Jazz brightens up the night on High Street in Moorpark

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers JAMMIN'- Ray Pizzi on saxophone, Granville James Young on bass and Mitch Holder on guitar jam at the Old Town Breakfast and Bakery in Moorpark. A different group of musicians plays every week on Friday and Saturday evenings, providing restaurant customers with instrumental combinations ranging from the unusual- - piano, fiddle and horn, to the classic- - saxophone, bass and guitar. Jazz is a musical art form born and developed in the U.S., and thirdgeneration jazz musician Granville "Danny" Young has organized a series of live concerts at the Old Town Breakfast and Bakery in Moorpark.

Young collaborated with restaurant owner Merrie Jo Johnson to present established jazz musicians performing on Fridays and Saturdays while guests enjoy multicourse meals and local wines. Johnson decided to feature jazz at her bistro after hearing Young and Chris Banta play at the former Tryst restaurant in Newbury Park. The duo has been performing in T.O. and Westlake Village for the past seven years.

"The Moorpark venue is just right- there is no cover charge and the food is incredible but affordable," said Young. The Newbury Park resident has played with McCoo and Davis, Lou Rawls and Ray Charles, and he's appeared in "Murder She Wrote," "Columbo" and "Back to the Future." He plays classical jazz standards and Brazilian jazz throughout Ventura County.

Jazz originated in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it relies heavily on improvisation. Since there aren't many opportunities to play or hear jazz in the region, Young wanted to bring the music to Moorpark and let audiences enjoy it in a casual environment, he said.

"Jazz must be preserved and forwarded; we really want to pass the art form of jazz to all future generations," Young said. His father, Eugene (Snooky) Young, was the lead trumpeter of the Jimmie Lunceford band and a member of NBC's "Tonight Show" band from 1967 to 1992. The elder Young still performs with Gerald Wilson, Clayton-Hamilton and Doc Severinsen, among others.

Granville "Danny" Young can be heard at the restaurant's upcoming "Old Town Bistro and Live Jazz" nights. Moore and Moorpark High School musical director Bob Hackett will play on Feb 23, and Brian Friedman will join Belkady on Feb 24.

The Old Town Breakfast and Bakery serves California-style cuisine. "It's a little different than anything else in town because we use fresh produce from Underwood Farms and other farmers' markets," Johnson said. A restaurateur for three years now, Johnson formerly worked in exploratory research at Amgen.

The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. On jazz nights, Fridays and Saturdays, it is open until 10 p.m. Performers play from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The Old Town Bakery is working with other venues, including the High Street Arts Center and High Studio Art Gallery, to attract people downtown. "We're trying to get a little artsy thing going on over here at the end of the street," said Johnson, who lived in Geneva, Switzerland, for five years.

"We're just trying to bring the attention back to what we view as the heart of Moorpark," said High Street Arts Center manager L.J. Stevens. Merchants are working together to provide entertainment and dining opportunities and help each other at the same time, she said.

"It's one thing to come down just to see a show, but the experience is so much more enhanced if people visit several venues. Then it becomes an evening."