by Barbara Paulus

Created on: December 09, 2008

New York City and especially Manhattan's Upper West Side has come to be something of a world-renowned mecca for jazz enthusiasts. With Preservation Hall in New Orleans carefully set aside as the standard to which jazz should be held, Jazz at Lincoln
Center is the premier location to enjoy jazz on the East Coast of the United States. I set out looking for a place to eat and enjoy decent jazz confident it wouldn't be hard to find in the neighborhood a little farther uptown.

I'll take the pain of a syringe needle at the doctor's rather than go back to Cleopatra's Needle. Everything was a drag. Anticipating a great jazz experience to kick off the weekend, I was greatly disappointed.

Upon arrival, my arm was twisted to sit at the bar. Fine; at least I got closer to the band, right? Would have been nice but the band wasn't playing and it was during a time when they were slated to.

Bar seating is awkward where one has two options (as the band is surprisingly hard to see from the bar - strange, but true- even when they are playing) 1- stare at the party directly across from you as you face the bar and look up or down at them [depending on which side you are on as one side is elevated], 2- watch TV. Yes, a TV at a jazz club. Frightening.

The bartenders on the whole were hopelessly inattentive. Many are forgetful and stand stationary in front of you to provide a further obstacle between you and the band. And all had an air of "I don't want to be here" about them. Sadly, I could relate.

The band - once they played - was not very good. The trumpeter looked like he'd pop a vein at any moment and he wasn't even hitting the upper register. From what I could see his eyes were closed during his entire performance and solos; maybe he wanted to forget where he was also. The pianist and percussionist were decent enough, but far from the quality standard Cleopatra's Needle claims to contribute to live jazz in the City.

All is not lost, though. The new bartender (if she stays) was considerate. And from my perspective as a trumpet player for close to fifteen years, the trumpeter's tone quality wasn't half-bad considering the sub-par acoustics. As a restaurant, the food was overpriced for the portion size, but was certainly not bad.

Primarily, I was there for jazz music and the atmosphere which are not this club's forte. While happy because I'd eaten, I was only far too happy to leave.

Better service and a band that kicks may turn the place around, but that can be said of a lot of places. I hope these two elements come quickly as I'm not too thrilled I have to go way downtown or to mid-town for a good jazz club restaurant.

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