The sign in the restaurant window said “jazz guitarist.” It was true, to a point.
But this wasn’t your father’s jazz. Or your typical Indian restaurant.
The sign heralded a new weekly downtown late-night treat: mellow live music at Ahimsa, the heavenly vegan kosher Indian restaurant (yes, one exists) at Chapel & Howe Street.
Now performing solo with a Fender Stratocaster on Saturday nights is John Powers, a career touring guitarist (played with Orleans) who grew up in Stony Creek and now lives catacorner from Ahimsa. Click on the play arrow above for a sample.
Powers sat by the door to Ahimsa’s dining room this past Staurday, summoning jazzy riffs and diminished and ninth-chord progressions from his guitar. Only the songs themselves didn’t come from Duke Ellington’s or Benny Goodman’s playlists.
Try Eric Clapton. And Jimi Hendrix. Without the vocals, drums, or amps set at 11.
Powers’ playing was quiet and uninstrusive enough that it appeared to serve as background to late-night conversation over Ahimsa’s unique drink and dessert selections. (Some highlights this week: lime mousse tart, chocollate truffle, tropical smoothie, and a ginger-kiwi-sake concoction.)
But the background kept seeping in, unannounced. The segueways were what did it. Why, wasn’t that Stevie Wonder’s “Gold Lady” melding right into Yes’s “Roundabout”?
Before long, you find yourself playing “Name That Tune.” (That’s right — that was the Beatles’ “I’ll Follow The Sun.”) Powers’ interpretations weren’t necessarily better than the rock acts’ vinyl versions. They were interesting, different. They offered listeners a new appreciation for the melodies and chord progressions extracted from sometimes overproduced originals from decades past.
I mean, Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You”, as played by Led Zeppelin, requires a sound big enough to fill the New Haven Coliseum. If it were still here.
In Powers’ nimble hands, the dreamy tune sounded just right adding to the peaceful vibe at Ahimsa. Let’s hope Ahimsa, unlike the Coliseum, will still be here for a long time to come.