A Joyful No I
t's dim inside the room, and a beautiful woman in a purple sequined dress stands near a gleaming grand piano, holds her microphone close, and croons a sweet jazz song. The place is packed, and drinks are flowing. It's easy to think you are in a music club in Boston or even New York. That's especially true when the main act called No Static – a ten-piece band with a horn section — takes the stage later. They play Steely Dan songs that sound remarkably true. The music inspires movement, and the crowd takes over the dance floor. Some people sit at the bar and sing the tunes out loud. A quick look around confirms that this is a great place to be on a Friday night. Ironically, we are not in Boston, but in Acton at The Acton Jazz Café, a music venue that has been open to critical acclaim for 15 years. In fact, it was actually named one of the 150 best jazz venues in the world by Downbeat, a well-known interna- tional magazine of jazz. The café is hidden just off Great Road behind a Workers' Credit Union sign. The Acton Jazz Café is just one of the increasing number of venues that offer live music in the Concord and Acton area. In fact, six nights a week, you can venture out to hear bands or to sing at an "open mic" night within 15 minutes from home.
A Sense of Community
"In these economic times, people want a sense of community, and they feel that when there is live music. They also want to get together without spending a large amount of money,
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which is a lot easier when you don't have to make the trip into Boston, says Ellen Schmidt, a longtime local performer who schedules acts for Main Streets Market & Café in Concord. After opening the restaurant for breakfast and lunch about 10 years ago, Main Streets' owner David Anderson decided to
24 ★ north bridge magazine ★ SPRING/SUMMER 2012
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