ClubD in San Francisco

March 27, 2008

ClubD turned 35 in San Francisco, club hopping along Fillmore Street. The first stop was Yoshi's, a seated, theatre-style club, where Crescent City Boogaloo served up some funky jazz. While described as ‘groove-oriented music of New Orleans" and the Latin-soul hybrid known as boogaloo, this was a mostly mellow, sophisticated jazz.

The instrumentation was outstanding. Led by Dr. Lonnie Smith on B-3, who occasionally sang with his baritone, the band featured guitarist Peter Bernstein, saxophonist Donald Harrison, trumpeter Christian Scott, and two New Orleans drummers: Joe Dyson and Zigaboo Modeliste.


The next stop was the Boom Boom Room, a lounge just up the road, where some funk-infused blues just filled the place. Chicago-bred though Bay Area-based musician Wil Blades set the groove on the Hammond B-3 supported by the tight band OGD.


(Wil Blades and special guest singers from New Orleans tore it up at the Boom Boom Room).