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# Joyous Jazz

9 April 2024·512 words·3 mins

# Missy Lane’s Assembly Room
#

We’ve all lost people and things to the pandemic, and one unfortunate one to go was Raleigh’s C-Grace Jazz and Speakeasy club.

Naturally, I was elated to find out that there’s a new Jazz club in Durham, NC. My partner told me about Missy Lane’s Assembly Room and we both love jazz a lot so it was incredibly fitting that our first concert date was to a jazz show there.

ジャズを聴きます

Jya Zu Oh I kki Ki Ma Su

(I listen to jazz.)

> One of my “Covid hobbies” while isolating during the pandemic was to begin learning Japanese (日本語). I’ve continued and while its time is eerily conincidental it just so happened I learned those phrases and words just before going to the concert.

## The Bad Plus
#

First time I heard of The Bad Plus was back around 2003/2004 in my first year at NC State for college. I know, I’m getting old, but shout out to Ed, my friend who introduced me to this band and a bunch of other great ones!

I was really getting into learning guitar and progressive rock bands at that time. Prog rock is never far from fusion jazz, thus The Bad Plus came up as a recommendation. I enjoy their originals and their brilliant pop and rock covers in their won style. See their debut album from 2003 These are the Vistas and Smells Like Teen Spirit, Flim, and Heart of Glass for starters. Or Their original they opened their set with Everywhere You Turn.

According to some other fans chatting after the show The Bad Plus did another that day and had one or two more scheduled and did completely different set lists each time, which is always amazing to me.

Their lineup has notably changed in the last few years when they dropped Ethan Iverson, the pianist while keeping Reid Anderson on bass and David King on drums. They’ve added in Ben Monder on guitar and Chris Speed on Saxophone.

Their best song by far was called Tyrone’s Flamingo and is from their upcoming album set to release later this year.

## Cocktails and Atmosphere
#

The whole place has a very speakeasy style vibe and with that you expect some good cocktail drinks. They did not disappoint on that either. I got the Oasis which was a refreshing and flavorful gin and honeydew, lemon, and mint drink. My partner got the She was a Fairy which was a tequila drink with lemon, tea, and lavender flavor. She really enjoyed the drinks and mentioned coming back just for that.

## DURM (Durham NC)
#

Here’s the main area and bar at the front of the club, which I think is open to other events or as a chill co-working space during the day. In downtown Durham, this is a convenient location if you live or work in the area. It’s been a while but I still have fond memories of working at the American Tobacco campus when I was working in the video game industry for Mighty Rabbit Studios.

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