Local restaurants rely on musicians to help set the mood

 7 comment(s)  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO

No applause awaits harpist Heidi Huenefeld as she performs the final chords of “Over the Rainbow.”

She’s greeted instead by the noise of clinking silverware and table conversations.

She doesn’t mind.

View Slideshow

Heidi Huenefeld, harpist from Lincoln. (Courtesy photo)

She knows her purpose here is  to provide atmosphere music at jtk, one of Lincoln’s more formal restaurants.

“I’m fine with it,” she says later. “I love being background music and providing a relaxing atmosphere for those enjoying a great meal.”

Looking for a way to draw people in on weekday evenings, jtk decided to experiment with live music.

The restaurant has presented Huenefeld on Wednesdays, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., since the beginning of April.

“It adds to the whole atmosphere, especially the harp,” owner Jason Kuhr said. “The music is soothing.”

Indeed it is.

Huenefeld sits with her 80-pound harp and music stand with a tiny penlight attached to it near the doorway connecting jtk’s two dining rooms.

She plays a variety of selections, ranging from Scarlatti, Beethoven and Bach to Broadway showtunes to pop and jazz standards such as Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” and George Gershwin’s “Embraceable You.”

Waiters in black slacks and white shirts pass by her. Six young women converse and flash photos at a table near her.

Huenefeld plays through it all, often with her eyes closed.

“I get lost in my own thing,” she says. “I’m used to tuning people out.”

But only to a point. She’s mindful of why she’s there.

“I always ask if I’m too loud or if this bothers them,” she says.

jtk is part a trend — full-service restaurants featuring live music — that’s beginning to take root again in Lincoln’s dining scene.

It’s not new.

Many diners may remember Dorothy Applebee playing the organ at Lee’s Restaurant throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Mexican restaurant Julio’s was a jazz haven in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Several bar and grills today, among them Duggan’s Pub and Cappy’s Hotspot, book bands for later in the evening after the dinner rush.

But more and more restaurants are scheduling music during the dinner hours.

Green Gateau, for instance, has featured live jazz from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday nights for about a year. The restaurant extended the jazz to Saturday nights about a month ago.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln student George Bryan plays his stand-up bass with an accompanying artist at the restaurant.

“It fits our style and clientele,” Green Gateau manager Scott Zabel said. “It’s something fresh and fun.”

The Oven in the Haymarket has had live music since opening in 1988, with many of the same artists still playing.

“We just started that way and never stopped,” owner Ngawang Rinchen said. “We have a lot of people who come just for the music.”

n n n

It’s Thursday night at The Oven and guitarist Peter Bouffard is in his usual place — on a stool by the wine rack.

To his right is a small table with his CDs and a tip jar. To his left, a small amp sits on the floor.

The restaurant is full of people, with no one paying Bouffard any attention. A man on a cell phone walks past the guitarist without a second glance.

But that’s not always the case.

The night before, a couple from Denver approached Bouffard and bass player Rusty White at Grisanti’s to say they enjoyed the music and left a tip.

“Sometimes people are not as courteous as you would like, but other times make up for that,” he said.

Bouffard, who teaches guitar at UNL, is a regular at The Oven. He has been for 15 years, either playing solo or with someone else.

In a city with limited live performance options, the restaurant gives the professional guitarist and others like him opportunities to perform.

Bouffard doesn’t mind noisy conversations, crying babies, swinging kitchen doors and the tinkling of forks on plates.

“A concert setting can be so sterile,” he said. “This really lends itself to improvising.”

Most of the time.

He recalled how he and fellow UNL instructor White were finding their groove when the Grisanti’s staff began singing a birthday song for a patron.

“They did it right in front of us,” he laughed.

On this night, Bouffard is relaxed. He plays a variety of music, from The Beatles’ “Michelle” to the jazz standard “Summertime.” He knows he’s there to set a mood.

“When I play solo, it’s an ambiance kind of thing,” he said. “The other day I had gentleman come up and say my playing was balm for his soul.”

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.