Phaze 10’s three managing partners, from left, William Hudson Jr., John Carter and Tony Randall Sr. (AFRO/Photo by Roberto Alejandro)
It could be said that jazz is a genre best enjoyed by the musically mature. There are familiar patterns and progressions that form the scaffolding of music that one learns over time, and the gift of the jazz musician is to present something you think will end familiarly and instead surprise you with something completely unexpected—something unique and innovative, improvised at the spur of the moment.
A similar approach undergirds one of Baltimore’s more unique entertainment establishments, Phaze 10, a full service restaurant that is also a live music venue, consciously oriented towards a mature crowd.
“When we’re talking about ‘mature,’ we’re talking more about mature mentally than in terms of years,” said John Carter, one of Phaze 10’s three managing partners along with William Hudson Jr. and Tony Randall Sr., who all recently sat down with the AFRO to discuss the ethos behind the restaurant, located at the north end of Antique Row in Baltimore.
“We wanted to try and create somewhere where people could come out, they could feel comfortable, they could feel safe, they could have a good time, have a good meal, and hear some good music,” added Carter.
“A good meal” is certainly something of an understatement; “spectacular” would be a more appropriate adjective to describe the cuisine, which the three partners describe as southern food, avoiding the label “soul food” because they do not want to restrict what can be done with the menu. By popular demand, the owners agreed that Phaze 10’s two signature dishes are the catfish, an item which made the menu due to customer demand, and the cornbread, moist and served on a plate that has been drizzled with melted butter, which gives the cornbread that oh so necessary extra touch.
The restaurant is adorned with images of jazz greats like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and, of course, Billie Holiday.
“These are musicians who what?” Randall, a musician himself, asked rhetorically. “Innovated. They took music and they went outside of the box and created something that nobody had ever heard of.”
That sort of commitment to innovation also informs Phaze 10’s approach to its menu, which began with only five items that have been added to over time by having their chefs create original specials that, if well-received, end up on the regular menu. This gives Phaze 10’s chefs the opportunity to experiment, try new things and see what works, invoking the improvisational spirit of jazz music.
“That’s what we’re trying to do with the food,” said Carter. “It usually goes over well—sometimes not—but it usually goes over well.”
The menu, said Hudson, is ultimately a collaboration with the customers.
“We are actively participating in this business, and what we do, we walk around the restaurant when we’re here and we listen to what the customer has to say. While we’re out in the streets and promoting the restaurant, we hear what they have to say and when we come back and meet . . . we take that into consideration so we can continue to meet the need or exceed the needs of the customers,” said Hudson.
In addition to great food, Phaze 10 features live music almost every night and has separate areas for sit-down dining, listening to deejays who perform at the restaurant, and for dancing and enjoying the live music offerings, which include neo-soul and R&B in addition to jazz.
But Phaze 10 is also a hub for community, and its owners want the venue to be a place where different organizations can come and hold their events, whether meetings, fundraisers, or as the Delta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity recently did with their Blanket Baltimore event which collected blankets and other items for homeless charitable initiatives.
“We try to make sure that organizations come out and, whatever their purpose is, utilize the space. . . . We have an IT background, so we try to marry the technology with the jazz, with the food. So we can do presentations, and meetings, and that kind of stuff, and those organizations can benefit from their event, the food and the music,” said Hudson.
Phaze 10 is located at 885 N. Howard St. on Baltimore’s Antique Row. The dress code is business casual, with dressy jeans acceptable, and the restaurant features live music Wednesday through Saturday, from 8 p.m. to midnight. For more information about the venue, its hours, or menu, visit www.phaze10.com.
ralejandro@afro.com