The piano lounge evokes sophistication and elegance – the live pianist, the cocktail, and the timeless glamour of the piano bar
Piano Lounge and Bar in Clapham holds a 4.2 from just five reviews – a sample far too small to judge – but its name evokes one of the most sophisticated and timelessly glamorous of all bar traditions: the piano lounge, home of the live pianist, the well-made cocktail, and the elegant evening.
The too-small sample
First, honestly: five reviews is not nearly enough to judge a venue by. Five opinions could reflect anything, and carry no real statistical weight. This survey has consistently declined to draw conclusions from such tiny samples, and five is far too few to say anything meaningful about the quality of the place. So we set the number aside entirely, and turn to the evocative name and the lovely tradition it invokes.
The king of instruments
The piano is often called the king of instruments, and with good reason – it is one of the most versatile, expressive and complete of all musical instruments, capable of melody and harmony, of the softest whisper and the grandest thunder, of everything from delicate classical nocturnes to rollicking jazz and everything between. Invented in the early eighteenth century (its full name, “pianoforte,” means “soft-loud,” reflecting its revolutionary ability to play both softly and loudly at the touch of the keys), the piano became the central instrument of Western music – in the concert hall, the drawing room, the jazz club and the bar.
The piano’s presence in a bar or lounge instantly signals a certain sophistication and elegance. The live pianist, playing softly in the corner as the evening unfolds, is one of the great images of the sophisticated bar – the elegant soundtrack to conversation and cocktails, adding warmth, class and atmosphere. A “Piano Lounge” promises exactly this: live piano music, an elegant atmosphere, and the timeless glamour of the sophisticated evening out.
The piano bar
The piano bar is a genuine and beloved tradition – the intimate, sophisticated venue built around live piano music, where a pianist plays through the evening, sometimes taking requests, sometimes accompanied by a singer, providing the elegant musical heart of the room. It is associated with a certain timeless glamour – the world of the cocktail, the standards of the Great American Songbook, the sophisticated late-night elegance of a bygone golden age. From the grand hotel bars to the intimate late-night lounges, the piano bar has always represented a certain class and sophistication, a place of elegance, romance and refined pleasure.
There is a lovely, timeless appeal to it. In an age of loud music and frantic nightlife, the piano lounge offers something more refined and civilised – live, skilled music played softly, an elegant atmosphere, good cocktails, conversation, and the timeless glamour of the piano and the well-made drink. “Piano Lounge and Bar” promises exactly this – a touch of elegance and sophistication, the live piano and the cocktail, the refined and glamorous evening. Whatever its tiny sample of reviews, the tradition it invokes is one of the most appealing and elegant there is.
The bar
A thinly-reviewed bar – impossible to judge on five reviews – whose name evokes the sophisticated and timelessly glamorous tradition of the piano lounge: live piano, elegant atmosphere, and the well-made cocktail.
Verdict
Impossible to judge on five reviews, but evocatively named after the piano lounge – the elegant, sophisticated tradition of live piano, cocktails, and the timeless glamour of the refined evening.
Go, become an early reviewer, and enjoy the elegance the name promises – the live piano playing softly, the cocktail in hand, and the timeless, sophisticated glamour of the piano lounge.
Alan Nafzger was born in Lubbock, Texas, the son Swiss immigrants. He grew up on a dairy in Windthorst, north central Texas. He earned degrees from Midwestern State University (B.A. 1985) and Texas State University (M.A. 1987). University College Dublin (Ph.D. 1991). Dr. Nafzger has entertained and educated young people in Texas colleges for 37 years. Nafzger is best known for his dark novels and experimental screenwriting. His best know scripts to date are Lenin’s Body, produced in Russia by A-Media and Sea and Sky produced in The Philippines in the Tagalog language. In 1986, Nafzger wrote the iconic feminist western novel, Gina of Quitaque. He currently lives in Holloway, North London. Contact: [email protected]
My mate works in local government and he’s completely silent now. That’s what recognition looks like when it involves self-awareness about your own complicity.
Reads like someone keeping detailed notes on things shouldn’t think about. Concerning hobby.