October 11, 2006
Cuzme's Silent Film...
And then I went to Cuzme's Silent Film with Improvised Live Music at Jimmy’s.
By Stephen Bailey

Tucked deep beneath the surface of NYC at 43 East 7th Street, I found my rain drenched self transported to a rustic, old-world cellar bar called Jimmy’s. All around me as I dried myself off I could see wood and wildlife, mirrors and old keg barrels. There’s an interesting brick ceiling above and the walls are adorned with antlers—both real and framed sketches—giving it a church basement meets hunting lodge feel.

Owner Jimmy Carbone and his friendly staff keep the front bar cozy, warm and welcoming with craft beer, organic food and smiles. In a back room dubbed ‘#43 Stage at Jimmy’s’ you can find all kinds of entertainment from burlesque shows to improv comedy to silent films with a jazz accompaniment. The latter is why I'm here. Each Wednesday night, sax player Chris Cuzme and a troupe of fine musicians provide the impromptu soundtrack to a classic silent film.

Tonight's film was 1928's 'Laugh Clown Laugh' starring Lon Cheney. The band was made up of Chris on sax and flute, Danny Sears on flugelhorn, Paul Miller on guitar and Andy O’Neil on drums and percussion. I sat in the dark and thoroughly enjoyed sipping on my Bengali Tiger, munching on pretzel bits and losing myself in the tragic story of a clown in love. The evolving musical themes of passion, betrayal, comedy and tragedy completed the scene. As did the stuffed raccoon on the wall behind me.

My night ended very, very late as Chris and I continued chatting about beer. Since he was a home brewer and I like to drink, we had a lot in common. We also discovered a mutual connection to the city of Graz, Austria. Finally we found ourselves at nearby club Sin Sin where he hosts a live hip hop night on Mondays. But that is a story for another time.

Links:
www.JimmysNo43.com
www.cuzme.com
www.stephenbailey.com

. . . And then what happened?