Live Jazz Performance

On October 16^th, I experienced my first excursion to a live jazz performance at Garage, a nice restaurant and café located in Greenwich Village. The festivities began around 6:00 PM, as they do most Friday nights at Garage. By this time, almost every table was filled and there were barely any empty seats along the bar. As the lights dimmed around the restaurant, other lights began to shine on the performers, who that night happened to be the Evan Schwam Quartet. The members included Evan Schwam, who played tenor saxophone, Andrew Bemkey, who played piano, Corcoran Holt, who played bass, and Jeremy Carlstedt, who played drums.

From the very beginning, I could tell this performance was going to be lively and upbeat. You immediately begin to hear the drums and the saxophone and you were roused right away. The music progressed nicely over the course of the performance, with the liveliness continuing. I had brought some of my friends along to the restaurant and they also did not have any prior exposure to jazz. After watching the performance, they gained some appreciation for jazz and had a very enjoyable time.  In addition to the music, the food served was very good, although a bit on the expensive side. However, the combination of great music and food made the evening very enjoyable.

Overall, Garage is a great place to listen to quality jazz. The Evan Schwam Quartet did a magnificent job, and it no surprise that Evan Schwam is a well-known jazz musician, having even played for former President Bill Clinton back in 2006. The group’s music kept everyone happy and upbeat, and made the evening pass by in a flash.