Daniel and I met, and began working together, at a wonderful little wine shop in Brooklyn, called Smith & Vine, and we made a quick connection there based, at least in part, on a mutual love of music. There were no rules at Smith & Vine about what constituted a reasonable retail playlist, so we listened to whatever we wanted. Ari played a lot of Wu Tang Clan and Kool Keith; KaMar would put on Battles, Caribou, or Damfunk; and Sherry often blasted heavy metal for hours straight, with Pantera and Megadeth rattling the bottles, and the customers, until some poor soul would ask if we could please turn it down.
Daniel and I liked it all – or at least most of it – and I learned from him about bands like Sparks, Richard Hawley, Little Joy, and tons of classic folk, rock, and skiffle I’d never heard. I, in turn, shared my love of Jazz and funk, from Parliament to Miles, and everything in between. Daniel gravitated toward two of my very favorite albums by Cannonball Adderley: Somethin’ Else and Bohemia After Dark. If you like Jazz and you haven’t heard these two discs, you’ve just got to check them out. No one played the blues like Cannonball, and it is a beautiful thing to hear, and to be able to share.
This week, we celebrate the birthdays of both saxophonist Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley, born 9/15/28, and guitarist Dave Mustaine, of Metallica and Megadeth, born 9/13/61. Thank you for the music, dear fellows! We’ll continue to play what we like to hear at Oakland Yard, and we hope – at least most of the time – you like it too.
TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights! This evening, in honor of our ongoing home state grape harvest, we’ll be pouring all CALIFORNIA wines, three Chardonnays and three Cabernet Sauvignons - $12 tasting flights from 4-8.
SATURDAY 9/15: FRENCH ALPS PART 1: Jura and Arbois Tasting - Red, White and Bubbly from the mountains - $15 flights from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9.
SUNDAY 9/16: FRENCH ALPS PART 2: Savoie Tasting - More Red, White and Bubbly from the mountains - $15 flights from 2-6 and wines by the glass – as always - until 8pm.
Cheers,
Max