Gypsy Jazz, Caviar, and a Wailer Sighting

About a dozen Rake readers and friends showed up last
Wednesday – at my invitation – for dinner and a show at T’s Place. You can find
better Malaysian dishes elsewhere, (like at Peninsula Malaysian Cuisine) but the Ethiopian dishes
were hearty and flavorful, prices extremely reasonable, and the contemporary
jazz by Ethiopian-born bass guitarist Yohannes Tona and his band was
first-rate.

Toma’s a musician of
the the caliber you expect to hear at the Dakota, where he sometimes performs.
But for aging hipsters, the real musical highlight came late in the
evening, when a grey-bearded guy got up on stage with the band and sang No
Woman No Cry, followed by an a capella rendition of Redemption Song, a capella.
It turns out he’s Devon Evans, who used
to play percussion with Bob Marley and the Wailers. A memorable moment.

Looking for things to do this week?:

If you can’t get a table at Cafe Maude, check in at nearby Cave Vin, 5555 Xerxes Ave.S., where Rhonda Laurie (that’s her, above) and her trio play every Wednesday, performing jazz standards and gypsy swing in the keys of mellow and romantic.
No cover charge. Best bets from the menu include the steak tartare and the
steamed mussels – order them with the frites for a light supper. And Yohannes Toma will be back at T’s place, starting at 9 p.m.

This Thursday only, Morton’s of Chicago in downtown Minneapolis will host a
vodka and caviar event from 6 to 7:30 – Petrossian caviar, sliced smoked
salmon, tuna tartare canapés and sliced tenderloin on crostini, accompanied by
assorted vodka "mortinis." Cost is $45 per person, plus tax and tip; call 612-673-9700 for reservations.