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 TASTE
OF CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY MINUTES ABOVE THE STRIP: MT. CHARLESTON HOTEL
WAKES THE MAIDEN WITH WINE & JAZZ FETE
By Erica Hector Vital
The lure of Southen California wine country is in its feel of the elicit
as you drive through nature, the slightly sinful bounty of hillock and
vale streaming past an SUV window before you arrive and you are in it,
part of an elite who for a weekend, or one stolen afternoon, have
journeyed into clean air and stunning views. Such drives are an
indulgence. Clearly one the spin doctors down on the Strip would prefer
hip Las Vegans continue to associate with the rare, and therefore less
Strip detracting, out of town jaunt to Ojai or Santa Barbara. For many
of its nearly twenty-five years in the resort business, the Mt.
Charleston Hotel has graciously complied, keeping its own sensuous
appeal on the q.t. and remaining this city’s stately matron in waiting.
The hotel’s alpine beauty floats into the mental sights of the martini
set only in ski season when the trails beckon above the Vegas skyline,
tauntingly visible to the eyes of the local high level professional or
soccer mom erranding through the city streets below. Winter, and the
slopes and fireside chat of Mt. Charleston begin to call. But uh, are
those summer nights. And connoisseurs of the good life can find their
own elusive summer night getaway Mt. Charleston rather than California
bound.
New Mt. Charleston Hotel owner I. Zaidman and hotel general manager
Harold Johnson, of the Rio and Studio 54 fame, have teased away the veil
of the historic resort, having added a terrace bistro, an acclaimed
steakhouse, a refurbished lounge and bar, and such palate pleasing
events as the Mt. Charleston Jazz Festival held recently the weekend of
June 30 to July 2, 2006.
The inaugural night of the Mt. Charleston Jazz Festival brazenly paired
rock-n-roll and wine-tasting with an evening performance by Daniel de
los Reyes’ DrumJungle featuring Chilly Riano, with award-winning wines
provided by Deluca Liquors and Southern Wine and Spirits. Band and event
photography was provided by Cynthia Ferris-Bennett’s Events, Ink with
the elegance of the evening extending to a sleek, white leather
interiored VIP/ media trailer provided by NiteCLUBZ’s John Stachofsky.
Saturday’s noon to evening event brought outdoor vendors and
restaurateurs to the walkway flanking the hotel’s scenic miniature lake.
With the live funk and Caribbean sounds of KUPENDA wafting across the
well-heeled crowd and the down home flavor of Mr. J.’s battered catfish
offered across the walkway from elegant strawberries hand-dipped in
chocolate by The Melting Pot, the vibe was just the right combination of
bohemia and extravagance.
Situated as it is within the embrace of breathtaking vistas of blue rock
and green canyon, the hotel is the perfect concert venue. Seating was
set up above the front lawns. Stage and a state of the art sound system
were set up by Studio Entertainment and centered above the miniature
lake. The hotel’s top-floor rooms, balconies overlooking the lake and
stage, will become prized bookings for townies and out-of-towners in the
know if Zaidman and Johnson establish the festival as an annual event,
and they should.
Because if the fabled mountain air is good for the appetite, the air
about the Mt. Charleston Hotel refined as it is by the touch of the
urbane found in sumptuous decor, good music, and a true music/art
festival atmosphere, should heighten other appetites as well. Among the
Saturday crowd strolling the work of sculptor Mark Kilburn, jazz themed
painter Jennifer Mains, and renowned Art Encounter artists inside the
hotel’s reception area, there was definitely the buzz of satisfied
sensibilities as the Marty Mahoney Band and band members Byron Bourdeaux,
Clarke Edson, Katsumi Yamagushi and Riano McFarland played to the crowd,
infusing Ray Charles with pop turns and Latin heat. Sunday’s showcase of
international recording artists featured Skip Martin of Kool and the
Gang performing songs and spoken word from his new cd Miles High, Grammy
winner Larry White, along with crowd pleasers Fattburger, and the Steven
Lee Group, bringing a high-profile close to what should be the first of
many such Mt. Charelston Hotel weekend offerings.
The July event was just a hint of the hotel’s scenic entertainment.
Think of the 2006 Mt. Charleston Hotel Jazz Festival as the come-on line
that leads to seduction as the matron tests the waters, no longer
demure. Too tasteful for aerial acts or cage dancers, the Mt. Charleston
Hotel is set on becoming hot competition for the green mounds and wanton
vineyards of California wine country. |
