So I heard the Doug Largent Trio play twice this week (at Looking Glass & the West End Wine Bar) & the Scott Sawyer Quartet (at Sharp Nine), augmented by Jim Ketch's trumpet in the second set. And I thought: Hey, this ain't the Village Vanguard but it's lovely straight-ahead jazz, standards refreshed by imagination & invention & a few individual compositions thrown in that fit the rest of the music. E.g., Scott Sawter threw in a lovely ballad from his "Dreamers" CD in the middle of much up-tempo swinging, or Brad Maiani one of his Latin-flavored originals with Doug Largent.
As much fun as it will be to hear "imported" jazz at the bigger venues hereabouts, there's plenty of sustenance in local clubs, enough for us--& this area to flourish.