Music
lovers, who dig jazz or enjoy dancing to salsa, have been making the
scene in Casco Viejo at the club La Platea for nearly a year, and
word seems to be spreading to the rest of Panama City. Even though
the sign outside of La Platea declares itself "a local bar,"
it is more than that, because, particularly on Thursday and Friday
nights, La Platea swings.
Located
on Calle Primera immediately across from the ruins of the old Union
Club, the building with an iron railing bordering its second story,
often reminds tourists of New Orleans. Inside, there’s a long
amber lit bar and closely spaced tables, framed by brick arches. The
best way to describe the room is intimate. Poster-sized black and
white photos of John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon and Willie Colón
adorn the stone walls, with a large brass saxophone hanging from the
ceiling on chains. The building that La Platea occupies has a history
of jazz, since before the current situation, the Take Five jazz and
wine bar occupied the same location.
"I
like this place," Clive Jenkins, a jazz buff and recent customer,
said. "I used to come here when it was Take Five and Barbara
Wilson sang regularly. It’s a bit more avant garde now."
It seems
rather easy to make the scene in the Las Bóvedas neighborhood
since La Platea is located immediately under La S’cena restaurant,
featuring Mediterranean cuisine. Many patrons start their evening
with a dinner of grouper carpaccio or a prawn salad with asparagus,
followed by maybe pasta, tuna or corvina; or possibly chateaubriand
and for the most adventurous steak tartar, along with a bottle of
wine. Then they follow one of the owners Juan Suriol or Xavier Gasull
downstairs to listen to the music.
According
to Suriol, tall and friendly, who is always overseeing the room, "It’s
a way to share good music with friends. The people who like jazz are
the type of customer that we like."
Gascull,
an enthusiastic, jovial Barcelona native with a beard, always seems
to take particular delight in the performances. "You need to
have high standards. We think we provide a high level of music, and
that seems to bring in a high level of customers. We also plan to
be a center for the Jazz Festival (held in Casco Viejo, in late January),
Gascull promised.
Eduardo
Crocamo V, a bass player, both acoustic and electric, is the musical
director, who plays with most of the guest artists. From behind wire-rimmed
glasses, with a pipe clutched in his teeth, he explains what he’s
trying to accomplish at La Platea. "We want to build up a market
for jazz. After most of the Americans left, jazz seemed forgotten,
but I think we’re helping to bring it back, with talented musicians
like Carlos Garnett, for example."
At least
once a month, Carlos Garnett plays his unique style of saxophone.
The veteran Garnett, who at one time played with Miles Davis, enjoys
his gigs at La Platea. "This place is like an oasis in the desert,
for me. It is the only jazz club in town, and the audience really
seems to appreciate intellectual music, which is what jazz is."
Veteran Jazz maestro Carlos Garnett at the saxophone.
El veterano maestro del Jazz, Carlos Garnett, en el saxofón.
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During
a recent performance, Garnett recognized a jazz colleague sitting
at a nearby table. Reggie Boyce, another popular fixture on the Panama
jazz scene, said "Jazz is not big, right now, but it’s
growing, slowly." Boyce, whose group plays at the Caesar Park
Casino bar, on Thursdays and Fridays, noted "Carlos is an extremely
talented player, who has played with Horace Silver and Art Blake,
and having him perform is helping. (Note: Boyce’s group Jazz
Effects appears from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. and does not actually compete
with La Platea’s music which begins around 10 p.m.)
Since the
main room of La Platea is not large, amplification is kept to a minimum,
meaning that the sound is clear and true and seldom too loud. Players
such as Ibrahim Herel, the director of the national conservatory,
on saxophone and his son Ibrahim Jr. on piano; or Juan Carlos deLeon,
an unassuming but passionate pianist, and drummers like the powerful
Anibal deLeon round out the roster for another Thursday night of straight
ahead progressive jazz.
On Friday
nights, the tiny dance floor is filled with couples of a variety of
ages bouncing to the salsa beat of such groups as Andy Bush. (On Sat.
Nov.18 a tribute to Andy’s dad simply known as Bush is planned.)
Ladies in high heels with swirling brightly colored skirts, spin in
the arms of guys in slacks and flower print shirts. Even an occasional
pearl necklace or sport coat can be spotted among the stylish dancers.
Even though
the volume is turned up a bit, the dance beat, backed up by the brass
section is never ear-splitting, thanks to resident sound man Cesar
Sanford, who considers himself "another musician" as he
constantly monitors the room which is lit just enough to be comfortable
without being shadowy dark. Even “los baños” are
the nicest and cleanest in the old town.
One of
the most popular salsa acts is Marianna, a bawdy big lady, who involves
the audience in more ways than simply getting up to dance. Her flirty
and funny style makes for a fun evening for the many good sports in
the audience. As Alex Troetsch, who attended a recent performance,
noted of Marianna, "She’s pretty wild, but I think everybody
enjoyed it."
La Platea
also has planned special events for the upcoming Thanksgiving and
Christmas seasons. Past events included a Billy Holiday tribute and
a stylish Halloween party. As promotions director Coca Morazo explained,
"We want to make a difference and provide a positive cultural
experience to our patrons." On Saturday evening there’s
usually a piano bar, starting at around 10:30.
Open from
6 p.m., with dinner starting at 7:30 p.m. at La S’cena upstairs,
the music usually begins fashionably late at around 10 p.m. and continues
past midnight. For more information, call 228-4011 or
www.scenaplatea.com. Valet parking and taxis waiting makes getting
to and from La Platea easy. With no cover or minimum, La Platea may
want to be a "local bar," but at least as far as jazz is
concerned, its reach goes beyond Casco Antiguo out to all of music
loving Panama City.
