named Richard Tell called me on the telephone and began pontificating about his new series of monthly jazz concerts in Ojai. The lines were burning up with the impresario’s enthusiasm as he raved about some of the musicians he’s featured, as well as his future plans. The concert venue—Ojai Valley Community Church (“Don’t call it a church,” he begged)—was certainly unique. I was intrigued. Anyway, church or no church, I believe that jazz is holy and I embraced the idea with equal parts enthusiasm and curiosity. I will admit that I did find it a bit odd watching jazz bird Denise Donatelli scat in front of a cross, but her performance with her trio was terrific. And I was thrilled beyond belief to find a place (outside of L.A.’s Jazz Bakery or Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theater) where I could listen to jazz, without the clinking of wine glasses, in the company of a mutually respectful, appreciative crowd of fellow jazz fans. So I became a believer—in Ojai Jazz Concerts—and encourage all ye faithful to come to the holy world of jazz. Critically acclaimed jazz singer Denise Donatelli has performed at some of the country’s leading venues, as well as a little church in Ojai. Photo by Mikel Healey. I SENT OFF AN EMAIL to Matt, the editor here at Ventana, telling him about Rich. Soon, he riffed back, “You gotta check out Davey Miller, former pro surfer, artist, musician… He’s passionate about jazz and a classic Ventura character.” Character indeed, with a heart of gold when it comes to top jazz musicians (seasoned pros from L.A. such as bassist Tony Dumont, pianist Mitch Foreman, and saxophonist Doug Webb), whom he invites to Ventura—and pays out of his own pocket—to jam with him in small local venues, most currently at Andres Wine & Tapas Bar in the Ventura Harbor on the first Friday of every month. “I must have played thousands of gigs for free, but I pay the guys,” Davey told me. I landed on Davey’s Myspace page where I was delighted to lend my ears to a sweet and tasty straight-ahead rendition of Cole Porter’s “What is This Thing called Love?” played the way I heard music growing up as a 1950s “cool West Coast jazz” kid hiding beneath my father’s piano. It’s not always an older crowd digging this music these days. “I love jazz,” enthused Ben Norens, a 29-year-old Channel Islands resident I met one night after he and a couple of fellow youthful buddies were lured into the wine bar by Davey Miller and his players’ music while departing the nearby Ventura Harbor Comedy Club. No surprise. It was top-notch jazz, performed by of a quartet of accomplished musicians: super fine vibraphonist Nick Mancini (who drove up from Toluca Lake) bassist Bruce Lett (from Malibu), trombonist Ira Nepus (from Thousand Oaks), and the indomitable Davey Miller on drums and a few vocals. One of New York’s most called-upon studio players, vibraphonist Nick Mancini recently jammed in Ventura with local drummer Davey Miller. Photo by Jay Matsueda. If Davey is the patron saint of jazz in Ventura, then Ira Nepus may well be the keeper of the holy grail in East Ventura. Fresh off the “thrill of his career,” playing two solos for Sir Paul McCartney’s forthcoming album of jazz standards (and sitting next to Sir Paul in Capitol Records’ famous “Studio A” for three hours!), Nepus actively promotes jazz in East Ventura County. (More on that in a moment.) IF THERE'S A HERO IN ALL THIS it’s Ventura County resident and jazz aficionado Rich Barth, a downtown L.A. commuter by day who moonlights as the e-publisher of a monthly list of local jazz events and venues—online at venturacountyjazz.com. This dude is dedicated. He spent two-and-a-half hours crawling through traffic to get to The SideCar Restaurant in Ventura, where we met during one of their steamin’ “Jazz and Grilled Cheese Tuesday” events. Over a great evening of music performed by Coda—made up of David Johnson on vibes, Kevin Fukagawa on piano, David Robaire on bass, and Charles Levin on drums—we dug into a great meal and fine tunes. I hit Cafe Fiore downtown later that same evening, to be delighted by a swingin’ rendition of “If I Only Had Brain” (yes, from The Wizard of Oz), by crooner and Ventura resident Bernie Meisinger (pronounced “my-singer”). An L.A. transplant (via a small town in Pennsylvania), Meisinger met Maria Fiore in the big city before there was Fiore’s in Ventura. A few years later she called. The rest, as they say, is history. “After playing the gig at Cafe Fiore for a few months, I found myself spending more and more time [in Ventura],” says Meisinger. “On days off, I’d ride my motorcycle up here to cool off from the heat of the San Fernando Valley and spend time with folks I found to be genuine and unaffected. One thing led to another, and in 2005 I bought a boat large enough to live on here in the harbor.” Ira Nepus on trombone with the Tom Peterson Group. Also shown: Rich Eames, piano Dick Weller, drums Jeff D’Angelo, bass Clay Jenkins, trumpet and Tom Peterson, saxophone. Down Thousand Oaks way, jazz trombonist Ira Nepus grew up in a jazz household under his father’s tutelage. In addition to his gigs, he puts on the summer series of jazz concerts at Gardens of the Worlds, on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Nepus plays in the world-renown Clayton-Hamilton Big Band, as well as the Boyd Cannon Big Band, monthly at Borderline in T.O. He also went on a world tour this year with Elton John and Elvis Costello. Yet he finds time to organize fundraisers to help local high schools raise money to send their jazz bands to competitions, and sets up gigs for local jazz musicians to play around the county. “What Davey Miller is to the Ventura jazz scene, Ira is tenfold to the Conejo Valley jazz scene,” Barth said. It’s no coincidence that there’s jazz at the Ojai Valley Inn. I first met jazz aficionado Janis Clapoff (the Inn’s former managing director) in the late 1980s in New York City, at a rooftop jazz party she organized at a Park Avenue hotel she was managing at the time. Several hotel gigs later, she brought jazz to Ojai—to the Inn’s Neff Lounge on weekend nights beginning at 8:00 p.m., a policy that I hope will endure. Davey Miller brings some of the best cats to the Ventura/Santa Barbara area. Photo Courtesy of Davey Miller. There are many more spots to hit on the Ventura County jazz highway my bucket list is overflowing with places like the Famous Sports Bar and Grille in Thousand Oaks. Rich Barth spoke before the Thousand Oaks City Council (after writing a letter and soliciting similar impassioned writing from everyone he knew) a few years ago to get a live music permit for the establishment. “I found myself at a City Hall council meeting requesting live jazz,” he explained. “A few weeks later we were elated to get the permit and the owner, Tony Madoyan, invited the first improvisational music group.” Since then, “Jazz Thursdays” have been going strong. Thousand Oaks resident and Grammy Award winner Gordon Goodwin and his eighteen-member Big Phat Band played not long ago to a standing-room-only crowd of multi-generational jazz fans, including local high school musicians. (There’s also a student jazz jam there once a month.) Local resident Roger Kellaway is world-renown for tickling the ivories. Photo by Gary and Pierre Silva. And there’s Hamid Cooper and his Latin Jazz band, who play at various venues, including Zin American Bistro in Westlake and Bogie’s Bar and Lounge at the Westlake Village Inn. There’s resident world-class talent like Bob Bain, jazz guitarist and 22-year member of The Tonight Show Band, who lives in Oxnard Jim Fox, jazz guitar player for the Frank Sinatra Jr. Band, who hangs in Ojai and of course pianist/composer Roger Kellaway (featured in the April 2011 issue of Ventana), who also hangs his hat in Ojai. Oh, and rumor has it that Tom Scott recently moved to Ventura. For those who like early jazz, or “jass,” Piper Winery, high atop Rincon Mountain, hosts a fun potluck/wine tasting/jass jam (Ventana, August 2010) the first Sunday of every month except January in a converted barn with a great view. On Sundays at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Channel Islands Harbor there’s a different focus, with bands from L.A. performing. Simi Adult Community Center has New Orleans jazz, and The Sportsman Restaurant in Camarillo hosts Diz Mullin’s Swing Shift. Third-generation jazz musician Granville “Danny” Young lives in Newbury Park and plays throughout Ventura County. Photo by Julie Cresswell. Other regional big bands include the Ojai Big Band, Ventura Jazz Orchestra, Untouchables, Unforgettables, Swing Shift, Boyd Cannon Big Band, Gordon Goodwin’s bands, Danny Puchillo Four Brothers Big Band, Dean Adams Big Band, Joe Gray and his Late Nite Big Band, The Matt Finders Octet, The Tom Peterson Sextet. And not to be overlooked: the college bands at Ventura College, Moorpark College, and Cal Lutheran University. Phew! That’s a lot of great jazz for just one county. There is much to be celebrated. The musicians I heard were all incredibly talented and completely approachable. The crowds were super friendly, and the great music was often paired with tasty food and libations. But be forewarned: if someone cancels a gig and the musicians or venue don’t get their listing or changes in to Rich Barth’s web guide, you could end up on a dead end street on the jazz highway, as I almost did. Be sure to call the venues ahead of time. So what are you doing sitting here reading this? Get off your duff and hop on the Ventura County jazz highway. I think you’ll find it’s quite a trip, in more ways than one. For the most complete listing of local jazz venues, jazz musicians, and all things jazz-related in Ventura County, log on to venturacountyjazz.com. The next presentation in the Ojai Jazz Concert series will be The Ron Eschete Trio, January 21 at 8:00 p.m., Ojai Valley Community Church. For tickets and details, contact Richard Tell (richardtell@sbcglobal.net 805.746.0936) or visit the Facebook page by searching “Ojai Jazz Concerts.” Special thanks to all the photographers, musicians, and music lovers who contributed to this jazzy conglomeration. Clearly, the article does not mention everyone who contributes to the Ventura County jazz scene. You know who you are.
Rebirth of the cool Jazz returns to Ventura By L. Paul Mann 10/09/2014 Ventura County Reporter
A virtual jazz renaissance has recently permeated nearly every corner of Ventura. From upscale Main Street restaurants to tiny neighborhood bars, the Bohemian lifestyle of jazz aficionados is being embraced by a whole new generation of music lovers. Sitting on the couch in the martini lounge at Cafe Fiore, an Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Ventura, patrons can enjoy live happy hour jazz while sampling from an extensive happy hour menu. Local surfer and painter Davey Miller organizes regular impromptu jazz sessions with veteran musicians from across Southern California. On a recent sweltering Tuesday afternoon, Miller assembled a quartet for a happy hour jam featuring keyboardist Rich Earnes, a prodigious Los Angeles recording artist and television soundtrack composer. The group also featured bassist Bruce Lett, who has become a So Cal fixture since relocating from Indiana. The following night, Miller brought another group featuring jazz fusion bassist Rick Fierabracci to his Wednesday night residence gig at Grapes and Hops where a large crowd gathered to sample some of the best California wines and listen to some great music. At the other end of Main Street, just east of Ventura High School, in a nondescript little storefront, yet another sizable group listened to the Andy Waddell quintet, a young local jazz band featuring Andy Waddell on guitar, Katisse Buckingham on sax, Josh Nelson on piano, Hamilton Price on bass and Aaron McLendon smacking the drums. According to proprietor Adam Randall, the mission of Squashed Grapes is to provide a venue seven days a week for live jazz music, whiles serving up homemade wine. Patrons can even take classes to make their own wine. But it is the music that packs the house late into the night, and the vibe at the comfortable little venue may be the most authentic of any jazz establishment in the county. Sitting at the bar, Rich Barth, publisher of venturacountyjazz.com, could be seen grooving to the music. “Squashed Grapes has become the premier listening room in Ventura County,” he says. “Jazz musicians tell me that they appreciate the attentive and enthusiastic audience.” An old poster on the wall captures the spirit of the place perfectly as it announces a 1964 concert by Dave Brubeck at the nearby high school. Jazz may also be making a comeback at the high school level with a renewed interest in learning the intricate discipline at area schools offering jazz programs. The walls of Squashed Grapes are covered with photos of veteran musicians who have performed there. In fact, the number of established jazz musicians, young and old, who call Ventura or nearby cities home is truly astounding. The short list includes saxophonists Karl Hunter of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Doug Webb, who has performed and recorded with Horace Silver Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Clarke Ira Nepus, a Grammy-winning trombone player with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Ruben Estrada and Jay Jackson, a jazz singer and actor on Parks and Recreation. “You can listen to big bands every Sunday throughout Ventura County,” says Barth as he rattles off a laundry list of events. “First Sunday of the month at Piper’s Winery in Ventura, second Sunday at Simi Valley Jazz Club, third Sunday at Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club hosted by Channel Cities Jazz Club, fourth Sunday at Sportsman’s Restaurant in Camarillo. Jazz jams occur every Sunday at Beachcomber Tavern in Silverstrand Beach . . ..” Jazz definitely seems to be cool again in Ventura County.
