🌁 Club Deluxe Returns

In the 2010s, I often stopped by Club Deluxe, a jazz club on Haight Street. Sometimes I’d invite friends and family, but often I’d go by myself on a random weekday. I’d order a Manhattan or a greyhound, grab a stool, and enjoy regular performers like Loretta Gooden, the Cosmo Alleycats, and Lavay Smith in this intimate venue. When it closed a few years ago, it was a huge loss. Places like Club Deluxe are unique and irreplaceable.

So when I first heard it would reopen as The Deluxe, I was excited. After a long wait, opening day finally arrived. On June 18th, I stopped by the soft opening of The Deluxe, hoping I could get a seat and see the first show.

Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who missed this place. I arrived 30 minutes before doors opened, and there was already a huge line down the street. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch the music on opening night, but I will be there regularly as soon as demand cools a bit. After the ribbon cutting, I was able to take a peek inside. The restoration looked great. Mitch Polzak & the Royal Deuces was the first act, and many other regulars are already on the calendar. See you there soon!

Lakehouse Jazz is a highly-popular performance venue held inside the Blue Heron Boathouse in Golden Gate Park. We saw the blue heron babies up close in May. Last Saturday we dropped by for the jazz. The small, communal seating style venue allows the artists to interact with the audience intimately. A new band is featured every week, and the artists are kept secret. Many musical styles are celebrated including swing, funk, Latin jazz, fusion and bossa nova. On this occasion the artists were jazz and avant-pop vocalist Sami Stevens, Giulio Xavier Cetto (bassist), and Jaycie Grady (drums). Giulio is a great bassist who performs in many venues in the city. We previously wrote about his performance with Big Trippin at the Black Cat.

The performances are produced by Mellow Sessions who maintain the event calendar here. Shows are typically held on Friday and Saturday night and sell out fast. This makes a great date night paired with a nearby restaurant or following a stroll around Blue Heron Lake.

There’s something magical about a live performance on one of San Francisco’s porches. Recently I’ve been fascinated with the Instagram account @stoopsessionslive, which features clips of San Francisco rapper Afterthought’s performances with The Top Chefs band. They regularly perform on the stoop of his childhood home by Lucinda’s Deli. These performances were recently covered by CBS news.

On Friday, I went to see the group as part of the series of free concerts at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell. SundaY and Ash opened the Juneteenth performance, singing both original songs and covers including Sade’s “Kiss of Life” and Jill Scott’s “The Way.” The group will be performing tonight at Madrone Art Bar and on June 26th at The Faight. Be sure to follow their Instagram account to find out when the next stoop session is.