After checking my name off clipboard number one, I went inside, got checked off on clipboard number two, and snooped around. Inside, the place is decorated with those omnipresent thin metal rail barstools and other sturdy but thin surfaces of steel and glass. Everyone in the room was looking thin too, so, minding my waist, I postponed my binge and stepped outside for a stroll.
Several blocks later, a lovely lass hopped up on crystal ("I've been up for 28 hours. I've got documents. Walk with me.") with a bleached white face and dagger-length red pigtails attached herself to my arm. Her poetic rambling made for delightful, if discombobulating, company.
I soon returned and realized that the Triple Door aims to blend the best of Jazz Alley (top-notch jazz acts, hefty ticket prices, dinner) with the Tractor's eclectic (and sometimes local) booking, which attracts people who blithely pay an $8 to $12 cover just to hear what's going on. Upcoming acts range from singer-songwriters to local jazz artists (Janis Mann, Thurs Oct 9) to blues groups (Henry Cooper, Sun Oct 12) to several nights of the Earshot Jazz Festival (in late October and early November).
Will the Triple Door survive? Jazz is a terrible way to make money for everyone concerned, but the place is attempting to do what other enduring jazz clubs do: sell dinner and drinks in an inviting, if somewhat bygone, atmosphere and hope people dig the music. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI
The Triple Door is located beneath Wild Ginger (216 Union St, 838-4333).
