By Jason West
It's Monday night in mid-July and a decent-sized crowd has gathered at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard to hear Joe Doria and John Wicks - The Organically Grown Organ Duo - perform a mixed bag of jazz, blues and originals. At a few minutes after 10 o'clock, the background chatter of club patrons and house music spun by DJ Mug Frosty is abruptly silenced by the whoosh of the Hammond B3 coming to life.
The first set of the night gets underway with an up-tempo blues number as the audience - many left standing around a full-length bar - focus in to listen. This week's special guest musician is tenor saxophonist Stuart McDonald, who begins his solo. But it's the first tune and McDonald's chops are not yet warm. Next it's Doria's turn. The organist runs through a few choruses, tentatively feeling his way before hitting on a theme. Soon the B3 flame is lit and Joe's flying over the keyboard-right hand cookin' up a mess of chords, left hand walking happy. Doria's solo burns to a climax, and then cut out for Wicks, who's right there in broken time, interspersing rushes of toms and cymbal slaps. In wonderful dynamic contrast, John douses the Hammond fire, reducing it to a spark - a single snare drum "pop" - that smolders and spreads into powerful rolls. Now McDonald can feel the heat and he joins in with a nod from Wicks, blowing with a big, fat, flammable tone. It's Monday night at the Sunset Tavern, and The Organ Duo is workin'.
"I love the Hammond. It's groovy," says Max Genereaux, known by his many friends as simply Max. A bearded, longhaired, groovy-looking fellow, Max is the newest member of Seattle's fraternity of club owners - a job he thoroughly enjoys. Max is also new to booking bands. "I try to shake it up. When I first started booking music, I said I wanted to do everything from punk rock to country. And we do. We try to do something for everybody." Thankfully, jazz is included in Max's multifarious gig bag every Sunday and Monday night.
Like the Organ Duo, many area musicians are indebted to Max for providing them with a hip place to play. "It's a nice vibe to cure the Mondays," says Doria. "A fun, chill-out club is rarely found these days, and I can't tell you how cool it is to see so many people coming out."
Certainly, one reason for the strong turn out is that Doria and Wicks have been gigging in the city together for over a decade, holding down extended residencies at the Owl and Thistle and Art Bar. They've developed a following who make Mondays at the Sunset a regular hang. Another reason is, like the Sunset, this duo is never boring in their approach to music.
Doria likes to take chances with oblique chord progressions and atypical themes, while Wicks delights in drumming with homemade cymbals, shakers, bells and various metal implements. "John experiments with sound, pulling out all the stops, playing all sorts of toys, going off," notes Doria. "Yet he always manages to listen to everything going on and anticipate the next change or theme," making each Monday night an adventure.
Historically speaking, the lively sounds of creative music currently emanating from the Sunset are a far cry from the tavern's dusty, distant past. The building housed a Chinese restaurant prior to 1976, and still retains its cool and dangerous Asian dÃÂÃÂÃÂécor in the form of hissing dragons, scarlet wallpaper and a mafia-type backroom complete with drape separator. According to Max, the Sunset was a dive tavern for the past 25 years. "It was real Ballard Avenue: fisherman, drunks, a lot of Indians. It was cool, dirty, but it drove the cops and the liquor control board crazy because it was just that seedy."
Suffice to say, the dirty old Sunset was in need of soap and water when Max bought the place last year. And while there's still work to be done, the tavern benefits greatly from a mix of antique collectables and modern art, including a massive, impressionist, bandstand mural by local artist, Greg Kalamar. In addition, a monthly photography exhibit sponsored by the Ballard Art Walk provides engaging eye candy. This month's exhibit, curated by Winifred Westgard, is a collection of friendly looking prints by Jennifer Wigg, entitled "Dogs."
In the 14 months since the Sunset reopened for business, the once dive tavern has blossomed into one of Seattle's most stimulating music and social venues. "I want to be welcome and open to all age groups and all music scenes in the city," says Max, smiling, holding a beer, and sounding very democratic. "There are a lot of different scenes in Seattle, and I'd like to see them all happen." Mayor Max does have a certain ring to it.
