IN THE ALLEY AT AUGIE’S

Brad L. Smith

The joint is jumpin’ in the alley next to Augie’s Coffee Shop, not off-Broadway but off-State Street on 5th. Just follow the sizzling strains of Bluesette to one big red wall. There’s an eclectic mix of chairs and killer caramel lattés waiting for you. It’s Monday night, time for a jolt of hot java and a cup of cool jazz.

 Call them “Live Band at the Alley” or the “5th Street Quintet,” it doesn’t really matter: even their name is improvised. “We can play jazz, but we can’t pick a name for ourselves,” said guitarist Sean Longstreet. Maybe that’s because the five guys, most in their 20s and University of Redlands graduates, play just for the love of it.

 The co-founders of the group, Quinton Hufferd on keyboard and Brent Levine on saxophone, met at the University of Redlands. “We lived two doors down from each other in the freshman dorm,” said Brent. “I heard him practicing on the keys one night and ran in there with my horn.” Quinton was actually a creative writing major; Brent was in music education.

 During the daylight hours, Quinton is an account executive in corporate sales at KVCR public television and radio. Brent is a full-time graduate student at U of R, now working on his Master’s degree in music.

 Guitarist Sean Longstreet uses his bachelor’s degree in music and his teaching credentials from U of R to instruct band in the six elementary schools of Beaumont. Another U of R grad, drummer James Nation majored in music, philosophy and business, while bass player Eugene Jaceldo recently earned his degree in music at Cal State San Bernardino.  

The quintet just wanted a place to play for the sheer joy of it. “You get a group together and you go out and just play and feed off each other,” enthused Quinton.

 They pitched the idea of a weekly jazz session to the owners of Augie’s Coffee House, where Brent is a frequent customer. “Chad and Erica Johnston loved the idea and we ran with it.”

 “We play a mixture of standard jazz tunes and original compositions,” explained Brent. “We improvise about 80 percent, solo melodies over cord changes. That’s very standard for jazz.”

 But there’s nothing standard about the results. They play music for music’s sake  as mellow as the custom coffees next door.

 So, as the nights grow colder will the jazz get hotter? Come see for yourself. The band plans to keep playing through the holidays. Just follow the beat to 5th Street between State and Redlands Boulevard, and “Take the ‘A’ Train” into the alley at Augie’s.