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Lou Columbo and Dick Johnson play every Monday night at the Roadhouse Cafe in Hyannis.
Local legends hold court at the Roadhouse Cafe
By Johnny Souza
Wed Jul 25, 2007, 10:05 AM EDT
My wife and I try to take at least one trip to the Cape during the summer to the Roadhouse Cafe. The Roadhouse is nestled in a beautiful area of Hyannis just off Main Street. The atmosphere, hospitality and food at the Roadhouse are wonderful and the live entertainment offered on Monday nights is incomparable. For the past 15 years the Lou Columbo/Dick Johnson jazz ensemble has been holding court every Monday night. But you need to make reservations well in advance to be in the Roadhouse’s Bistro Bar where the band performs; the room holds about 75 people and is usually full on Mondays. There is also a $25 minimum per person in the Bistro Bar, but the food and music make it well worth the trip and expense. Lou also fronts a group of different players in the Bistro Bar on Tuesday nights throughout the summer.
On Monday nights the band is led by Lou Columbo and fronted by three horns: Lou on trumpet, Dick Johnson on woodwinds, and usually an additional well-known horn player. The rhythm section is comprised of Dick’s son, Gary Johnson, on drums, Matt Richard on piano, and Dave Zinno on upright bass. Chris Rathbun was playing bass and Artie Montanaro was on trombone the night we were there.
There aren’t many places where you can hear a live, world-class jazz band any longer. This is strictly an instrumental group, but there are always some local singers in attendance who Lou lets sit in with the band. This, however, is no amateur night. You need some chops to sit in with this band, and that’s evident from the first note. The night we went, the repertoire was comprised mostly of jazz standard, and the band took requests from the crowd without hesitation. Some of the highlights were Lou’s absolutely gorgeous version of Johnny Mandel’s Emily; Blue Bossa, during which Dick Johnson gave a master class in jazz improvisation on alto sax; and a show-stopping Dixieland styled Battle Hymn of the Republic, which Lou dedicated to our soldiers in Iraq to close out the second set.
Lou and Dick grew up together in Brockton, MA. Dick told me that they’ve known each other since they were nine years old. Dick started studying the clarinet while on a destroyer during World War II. Lou had already been playing the trumpet. After the war the two reconnected and started a band in the ‘50s, and they’ve been performing together, on and off, for the past 60 years!
But music wasn’t Lou’s first career choice. During the ‘40s he was an up-and-coming outfielder playing on the Brooklyn Dodger’s Double A ball club. After breaking an ankle, however, he turned to making music. Lou then hit the road performing with Buddy Morrow and Prez Prado.
Dick has done stints with Charlie Spivak, Buddy Morrow and Buddy Rich. In 1980, Artie Shaw said, “Dick’s clarinet playing, as of this time, is the best I’ve heard, bar nobody, and you can quote me on that, anywhere, any time!” In 1983, Artie asked Dick to front his orchestra, which he’s been leading ever since.
Dick was also asked to perform an unaccompanied clarinet tribute to Artie Shaw at his funeral in 2005. Similarly, Lou performed a trumpet solo for friend and famous trumpet player Bobby Hackett at his funeral in 1976.
Lou doesn’t maintain a Web site, but you can find him every Monday night – and Tuesdays during the summer – at the Roadhouse Cafe in Hyannis. You can keep up with Dick’s schedule at www.dickjohnsonjazz.com.
If you enjoy good, live music you owe it to yourself to get out and hear these jazz legends.
On Thursday, Aug. 2, I’ll be at Buzzard’s Bay Park with a wonderful quartet offering a free outdoor concert. My guitarist will be Gray Sargent who is part of Tony Bennett’s quartet. On bass will be Marshall Wood and I’ll have Gary Johnson on drums. This should be a really fun performance. Also, on Friday Aug. 10, I’ll be at Cancun (the new Mexican Restaurant/Lounge on Route 3A in Kingston), starting at 8:00pm and featuring the Johnny Souza Jazz All Stars. This will be a sextet made up of some of the area’s finest jazz musicians. My daughter Leah will also be joining us on vocals. We’ll be performing a wide variety of music, and, considering the venue, we may even throw in a few Tijuana Brass tunes! On Monday Aug. 13, I’ll be at the Plymouth Public Library with my quartet for a free concert of songs of the “Great American Songbook” sponsored by the Dr. Richard M. Shiff Forum. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Visit my Web site for more info.
Johnny Souza is working jazz musician and alumnus of Berklee College of Music. He was born, raised and still lives in Plymouth. Find out more about Johnny and view his performance schedule at www.johnnysouza.com. Also, feel free to submit your questions regarding jazz music and feedback to Johnny at thejazzbeat@johnnysouza.com.
