Far away from the PB beach bar scene, the old Tablao Flemenco on Del Rey Street has stood a looming turret, unnoticed for the past 20 years since the venue was locked up after a five-year stint as a flamenco dinner spot. A silent gem, the building sports sculptures from Balboa Park’s 1915 exposition. On March 20, Schroeder’s at Tango del Rey opened the doors to an ambitious venue for tango, salsa and jazz, where there’s even talk of installing a small black box theater. “Yes, Pacific Beach is a beach and you end up with beach-type activities,” said co-proprietor Tom Warren. “But where we’ve gotten lucky is that we’re kind of on the outskirsts of Pacific Beach, away from the beach zone but still close enough to be considered part of the community.” A vocalists open mic tonight, April 16 ushers in opening weekend, with tango and salsa lessons on tap on Fridays and a piano turn by L.A. arranger Todd Schroeder on Saturday, April 18. Monday, April 20, marks the launch of a long-awaited jazz federation, the San Diego Jazz Musicians Guild, spearheaded by a tenacious local performer, who’d like to think things will take off from there. Jazz vocalist and guild president Karin Carson has been talking about the group’s inception for at least the last two years—and back then, she had words of warning on the waning local jazz scene. “I can tell you,” Carson said in a 2007 interview, “that some places feature jazz or have it brought in, but they don’t publicize it as jazz. They bring in the same musicians every week, so they’re catering to their mailing lists. That’s just poor business, because you’re not expanding your horizons.” And in these heady financial times, “the opportunities are lessening, because the businesses don’t have money to put into paying the artists at any level. “What’s so spectacular about the history of this music is that it’s about storytelling, tapping information from one person to the next. That’s what has been missing. We need more people involved in bringing these different cultural aspects together, so that we can ball up that hand into a mighty fist.” The Daniel Jackson Quartet, featuring renowned saxophonist Jackson, headlines the guild kickoff. Schroeder’s at Tango Del Rey is at 3567 Del Rey St., near the corner of Bunker Hill Street. For further information about the venue, visit www.tangodelrey.com or call (858) 581-1114.
