Joe Cartwright

This was our first time to the Blue Room. It won't be my last. My friend and I arrived early and from the first moment of opening the street door we were embraced by personal warmth, gracious greetings and generous service. While it's cliche I really felt feel like I was walking into a friend's home after bringing a bottle of wine. Seating was general admission and we had our choice of good table seating and high backed benches. We were comfortable in moments. Cartwright's Quartet was setting up; staff seemed to be checking in; servers were already checking us out. Everyone was smiling and busy. Our North Coast Brewery beers arrived quickly and both were tasty. The Blue Room Pale Ale and Old 38 Stout were on draught and refreshing. Good service and friendly conversations stayed around all night. No disappointments at all. The music kept getting better all night. Piano, bass, congos and trap set worked well with solid set after solid set. Handoffs were both clear and intuitive. All of the players were having fun and it showed. We especially enjoyed Bob Bowman on the upright bass. His nuanced fingering invited us into his play. His virtuosity was evident time after time. Cartwright was solid in his own play: alternatively driving and handing off to the others. The music was all good. All in all the evening was great. I'd recommend both The Blue Room and The Joe Cartwright Quartet without reservation.

This group of musicians were outstanding. Joe Cartwright, piano player, is the best jazz pianist I have heard in a long time! Sharon Thompson got better with every song she sang. A very enjoyable evening of jazz! Thanks to these musicians for sharing their talents with us!!