Yet More Good, and Bad, News

The Sunshine Jazz Organization has promoted jazz locally for about 30 years.  Among their activities is a monthly performance that occurs at the Miami Shores Country Club.  It is scheduled for the fourth Sunday of every month, and the setting is the bar and lounge area in the back of the clubhouse.

Admission costs $20 per person.  You can defray that a bit by becoming a member of the SJO.  Membership costs $40 for a one year individual membership, or $50 for a one year family membership.  If you join when you attend the performance, that entry is free.  Subsequently, you get $5 off the admission price per person.  You have to attend five concerts a year individually to get your membership's worth.

Tonight's performance was a Latin jazz group called Oriente.  They are a well enough known local group who play in various locations in south Florida.  They bill themselves as presenters of "Latin Jazz, Blues, Rhythm & Soul," and they put on a great musical experience.  These are solid performers, and they work very well together.

That's the good news.  Here's the bad news.  The performances start at 6:00 PM, and they're scheduled to go until 9:00.  I went with two friends, and they called ahead to find out what the food offering was.  We assumed, naturally, that if a concert (we thought it was a concert) ran from 6-9 PM, there must be food.  My friends couldn't get any information, except a view of the usual MSCC menu.  They told me it's pricey.  There's a Sunday brunch at MSCC, but nothing listed for regular dinner food on Sunday.  They also left three voicemail messages, but they did not get a call back.  So we ate elsewhere, and arrived sated and ready to listen.

It seems the MSCC regulars know something we didn't know.  There is a limited menu for the lounge in back.  And that limited menu, and drinks, and post-golfing chatter, were what most of the room were there for.  They essentially ruined the experience for those of us (just the three of us?) who paid to come to listen.  For the regular patrons, the difference between music and no music is that they have to talk louder if there's music, so they can hear each other over it.  It seemed amazing to me that they weren't self-conscious about essentially yelling, while Oriente were trying to provide great music.

I'd like to recommend the SJO series at MSCC, but I'm not sure I can.  If you're curious, and you do go, try to get a seat or table near the musicians.  Maybe they'll be loud enough that you won't hear the rude chatterboxes over them.  The next SJO evening at MSCC is December 27.