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Jazz Adds an Acute Angle to Washington Square
It's called a square, but it's not.
For one thing, the commercial section around Beacon and Washington streets in Brookline isn't a square in the sense of a plaza or a four-sided piece of pavement.
Second, Washington Square has become one of the best local settings for live jazz - and the musicians say the food is great, too.
“It's a hot little section," said Pauline Bilsky, executive director of Jazz Boston, an all-volunteer, nonprofit group that promotes jazz in the region. “I lived in New York for many years and really wanted to see the same kind of small venues with advanced jazz here. Finding it in Brookline is pretty amazing."
Musicians agree.
“I've heard some great stuff there," said Allan Chase, chairman of the department at Berklee College of Music that trains students to play by ear. The styles of jazz range from traditional to experimental, including so-called third stream, which intertwines jazz and classical music.
“They get a good cross-section of the Boston jazz scene," said sax player Andy Voelker, who performs with Gypsy Schaeffer, most recently last month at the Fireplace. “After 4, 5 o'clock, the square comes alive," said Barbara Soifer, who owns Brookline's oldest jewelry store and is a longtime Washington Square booster. “I'm even open Thursday after 5. It's the Paris of Brookline."
For one thing, the commercial section around Beacon and Washington streets in Brookline isn't a square in the sense of a plaza or a four-sided piece of pavement.
Second, Washington Square has become one of the best local settings for live jazz - and the musicians say the food is great, too.
“It's a hot little section," said Pauline Bilsky, executive director of Jazz Boston, an all-volunteer, nonprofit group that promotes jazz in the region. “I lived in New York for many years and really wanted to see the same kind of small venues with advanced jazz here. Finding it in Brookline is pretty amazing."
Musicians agree.
“I've heard some great stuff there," said Allan Chase, chairman of the department at Berklee College of Music that trains students to play by ear. The styles of jazz range from traditional to experimental, including so-called third stream, which intertwines jazz and classical music.
“They get a good cross-section of the Boston jazz scene," said sax player Andy Voelker, who performs with Gypsy Schaeffer, most recently last month at the Fireplace. “After 4, 5 o'clock, the square comes alive," said Barbara Soifer, who owns Brookline's oldest jewelry store and is a longtime Washington Square booster. “I'm even open Thursday after 5. It's the Paris of Brookline."
For more information contact All About Jazz.
