Sunday Kind of Love

Etta James in all her infinite wisdom crooned:

I want a Sunday kind of love
A love to last past Saturday night
And I'd like to know it's more than love at first sight
And I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh yea yea

and it reminded me that there's nothing like some good ol' jazz & blues to help you see "la vie en rose" when your heart's a little bruised. <3

The sliver moon smiled as we left Olive Tree Cafe with our souvlakis, (ahi and lamb) and ambrosial Greek red from Oliver next door. Oliver is a little wine shop extension of the beloved Olive Tree with a small but well rounded selection of wine, plentiful selection of beer by the bottle and the first place I've found Kepalogravieras, a delicious Greek cheese I'd been missing from Astorian days gone by.

We arrived at Ward's Rafters just a little after 7pm and climbed up to the third floor on tiptoes of excitement.

Ward's Rafters is simply that, the third floor of Ms. Jackie Ward's home tucked away on Maunaloa Street. Once a month she hosts a delicious little-known musical act of varying genres to a house packed literally "to the rafters." I couldn't help but feel a little like Alice down the rabbit hole as I passed the triplex threshold. It was something akin to walking into Crif Dog's on St. Marks in the East Village, lifting the vintage telephone palms clammy with anticipation, and being invited by the haughty hostess, no reservations needed, into PDT, ("Please Don't Tell" for New York tenderfoots.) the sumptuous speakeasy sequestered behind the booth. If you ask the counter crif about it they'll shrug and say, "Don't know whatcha talkin' bout." You gotta walk in there like you own the place, walk straight into the booth, pick up that phone and hope Little Miss on the other end is feeling compassionate.

Back to the Rafters. Millicent Cummings, et al got the crowd buzzing, whooping, closing their eyes and clapping and by the time "I'm the Special Guest" Darby Slick joined in with his double guitar we might as well have been sitting in a street cafe in New Awlins. My favorite song of the night hands down was Rick Smith's Muddy Waters cover of "I'm a King Bee". The honey just dripped from his fingers and lips, each Bzzzz more like a sting. (Note to self: If you ever need to massage your heart just listen to some blues.)

bvw.


The Olive Tree Café
4614 Kilauea Avenue

Telephone: 808.737.0303

Ward's Rafters

3810 Mauna Loa Ave



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