The Trident Jazz Memories
Classic Vintage Photo of the Trident when it was a Jazz Club...photo courtesy of the Richard Lipfield Collection
RLipfield@aol.com
Posted by Mark Lomas at 11/6/2009 8:46 AM 
Categories: The Trident
Tags: Trident Sausalito Mark Lomas Trident Restauranat Trident
Categories: The Trident
Tags: Trident Sausalito Mark Lomas Trident Restauranat Trident
FYI that was not the era in which the Trident was a jazz club. When Trident first opened it was dinner/jazz club with white tableclothes, bread and butter plates, double silverware settings and water glasses. At night we turned the 90's section (by the fireplace) into a cocktail lounge by taking the plywood squares off the tables after the dinner hours were finished. This was in 1961 to 1964 I think.
I was busing tables on weekends with the Korean busboys who stood less than five feet tall and could karate kick the top corner of a doorway with a simple leap. We used to hide in the back room on the left side of the deck where the ice machine and bar supplies were kept. As the tourist boats came by we would throw stale dinner rolls at them! It was sophomoric but hilarious!!
The Trident boasted of hosting some of the best jazz shows on the west coast. Dad was personal friends with most of them as he had developed relationships with them when he was managing the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village, NY. In fact, it was his relationship with the Kingston Trio, that he booked into that club, that started this whole west coast movement our family took in '61. Dad booked Willie Bobo's band and talked him into letting me play with him when I was 15 years old. We decided I'd play Fried Neckbones and Home Fries, so I went home and practiced the tune. The guitarist, Sonny Henery who wrote Evil Ways and Black Magic Woman, was gracious enough to sit out and let me play with the band. All went well until the last note of the song when Willie held the last note for a long time...I dropped my pick but kept playing as he pointed at me laughing and the crowd applauded. What fun!
Another opportunity came along when Dad booked Larry Correll, who had just gone out on his own after playing with Gary Burton, (the xylophone player for Stan Getz). We played a jazzy blues tune together. My Dad arranged for these events in my life and they are some of the diamonds in my collection of life's experiences. Like the BJ in the Private Eye from...oh, never mind.
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Hi Dave, I'm trying to get some info on the Jazz Club and specifically Bill Evans' Trio gig 14th/19th May 1964. I don't suppose you have any recollection of this or perhaps an outside photo of the club as it was then?
It's very interesting reading your reminiscences and as a fellow musician I can well relate to your sitting in episode. May I correct an error in your last paragraph: Gary Burton plays Vibes (Vibraphone) - as do I - and calling it a xylophone is the ultimate insult to a Vibes player!!!!! I'm joking of course but I'm sure you will know what I mean?
Anyway, I hope you can help and look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards, Ken.
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Dave is right. This photo was taken after the 1968 remodel. The Trident in it's jazz club incarnation looked entirely different. This was taken during the winter of 1969. Frank tried having live music on the slow nights (Tues and Thurs) that first winter of the "new" Trident but it didn't work out well. The customers paid almost no attention to the musicians. It only happened a few times then we put a couple of small tables in that space and Grover built another bus station in there for the 70s-80s table area.
Man this website brings back floods of great memories. And...while I'm at it... thank you FRANK...you were a doll and none of this would have ever happened but for your beautiful dream....rest in peace dear friend.
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