Starry, starry, night ........ clear moonlit sky above, and stars so bright. I stood mesmerised by the silhouette of city skyscrapers whilst following real life dramas of pedestrians and traffic down below. And just beyond, one catches flickering glimpses of the Port of Melbourne and even the Abel Tasman docked by the Bay.
No, I am not dreaming. Just recalling the night when I stood on 15th Floor balcony of our City Queen Street building – and the home of the Blue Diamond Club, where the Grand Wazzo Band entertained tonight the “bourgeois” club members and non club “proletariat” members like myself who have to dish out $5 to enjoy the plush art deco interior with thick carpets and expensive leather seatings. One could suck on a big Cuban cigar and surely wouldn’t feel out of place here.
Inside, the club exudes “decadence” and exclusivity and comes complete with a full bar service and a well polished timber dance floor. Drinks are fairly pricey but good news for dancers – DIY free water available. It feels cosy inside yet the club could easily cater for a crowd up to 500 patrons on any given night.
Grand Wazzo has been the resident band at the club every Sunday evening (6 to 9pm) for at least the last 2 months. It is a 15 piece soul and R&B band with very strong brass and rhythm sections and complemented by 2 males and 2 females vocals. It covers music from the late 1950’s through to the 1970’s including classics from Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, BB King, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Wilson Pickett, Commodores, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Four Tops etc
There was a fairly good crowd on the night I was there with a mixture of Gen X & Y and Baby Boomers. The dance floor was pretty full most of the time including a few couples dancing R&R and Jive. A DJ played rockin’ blues during the band breaks and, when the band finishes, the party continues on with DJ music to the early morning hours.
The Grand Wazzo is clearly not rock & roll. It is a well polished, entertaining band with a big brassy sound, strong vocals & harmonies in the best traditions of black soul and R&B music. It plays music you would enjoy listening to, dancing or both - R&R dancing, Jive or swing/Lindy Hop. The band is there to entertain you. If that’s what you are looking for to spend time on a Sunday evening and to capture the feel of an exclusive private club atmosphere, the Blue Diamond Club at 123 Queen Street could well be the answer to your prayer.
I had a very good time there, and would go again one day soon.
Jitterbug.......
ohlala!!!,....... a clear moonlit night, stars so bright,
mesmerised by the silhouette of city skyscrapers?????
wow,,, sounds like a "very romantic" place, Jitts,,,, could it be that you were out on a "very romantic" date???
i do hope we see you at "Church" Sunday... for obvious reasons....
Grand Wazzo - King of Soul
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