A rotating So Cal jazz lineup has taken residence Monday and Tuesday nights at McKenna’s on the Bay in Long Beach, Calif., making the Alamitos Bay-side restaurant a lot more hip in the last six months. The lineup includes three sets each night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Organized up by Anthony Shadduck, with a master’s in jazz studies from Cal State Long Beach, jazz nights at McKenna’s is one of the rare spots hosting quality jazz performances. Shadduck’s rotating lineup has had patrons toe tapping and clapping since mid-June, back when it was only on Monday nights. Since then, the jazz night has expanded to Tuesdays, and provides what he said is a “much needed place” for jazz musicians to come and play.
The crowd though, doesn’t include the young urban cats you’d expect. McKenna’s regular patrons are generally in their upper 30s, or older, and the younger crowd is more than likely to be full of jazz college students. With recent promotions aimed at local college students — one night they got happy hour prices all nice long — that could certainly change soon.
Make no mistake; McKenna’s is not a “venue.” The difference, according to Shadduck, between a venue and a restaurant featuring music is quite distinct. McKenna’s atmosphere of dim lighting accentuates the candlelit tables versus narrowing in on the musicians, so as not to make the stage the highlight of the night. The volume is also lowered, allowing for ample dinner conversation to flow right alongside the beats.
At the last college promotional night on Nov. 22, the performance was marked with a sizeable group of students, who came to see Christine Guter, head of the vocal jazz department at Cal State Long Beach. Students Ian Berkke and Steve Blum were in attendance, and appreciated the “chance to come see live Jazz,” Berkke said. Even though places to see jazz seem few and far between in Long Beach, Blum said “there is a surprisingly vibrant community for jazz.”
Jazz nights at McKenna’s are still going through their growing pains. The musicians want to play out — it’s clear — and when they do, they seem to be invariably asked to turn down the volume by management. The restaurant isn’t packed on these nights, either. But Shadduck is confident that more people will come, especially after he organizes more marketing campaigns on popular radio station KJazz and other avenues.
What is going on though, is a great place to eat dinner and listen to quality music. When the winter hours start to recede, gorgeous sunsets will accompany the musicians as they play some up-tempo jazz to go along with your dinner, date or drink. If you go, you can tell all your friends that you were there before it was cool.