Monday, October 29, 2012

A jazz evening in Portsmouth, N.H.

Arnie Krakowski
arniekrakowsky.com
During our visit to Hampton, N.H., earlier this month, we visited Jen's brother Bill Paarlberg in nearby Portsmouth. He took us to the Press Room, a restaurant and bar that programs lots of jazz. 
 
On the evening we dropped by, tenor saxophonist Arnie Krakowski and the Les Harris Jr. trio were playing upstairs, and we sat downstairs so we could chat freely. It was one of the few times, maybe the only time, when I went out to hear jazz but allowed it to become background music, and I found it really enjoyable as we talked.

Krakowski's laid-back, easygoing, swinging solos wafted down the stairwell and made me think of late Lester Young.

Portsmouth, population 20,000, has a bar with live music seven nights a weeks, mostly jazz. An advanced civilization, to be sure.

1 comment:

Bill Paarlberg said...

Glad you enjoyed your visit, Ed. And that was a very fun evening. The Press Room is a revered local institution and well deserving of its status. You need a jazz tour of the Seacoast. Come back some time for a week or two.