THE NIGHT STUFF
Ready for a night of cool jazz? Go to Studio 6

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

Jazz is the only thing on the menu at Studio 6, Tuesday evenings at the Musicians Association Building on Kapi'olani Boulevard. Above, an appreciative audience is treated to the stylings of Studio 6 performers. Below, Rich Crandall, proprietor of Studio 6, plays piano. Crandall's wife and daughter also help with the evening musical event.

Kerry Ashbaugh closes her eyes while enjoying a night of jazz with her fiance, Charlie Sims. The Tuesday-night performances are great for dates. Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Crandall's justifiably proud statement arrived on the heels of a cover of the '80s soft rock hit "Baby, Come To Me" that moved effortlessly from sultry lounge groove to wildly improvisational melodic romp. And Crandall, bassist Steve Jones and drummer Peter Factora already had proved they had more chops than a Palama Meat Co. walk-in freezer.

But the song was just the opening salvo of another wonderful night in Crandall's six-year-old excellent adventure in giving live jazz and the Honolulu musicians that play it a weekly gig they can call home.

Guest musicians change each week — in addition to Jones and Factora, the performance we attended three nights ago also featured Los Angeles-based trombonist and former Honolulu resident Les Benedict. Always keeping the gig a family affair, though, is Crandall on piano, wife Emme at the door, and 14-year-old daughter Angela, who has taken vocal chores on a song of her choice since her dad first opened Studio 6's doors in 1997. Yup, she was really, like, 8.

The multigenerational crowd — all noticeably passionate jazz fans given to closing their eyes and nodding their heads to the beat, playing air instruments, whooping every superb solo, or even sketching musicians into bound notebooks — followed Crandall and crew like starved mice to wonderfully aged brie. And who could blame them?

The quartet wore the well-chosen set list with the comfort level of a group that had played together for years, but with the freshness of a frisky bunch of lovestruck teenagers. Superb improvisational solo trade-offs among the four on standards like "Just Friends," "Besame Mucho," and "The Song Is You" came off like musical freestyle poetry.

The cool blue waltz "Charmaine" got me so lost in the moment, I imagined myself in the darkened corner booth of a downtown Chicago club circa 1927, a glass of single-malt Scotch in one hand and the other on my girl's waist. Instead, I happily settled for an arm around my partner in Night Stuff, our stackable chairs pulled up close.

Studio 6's environs are, shall we say, lived in, with a nod toward thrift-store funky. Mismatched floor and table lamps scattered about the musicians' audience-level performance space lend a golden glow to walls that have absorbed more than their share of Brubeck and Blakey. Wall-to-wall orange carpeting and framed jazz-themed artwork on the walls — Miles, Duke, etc. — complete the homey effect.

Angela Crandall charmed on a mid-evening vocal take of Sam Ahia's gorgeous "Lady of Samoa" that was confident, passionate and crystalline. She even closed the bouncy tune with some impressive junior scatting.

The understated elegance of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" offered some quiet time before the quartet tore into an absolutely joyous and stunning workout of Ray Noble's "Cherokee" that closed the evening.

If anyone has an idea of the perfect wine to accompany some CPK takeout on our next Studio 6 outing — we're thinking Rosemary Chicken-Potato — I'm open to suggestions.

Got a night spot or club event we should check out? Contact Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.

What: Studio 6.

Where: Musicians Association of Hawaii Building, 949 Kapi'olani Blvd., second floor, 596-2905.

When: 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays.

Cover: $6.

Younger than 21 OK? Yes.

Age of crowd: 30s-60s.

Dress code: None.

Attire we saw: Casual and dressy. On men: aloha shirts, dress shirts and slacks, polos, sweaters, solid tees, khakis, jeans and a raspberry beret. On women: dresses, blouse/pant combos, sweaters, jeans.

Our arrival/departure: 7:45 p.m./10:30 p.m.

Peak crowd while there: 50.

Queue?: No.

Sample music: "Baby, Come To Me," "Besame Mucho," "Lady of Samoa," "Goodbye Porkpie Hat," "Cherokee."

Dancing? No.

Tip: With no food or drink service offered at Studio 6, you're welcome to tote in your own takeout, snacks or your favorite shiraz.

Night notes ...

Groovy indie band monthly Avant Pop happens again on March 15 at Club Pauahi, off Fort Street Mall. This month's eclectic collective features Teradactyl, Baby Microphone, Paul and Gwen, the Jerome James Collective, Grit Groove and DJ Noey. Cover for the 8 p.m. show is an entirely reasonable $5.

Quadraphonix and Sisters In Sound's DJ Zita are playing an impromptu jam hosted by downtown gallery Studio One tonight at 9 p.m. Five bucks gets you into this one, too. Parking is cheap, and available 24 hours at Harbor Court on Bethel Street.

And don't forget, Go Jimmy Go brings live ska to the harbor at Don Ho's Island Grill at 9 p.m. Saturday for just $5. Sensing a theme yet?