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Op-Ed: Tall Toad in Petaluma was make-shift stage for Jazz guitarist (Includes interview and first-hand account)

Sonoma Valley Jazz Society president Lina Perlas was in attendance and just before Stowell began his first set, she mentioned that “Jazz in the back room” at the Plaza Bistro on Friday nights has been canceled. Stowell and many others have performed there over the years providing the valley with some outstanding Jazz music on a regular basis.

This reporter was puzzled as to why a restaurant owner would want to cancel out any opportunity to attract more patrons on a steady basis. The membership and following of jazz affectionados is well established. And, besides live music and wine country is a winning combination and has been for over 50 years with the advent of Mondavi Winery’s events and jazz festivals each year. Why would any restaurant in Sonoma not want to capitalize on that?

Yet, upon inquiring with Plaza Bistro which is smack on the Plaza in the heart of Sonoma, it was confirmed by staff that “Jazz on Friday nights has been canceled.” Stowell had just performed there this past May along with Randy Vincent, another well-accomplsihed and established musician.
Which then lead me to believe that an eager and established performer like Stowell and others are resolved to find new venues, hence the make-shift performance spot at Tall Toad Music in downtown Petaluma.

Yet as Chris Miano, store manager explained, “John has been performing here like this for Tall Toad for as long as I have been here; about 15 years. John treats us he said, to performance-gathering about every six months or so.”

Whether it is in the “back room” at a bistro or downstairs in the basement of a music store, like the Tall Toad, musicians continue to play no matter where or what the venue.
Stowell started his first set with “My Ideal” by Chet Baker. Then he continued with a composition by Bill Evans, who he noted wrote close to 60 tunes during the 1960’s.

Then Stowell added some “music from Brazil” as he called it with a piece entitled “Caminhos Cruzados” by Tom Jobim. He pointed out that some of the Brazilian or samba stele type of songs made popular in the 1950s and ’60s such as “Insensatez” is based on the harmony of Chopin’s First Piano Prelude.

John Stowell treated his fans to an evening of jazz guitar music at the Tall Toad Music Store in dow...

John Stowell treated his fans to an evening of jazz guitar music at the Tall Toad Music Store in downtown Petaluma on Monday, August 30.


Stowell included a few compositions of his own, such as “The Mandy Walk” a playful strumming of inspiration he had while walking the dog. While the gathering that Monday night was informal and close knit, made up of mostly friends and locals, he did not leave out the classic jazz standards for instrumentals like Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. “Duke Ellington composed for the 1959 film, “Anatomy of a Murder,” directed by Otto Preminger. “Ellington wrote a piece called ‘Low Key Lightly’. It was one of the few major films where Ellington appeared in the movie,” he said.

“I like John’s jazz guitar selections, they are soothing and at times mesmerizing,” said Sonoma local Kathy Ostram who heard about the gathering and decided to go at last minute. The small but appreciative audience confirmed one very important thing about local live music, the show goes on even if a venue like Plaza Bistro shuts it out. “There could be lots of reasons why the owner did not want live music there anymore. I don’t fret about it, said the veteran musician.” Stowell is no stranger to the unexpected. “I spend most of the year on the road, he said, when he took a break between sets. And, I’ve played in 20 Countries over the last 35 years for traveling. I just like playing good music, especially to an appreciative audience large or small. But I especially like to play for my friends.”

Chris Miano  store manager at Tall Toad explained   John has been performing here like this for Tall...

Chris Miano, store manager at Tall Toad explained, “John has been performing here like this for Tall Toad for as long as I have been here; about 15 years. John treats us he said, to performance-gathering about every six months or so.”


And, like Tall Toad owner Charles Cowles, Stowell considers a chance to play for friends a treasured opportunity that helps to not only promote music but maintain bonds of friendship that last for years.

for more information about John Stowell, check out his web site. And, visit his page on Facebook

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