Glad as I am for Eugene's indoor smoking ban, I suddenly wanted a cigarette, plucked out of a snap-shut silver case.
I settled for a pint of Ninkasi Schwag instead, with a Raspberry Truffle cocktail for Jodie, and let some Friday night jazz wash over us.
We had come downtown to Eugene's Jo Federigo's to take in the music and the atmosphere, and to relax and chat with a friend. Reopened earlier this year, I'd heard overall good things about the new Jo Fed's – nicer decor and, courtesy of a P.A. the old place didn't have, patrons were finding it easier to hear the music and have a conversation.
When we walked down the steps to the underground jazz bar and wandered inside, Jon Fiori and a 4-man band were in full swing to a good house. We briefly found a table – about the only table – down front, right in the crosshairs of Josh Deutsch's trumpet as he wailed out a solo. While the playing was good, conversation, overall listening and people-watching were much easier at a newly available table along one wall – we relocated, settled in, and took in the music and the cocktail menu.
The prices of the cocktail menus should be taken with a salt rim. Averaging $8-10 for mixed drinks, it must be remembered that the booze is good quality, not some well-drink bathtub-reject swill. Service was friendly and well-paced, with the wait for drinks no more than what could be expected from skilled people exercising their craft with skill and attention. Jodie's Raspberry Truffle tasted like a chocolate fresh out of the box. Had I not been feeling the vibe for a beer, I would've tucked into an excellent margarita, such as the one enjoyed by our friend.
As standards flowed and harmonized and soloed out of the band – piano, trumpet, bass, drums and vocals – we looked around the customers and the decor. Couples young and old head-nodded and grinned to "Sweet Lorraine". A group of guys drank and laughed at a large table. The here-and-there solo person nursed a good drink and tapped toes.
Jo Fed's has a cozy, tucked-away feel – a combination, no doubt, brought on both by being underground and by the decor. Mirrors lining the wall behind the musicians provide subtle depth to the space while adding to the view of the band, now playing "The Way You Look Tonight." Big exposed HVAC pipes and thick rafters add to the underground cozy feel, combined with pizzazz from the lighting that might, say, splash a cool purple on the wall below the staircase. Stained glass lamps hanging over the bar added a touch of color and class.
Looking back at the band, Jodie and I talked about the musicians and Fiori. "He knows how to leverage a tux and a mic," I said, as Fiori took the mic in both hands for the final "the way... you look... to-night".
Fiori's voice reminded us a bit of Chet Baker, only better paced and not as slow and croony, and with a bit more sonorous bass. His voice rounded off with the smoothness of Harry Connick Jr., and Jodie noted that we could definitely kick back to a CD or two of this band and Fiori's vocals.
Fiori was also courteous to his fellow musicians, and not all vocalists pull that off well. When not singing, he would step back and all but fade out of focus, giving full field to the trumpet, piano, bass and drum. The band played well off one another, transitioning smoothly from group play to solo play and back again. We were familiar with Josh Deutsch's trumpet work and Toby Koenigsberg's piano playing, and it was good to hear them again; bass player Dorian Crow and drummer Adam Sweet rounded out the band nicely.
From "All of Me" and "The Music Is You" to a tough, more technical treatment of "My Funny Valentine" – "I've got a treatment I'm working on," said Fiori – it was a fine Friday night of music and mixology. The band wrapped up around 12:30 in the morning. We emerged from Jo Fed's not long after, grinning and with well-fed souls – a good way to wrap up a Friday night.
Go:
Jo Federigo's
- Location: 259 E 5th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401
- Phone: +1.541.343.8488
- Website: Jo Federigo's
Jon Fiori
- Website: Jon Fiori - Eugene, Oregon Jazz
