Classic vinyl covers lined the dark wood of the dimly lit bar top at Stella Blues on Crown Street. From the front you could glimpse the rain-drenched crowds in the street through the floor-to-ceiling window behind the narrow stage. Somebody broke into a game of pool in the back room as the Brooklyn-based Sibling took the stage. Stella’s felt that night like a nocturnal coffee shop, though one with PBR on tap and a dance floor. Next door, at Pacific Standard Tavern, Naughty Professor, based in New Orleans, was warming things up. It was another round in the friendly competition between the neighboring venues, which together are adding up to a little renaissance on the block.
Alessandro Powell Photo
At Stella Blues, Sibling played two intimate sets for a few lucky fans this past Thursday night. An eclectic mix of musical backgrounds and cultures, Sibling’s mix of jazz and hip hop sounded like the Roots playing a set for Postmodern Jukebox. MC Elijah Black was a blur on stage; vocalist Halley Hiatt flung her hair, rocking between soulful volleys. She helped bridge the gap between the jazz and Black’s crisp, conscious rap. Eldad “Dirty” Arad gyrated like a grandfather clock on the bass, then leaned into the mural on the wall. Jason Berman, Justin “Jeff” Carter, and Mikey Farrell rounded out the sound on guitar, drums, and sax.
Meanwhile, Naughty Professor played their two sets across the parking lot at PST. While Stella’s appeals to New Haven’s grungier sensibilities, PST has a West Coast atmosphere, from the beer selection to the grilled cheese. PST is a one room establishment, usually lit like a Ryan Gosling film. An elevated, leather-upholstered, open lounge provides concert-goers a respite from the spacious dance floor.
“We’re in a playing new music kind of mood,” said Ian Bowman of Naughty Professor as they took to the stage for their second set at PST, as a steady stream of hippies wandered in from Crown Street. After years of this reporter hearing Naughty Professor play it still feels like all they do is improvise flawlessly. With Bill Daniel on guitar, Noah Young on bass, Sam Shahin on drums, Nick Ellman on alto and baritone saxophonist, and Bowman on trumpet, Naughty Professor amazed where other funk groups merely entertain, even if they performed dressed like six dudes cramming for finals. Their songs gave timeless influences new twists; musical references to bygone eras surfaced like crab claw in a well-stirred gumbo of styles new and old. The horns played especially well, whether in unison or rhythm, and not without the humility to step back when Daniel or Shahin took a solo.
Pacific Standard and Stella’s feature similar acts, and as neighbors, they often draw from the same crowd. “Stella’s is a great venue,” said Crown Street regular Max Schiavoni. “There’s just more room on the dance floor at Pacific Standard. Generally, hippies take up a lot of room when they get down, you know.”
Crown Street’s younger venues are spoiling New Haven’s summer crowds for choice when it comes to entertainment. Even on a rainy weeknight.
