In the key of cool

Wednesday nights are special at the Salt Creek Grille

By: Kristin Boyd
   Inside the Salt Creek Grille, candles flicker and conversations flow like champagne.
   Basketball fans crowd around several flat-screen televisions, rooting for their favorite March Madness picks, while sweethearts snuggle at tables for two.
   Businessmen, with their ties loosened, negotiate deals over martinis at the bar, where a waiter just dropped a tray of glasses and silverware.
   Jazz trio Rob Spackey, Dan Berry and Theo Beers, standing on a small platform in the rear lounge, tune out the happy-hour clamor. Armed with a piano, bass and saxophone, the Princeton University students get down to some serious bebop business.
   Scat-a-doo-wop, wah, wah, yeah. Welcome to Jazz Wednesdays at the Salt Creek Grille, man.
   A collaboration between the Princeton University Music Department and the owners of Salt Creek Grille, Jazz Wednesdays are earning high marks this semester.
   Patrons seem pleased with the live music, offered from 7 to 10 p.m., and student performers say they’re grateful to gain real-world experience.
   "The Jazz Wednesday gig is a great place to play," says 20-year-old Matt Wong, an upright bass musician. "(It’s) a great way to built up valuable musical skills that will help when I graduate."
   A rotating group of eight Princeton University students — also including Julia Brav, Irwin Hall, Dean Reynolds and Audrey Wright — participate in Jazz Wednesdays. The program will continue through mid-May, and Salt Creek Grille owners are hoping to offer it again during the fall semester.
   "It’s a win-win situation," says Hugh Preece, Salt Creek Grille managing partner. "We have the stage and the forum where the students can gain real performance in a restaurant environment."
   Anthony D.J. Branker, conductor of the Princeton University Jazz Ensemble, agrees, adding, "Salt Creek Grille further enriches our students’ experience and gives them exposure to a professional entertainment career."
   Most of the students fell in love with music at a young age. Mr. Wong of Vancouver, Wash., started out with piano lessons, but, after a few years, realized he liked the electric bass guitar much better.
   Ms. Brav, a Princeton High School alumna, remembers playing with a tiny Casio keyboard as a toddler before her grandfather bought her an electronic keyboard for her fifth or sixth birthday. Her parents eventually bought her an upright piano and enrolled her in lessons.
   Mr. Spackey, on the other hand, chose the saxophone quite randomly when he was an elementary school pupil in Cleveland. "It was the best looking instrument, by far, in my opinion," he says.
   With their instruments selected and lessons in full swing, the students played for churches, school bands, family functions and community events. Eventually, they were each introduced to jazz, either through teachers or musical programs. And it was love at first note.
   "In eighth grade, we played through a medley of Duke Ellington charts, and I got hooked right away," says Mr. Berry, a 19-year-old pianist from Los Angeles. "I bought my first Ellington CD that summer and starting messing around with improvisation soon after."
   For Ms. Brav, 21, jazz was a natural fit since she had been improvising on her piano for some time.
   "I was immediately drawn to it because of the musical freedom inherent in the genre," she says. "The language of the music is unparalleled in its beauty, spontaneity and expressiveness. It’s also music with a lot of history and personality behind it."
   On a recent Wednesday night, that history and personality mesh at the Salt Creek Grille in Plainsboro.
   Unnerved by the commotion swirling around them, Mr. Spackey, Mr. Berry and Mr. Beers carve out a melodic space for themselves, right next to the fireplaces and leather ottomans.
   The fellas, dressed in blazers, button-down shirts and loafers, look more like Alex P. Keaton than Thelonius Monk, but they quickly prove they’re some very cool cats.
   With a mix of standards and improvisational chords, the trio’s jam session becomes a Salt Creek must-see, must-hear. Surrounding patrons adjust their chairs to get a better view and bop along to the beat.
   One woman, smiling from ear-to-ear, even climbs onto the platform to congratulate the guys and request a song. The boys, someone flattered, somewhat freaked, glance at each other. Then they smile, realizing it’s all a part of the business.
   "Princeton can be a bit of a bubble, so it definitely is refreshing to get off campus and perform in a small trio setting," Mr. Spackey, 21, says. "It definitely provides a creative outlet. With Jazz Wednesdays, it’s a new experience every week."
For information about Jazz Wednesdays, call Salt Creek Grille at 609-419-4200. On the Web: www.saltcreekgrille.com.