alisonboston.com

Moving from the main stage to the Columbus last evening, took me past the 5th Door, where Kamu was playing - so I dived in to listen to a few tunes. This was my second visit to this basement club, and only my first when a live act was playing. It was just about as raw and grimy, smoky and sweaty as any place can get. There wasn’t even standing room. Why anyone would program Kamu - who I’ve seen pull in a couple hundred on a week night - in a tiny, little place like that on a Friday evening beats me - unless they were banking on maybe attracting some passers by from the jazz festival which is concentrated in that area.

Even with the asphyxiating smoke-filled air and the hopelessly inadequate technical - both Kárpáti Dodi’s trumpet and Vázsonyi János sax blowing simultaneously through one microphone, amped through a very unflattering speaker - I was hooked by the sound and had to tear myself away to continue to the next concert.

But then, I always have had a penchant for unsanitized music.

Once again, I am smiten by this city with limitless choices, that seems to slow down only at Christmas time.