23 Robadors

While at ETRA earlier this year I met a guy who was studying (or working?) in the UK but who was from Barcelona. When I told him I'd be here and that I'd like to play the drums somewhere, he suggested 23 Robadors. So I went. I found the place (23 Robadors is the address but I'm using it as the name of the place, which I think it may also be), it's in a dodgy sidestreet side of Las Ramblas, close to the Liceu metro stop (where the opera is, which I'll write about next). Robadors can also mean "thieves" and so the street is aptly named. 23 Robadors is right next to a gay bar and some sort of other establishment fronted by what appears to be a large "woman of the house" if you get my meaning. So when I asked the owner of the bar about playing there he seemed somewhat surprised that I'd found the place. Well, apparently jam night happens every Wednesday, except that some Wednesdays the jam is really a performance by what I think is the house jazz band. And of course the Wednesday I showed up was one of those nights. I brought my sticks but hid them the couple of hours I was there. There was no chance of jamming and the guys that played were actually very good and there was no way I was going to match the drummer playing that night. This guy was really quite imaginative in how he used the kit, various mallets, brushes, sticks, etc. He played the rims of the drums, he played with the metal ends of the brushes, he was all over the place, and made it look easy. I think he did the one-handed roll at one point, it was pretty impressive. However, the venue there is a little too "beatnik" for me, reminding me of that Happy Days episode when Richie almost runs away with this beret-wearing crowd. What happens in this bar is that you sit there watching the performance. You shouldn't move or make any noise while they play. I dunno, not really my scene; I rather like a bar where you can walk around, talk, maybe dance, etc. So I'm not sure if I'll come back here, I think I'll try the Harlem Jazz Club instead. That place, although it features jazz in its name, claims to have blues jam sessions on Tuesdays. We'll see...