Located in the heart of downtown Berkeley, Anna's Jazz Island is a great jazz venue which defined the Bay Area jazz scene for years. The owner, Anna de Leon, regularly sells out the place, managing to line up some of the Bay Area's best local talent with a variety of Jazz, R&B and blues… night after night.
Musician, singer, artist, lawyer, writer and mother, Anna created Anna's Jazz Bistro in 1997, later moving to her current location on Allston Way (and taking on a new name, Anna's Jazz Island) in 2005. She gets her message across by bringing people together to appreciate music. As a singer, she identifies with the musicians she brings to her intimate stage, helping the careers of now-prominent local talents like Kenny Washington, Ed Reed, and Zoe Ellis.
Crowded with mahogany and bamboo furniture, the club provides a chic, tropical atmosphere with tastefully-framed vintage jazz posters decorating the walls. Anna's offers snacks (Caribbean grub, courtesy of its neighbor, Cancun), and features a full bar serving great specialty drinks like their Pomegranate Mojito.
It's all about the music at Anna's. One of the most established "Open Mic" scenes around the Bay Area, the club's weekly Tuesday evening series for jazz singers also features local piano players Ellen Hoffman and Kelly Park, attracting singers and jazz lovers alike from all over the Bay Area.
And on some nights, jazz-themed movies are played before scheduled shows start at 8 pm.
Featuring a great Bose sound system, Anna's Jazz Island is THE place to schedule a live recording session. Local artists such as Joe Beck, Vicky Burns and many others have recorded their concerts at the downtown Berkeley venue. While focusing mostly on local jazz acts, Anna's also hosts occasional "big name" artists. Recent concerts at Anna's have featured trombonist Steve Turre, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Latin jazz master Pete Escovedo, and Gypsy jazz guitarist Lulo Reinhardt.
Born to an Estonian father and a Puerto Rican mother, Anna grew up in one of the first desegregated communities of Los Angeles in what she describes as "very much a Latino household, where the racial divide ran right through my family."
"Although my father died when I was 12," she says, "he gave me deep appreciation for gospel and jazz music. My mother loved to sing and listen to church music and songs from the 1930s and '40s."
When asked, Anna cites some of her blues and gospel influences: Lightnin’ Hopkins, Elmore James, Bobby Bland and Miss Mahalia, The Staples Family (especially Roebuck — aka "Pops" —and Mavis) and the Soul Stirrers. Her large list of jazz influences includes Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat Cole, Hoagy Carmichael, Joe Williams, and Johnny Hartman.
But it’s the soulful thrust of blues and gospel that fuels the spirit in Anna's voice: her 2004 CD release, "The Sweet Bittersweet," featured a great selection of blues and jazz pieces. On that project she collaborated with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Peter Barshay, drummer Harold Jones, and the legendary Taj Mahal joining the mix on some vocals.
And she's presently wrapping up work on her second CD, a project she says she "wanted to do for a long time," bringing to life tunes by Sam Cooke, Junior Parker and Dinah Washington… the music she grew up with. The personnel on this set includes Glen Pearson on piano, Ruth Davies on bass, and Dave Rokeach on drums.
As for Anna's future plans, she wants to spend more time writing, studying piano, and continuing to enliven the Bay Area music community. "I feel blessed with being able to survive and thrive in these changing economic times," she says. "I love music, the endless possibility, the 'conversation' with other musicians. When the sound itself is beautiful, and when the groove joins the music, then, happy or sad, I love it. And it can't be denied."
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Anna's Jazz Island is located at 2120 Allston Way in Berkeley. Club hours are 5 pm to midnight Tuesday-Sunday, and 5 pm to 1 am on Friday and Saturday. Cover charges range from $5-14, and parking is available in nearby garages for $5. For more info, call 510.841.JAZZ or visit the Anna's Jazz Island website.
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