It started with a spur of the moment decision and ended on a high note quite literally.
A friend of mine, barely containing her excitement, invited me out to watch a live #jazz show with her, stating that she has been meaning to go since forever. I agreed to join her then off we went to the #Phog #Lounge in #Windsor, voted one of the best live show venues in Canada.
There, the blazing red-coloured venue embellished with funky graffiti welcomed us into a tight-fitting space surrounded with regulars, judging by their free-flowing conversations with the gregarious owner Tom Lucier. Lucier happens to be a huge supporter of the arts on a wide spectrum, from filmmakers, artists, students, writers to, of course, musicians. On the Sunday night of March 31st, it was The Coffee House Combo's turn to light up the Phog Lounge with jazz music so mesmerizing that steering your focus away for even a second seemed impossible.
To have you, dear readers, acquainted with the members of The Coffee House Combo, their names are Sebastian Bachmeier (saxophone), Austin DiPietro (trumpet), Vanessa Harnish (percussion/drums), Marko Rozic (bass), Andrew Adoranti (piano), and Madeline Doornaert (vocals). Because of the limited amount of space in this venue, there is the advantage of easily rubbing shoulders and personally interacting with some of these band members during their breaks between sets. When approaching Bachmeier, I learned from him that he has been playing the saxophone for approximately thirteen years and mentioned that the entire band are giant jazz enthusiasts. So if my friend and I had any questions regarding this highly rhythmic genre, he expressed a willingness to educate and pass on his musical knowledge to anyone who'd asked.
I also gathered the courage to speak with Adoranti, whom Bachmeier praised as a "monster on the piano." Although our conversation was brief due to his scheduling to return onto the stage, I managed to compliment Adoranti's keyboard-playing expertise which I found to be so inspiring that I couldn't resist bopping my head to each piano key being tapped. Since I didn't get the chance to seek out the rest of the band members, I decided to skim their website (coffeehousecombo.ca) for further research. DiPietro is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who ventures to multiple recording studios in London and Windsor doing session work, Rozic is on a sub-list for numerous other groups based in Windsor, and Harnish is not only a percussionist but also an educator teaching music and law as well as music directing small ensembles. With various accomplishments, each member is understandably in high demand.
As a collective bunch, they delivered breathtaking performances. For Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind," Rozic's bass guitar underlined this song with plucks of low rumbling while Bachmeier's saxophone moaned as if in longing and responding to the lyrics, "Still in peaceful dreams I see / The road leads back to you." At one point, Doornaert softly crooned The Carpenters's "Close to You" and I nearly lost my mind. I instantly recognized that tune because my mother had The Carpenters: Greatest Hits CD that she'd constantly play while washing dishes or browsing through grocery flyers. It was like sweet nostalgia kissed me on the cheek as DiPietro's trumpet swirled and Doornaert smoothly murmured the spellbinding refrain: "Just like me / Belong to be / Close to you." Afterwards, the Coffee House Combo performed "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel, another oldie but goodie where, yet again, I was paralyzed with enjoyment. Harnish, the backbone of the band, kept time almost effortlessly and Adoranti's fingertips just fluttered across the keyboard like pure magic.
Altogether, the Coffee House Combo's set-list of cover songs for that night provided warm, lush and graceful entertainment. I was grateful for being immersed in the Windsor music scene which was as widely diverse as this jazz band, especially since there existed a close radius to Detroit and its metropolitan sound. According to the Coffee House Combo's website, they play many different genres such as swing, pop, funk, soul, etc., depending on the social gathering they are booked for and the audience's preferences. With the Coffee House Combo's versatility, do not be hesitant in contacting them to witness their soothing and dazzling musicianship for yourselves.
