Where the Music and the Beverages Brew

From a loft overlooking comfortable couches, tables and chairs in the oh-so-hip Cafe du Monde coffeehouse in Santa Monica, jazz band Miles Ahead plays a series of hits familiar only to the die-hard jazzaholic.

As the skylights above this makeshift stage shine on saxophonist Terrace Martin, the 17-year-old takes center stage for a solo. Fingering the keys with eyes closed, Terrace takes off on a rhythmic escapade: “Nica’s Dream,� by Horace Silver. Audience members seem in awe and comment on the musician’s youth.

New York’s Greenwich Village may be an unofficial headquarters for jazz, but this Santa Monica jazz spot is a heavy contender for the West Coast equivalent. Modeled after the famed Village Vanguard where the best in the biz from Count Basie to John Coltrane have gigged, the spacious java hangout features an all-jazz entertainment lineup with performances from old timers mixed with up-and-coming talent.

Acoustic jazz is a mainstay in Cafe du Monde, and Terrace and his four-piece band, all teens, are regular performers. Music is featured Thursday through Saturday nights and at Sunday afternoon jam sessions. Saturday nights draw name performers such as Poncho Sanchez, so a small cover charge of $5 is usually the asking price for a seat.

Here even the caffeine concoctions are jazzy. Coffee drinks have names. The espresso is the Miles Davis, and the cafe has even created a few of its own drinks including the tasty jazz fusion, an iced drink of espresso and chocolate or vanilla.

Though Cafe du Monde, which means “coffee of the world,� was opened just four months ago by Doni McDaniels and Michelle Bello, the cafe has already become a hot spot on Santa Monica’s chic Main Street. The popular hangout has attracted a steady base of Bohemian-type scenesters along with a steady flow of coffee-loving patrons.

The ambience falls somewhere between industrial and gothic. There’s a steel stairway leading to the loft and old wood chairs and tables. The cafe combines the sultry jazz feel of New Orleans’ French Quarter and New York’s popular Village neighborhood with its exposed brick walls, dim lighting and oversized chess game.

The walls are never empty. An exhibit of artists’ work in progress changes every three weeks. The currently hanging collection of black-and-white portraits by local photographer Bob Meyer rounds out the artsy feel of the cafe.

In addition to creating a new home for jazz music, the owners, who are engaged to be married, have created a place where youth can congregate and passersby can explore the path to self-discovery. A theosophy meeting is held in the cafe on Monday nights, and an Alcoholics Anonymous group meets Wednesdays in the loft.

“We wanted to create a place with positive energy where we could integrate the cultures of the world,� McDaniels said. “We wanted a place where anyone, any age could come in.�

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Where: Cafe du Monde, 2736 Main St., Santa Monica. (310) 396-7717.

When: Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Cost: Billie Holiday (espresso with chocolate, caramel and steamed milk), $3; Coltrane (cafe latte), $2.50; Miles Davis, $3; jazz fusion, $3.50.