Bust the blues at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

 

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble made lots of it at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club/Photo by Patricia Leslie

When you hear the word "zydeco," doesn't it make you happy? 

Doesn't it make you move a little?

Just a little? 

Now, come on.  Come on.

Me, too.

That's why I went to the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club Friday night to hear Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble (love that name!) entertain all the cool cats (that would include me) who showed up to listen, dance, eat, and imbibe. (Some nights are made for listening and dancing.  Check the calendar.) 

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 

Curley (from Louisiana, natch) got the crowd to come on down and go to town as fast as the fellow playing the electric guitar could pick one string.

No timid people came to zydeco. No siree.  The big dance floor filled real fast, and it never got too crowded or dark.

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club/Photo by Patricia Leslie

What do you call these silver metal accordions which hang around your neck? Silver medal accordions which hang around your neck? Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble know what they are, at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In that sexy night hall with the columns lit by lights from down yonder, we could have been on a ship.  Matter of fact, I was on a ship, one that rollicked and waved in time with the music and served up plenty of good tastings, a fast cruise like a mood lifter that didn't require popping pills. 

Time to check for messages with Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The hall is a beautiful place (with an $8 million renovation) in a 1938 art deco building with high ceilings, and attractive Indian designs on the side walls with big, tall columns and lights to give it that nightclub allure. 

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club with...oriental rugs on the ceiling?/Photo by Patricia Leslie

I do believe it's better to go to the club with a date since that's what most of the guests seemed like they were, although a few singles found dancing partners. Just my observation.

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club.  Who said there were no cowboy hats on Wisconsin Avenue? It's okay to wear them at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club.  No apparel restrictions/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Get there early and get a table (you may sit with strangers who won't be "strangers" for long) or take a seat, please, in the theater section where no food (but drink) are permitted.  (All seats have great views of the stage.)  The Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club takes no reservations, but sells advance show tickets.

Oh, and for the uptights and uprights, there's a nice new bar and lounge out front.  But for us all rights, we'll take inside, please.

Some of the acts coming up at the club are:

Wednesday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.,The Greg Boyer Peloton ($15)

Thursday, August 7, 7:30 p.m., Luther Re-Lives Concert Tour 2014 with dancing ($25)

Friday, August 8, 8 p.m., Doc Scantlin and His Imperial Palms Orchestra with dancing ($35)

Saturday, August 9, 8:30 p.m., The Vi-Kings with dancing, Ladies' night!  ($1 - $10)

Sunday, August 10, 7:30 p.m., Rita Coolidge ($35), the Rita Coolidge.  Exactly one year ago I heard her sing in town, and she was as spectacular as ever and sang her big hits, Fever, Higher and Higher, We're All Alone, One Fine Day and more.  I can't wait to hear Rita again.

Friday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m., The Shirelles ($45) as in the Shirelles?  Don't want to give away my age or nuthin', but, honey, I'll be there!  I want to dedicate this to the one I love, who, Mama said, was a soldier boy.  I met him on a Sunday and what a sweet thing that was, even if I am a foolish little girl. Baby, it's you. Will you still love me tomorrow?

What:  Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

When:  12 p.m.-1 a.m., Monday-Saturday; 12 p.m.-12 a.m., Sunday

Where:  7719 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

How much:  Prices vary, depending upon artist.  See the calendar. 

Food and drink:  The dining area has a $10 per person minimum which can be applied toward any item on the menu. Check out FAQ here.  And here's the menu.  I found the food and drinks, good and reasonably priced.

Tickets:  Call 240-330-4500 or go to the website.

Getting there:  The Bethesda Metro station is about 1.5 blocks away, and parking is behind the building (free on weekends).  See directions.

Whazziz?  Guess you'll have to come on out to the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club and find out/Photo by Patricia Leslie

patricialesli@gmail.com

Dancing talk at Glen Echo

A Saturday "swing" night at Glen Echo where the crowd danced to the music of Blue Sky 5 + 2, sponsored by Flying Feet Enterprises/Patricia Leslie

Act I

Overheard at the unheated dance hall (where it doesn't take much to warm up), a conversation and an offer between two 60-somethings.

"Susan," dressed in black dancing shoes, black tights, black "swing" skirt and a decidedly unsexy fleece zipped to her neck, stands next to a column waiting for the 8 p.m. swing lesson to begin.

"Dave," dressed in an all-black suit with orange tie and wearing a woolen knit cap with his name stitched across the forehead (which he never removes), approaches Susan and once they engage in conversation, takes aim with a fox's stare, never taking his eyes from hers.  He has targeted more prey.

Dave: Hi.

Susan: Hi.

Dave: My name's Dave.

Susan (smiling): I am Susan.

Dave: You look familiar.

Susan: (? and rolls her eyes)

Dave: I know you! Do you work at the ______________ ?

Susan: Yes, I do! I don't recall seeing you there.

Dave: That's because my business ________________.

Susan: Oh, well, I work in a nearby building.

Dave: Oh.

Pause

Dave: I am looking for a wife.

Susan: I am not material.

Dave: How come?

Susan: (?) Been there, done that.

Dave: And?

Susan: (?) And?

Dave: And?

Susan: It's too confining and ....

Dave interrupts: But I have a lot of money!

Susan: (And?)

Dave: I own my own business which I am going to sell for $___ million. I know Stevie Wonder.

Susan: (Wondering how Stevie Wonder has crept into the conversation) I just saw him on TMZ.

Dave: TMZ? What's that?

Susan: A trashy TV show

Dave: Where do you live?

Susan: Northern Virginia

Dave winces.

Susan: Where do you live?

Dave: Northern Virginia (pause): I got an offer on my house last week for $1.6 million, and I bought it for $100,000 20 years ago.

Susan (Fancy that): Did you accept the offer?

Dave: No, I'm gonna wait for something higher.

Susan:

Pause

Dave: Don't you ever get lonely?

Susan: Sometimes.

Dave: I lived with someone for 18 years.

Susan (Congratulations): Where is she?

Dave: I dunno

Pause

Dave: I have a place in Key West, too.

Susan:

Dave: I am going to dance with you.

The scene ends as the dance class begins.

Act II

An hour later on the dance floor with 400 people dancing swing to an orchestra. After several dances, Dave finds Susan.

Dave: Let's dance. I know the steps; follow me.

(Turns out he is a very good dancer.)

Dave (emphatically): Put your arm here! (On his)

Susan: Well, if you know the steps, why did you come to the class?

Pause

Dave: This is the Fox Trot (as he glides her along backwards on the floor where her foot is crushed three times by men weighing 200+ lbs.).

Susan: I thought we were supposed to be doing "the swing."

Dave: This is what we are doing...the Fox Trot.  Just don't think about it.

Susan (As they dance): I was wondering (pause)... if this is called the Fox Trot, is it because... this is the way foxes trot?

Dave: (?)

After three numbers together, Susan takes a water break where she spots an obnoxious neighbor across the dance floor. Fearful of an invitation (or not) to dance,  she makes a break and escapes into that good night.

It pays to get out.

What: Dancing to live music

When: Thursday - Sunday nights, some Sunday afternoons

Where: 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD 20812

How much: $15 or $16

For more information: Call 301-634-2222 or email info@glenechopark.org

patricialesliexam@gmail.com