I Had a Drink With Max Wellman
The Tea Room’s Friday Night JAzz Reviewed
I had a drink with Max Wellman, the local song bird who runs the Noce jazz venue on Walnut Street.
Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration. Let me elaborate, I attended “Friday Night Jazz with Max Wellman” hosted by the historic Tea Room. Max’s stage presence and candid personality simply made me feel as though I might be having a drink with a friend.
Setting the Scene
A cinematic setting will always be the start of any great experience for me. The Tea Room is easily one of the most gorgeous places in the state of Iowa. The restoration was remarkably well done and the room has retained its 1909 soul and character for a new era. There are modern touches that make the room feel alive; though in a way it still feels like the department store could be operating downstairs. My favorite thing here is the French doors that open to small balconies overlooking Walnut Street. I noticed that one of these doors was open near the bar and there was a cool breeze coming in carrying the sounds of downtown life. I was starting to feel the vibes.
The bar staff is exceptionally charming and personable, this event had $5 cocktails and they maintained a chipper demeanor even when there was a line. I exchanged conversation with a woman who, half-in-jest, let me show her how to pour champagne without it foaming in the glass.
I attended alone, being the anti-social socialite that I am. I’ll tell you a secret though, one of my favorite things about going out alone is meeting people. I found myself seated with a lovely couple who gave me their free drink tickets (thank you, if you read this!!). These were long-time residents of Des Moines who could tell me stories about the city that has welcomed me so warmly. The gentleman had great stories about working here at Younkers in the 70s, first in sales and then as a buyer. They were exceptionally friendly and kind but I digress, I was here to see Max Wellman.
Max’s Performance
At the beginning, I was worried that I had actually booked myself a solo ticket to a cocktail party. Though beautiful, the environment in the Tea Room is simply not as intimate as that of Noce. The ceilings are high and the room begets socialization. People chatted here and there and Max poked fun at those who did not seem to lend him their attention. These people irked me at first, but their chatter actually lent a special atmosphere to the performance as it continued.
I wasn’t totally lost in the evening until Mr. Wellman prepared to play something very special. He recounted the earliest parts of his career and how he came to be a musician. Of particular interest, though, was the story of someone who helped him grow. He began to plink chords over his words as he told of her. He continued over the chatter of guests and his speech began to feel like a soliloquy. It was at this time that I felt as though I was simply having a drink with him.
“I’m very involved with historic places in Des Moines. My first real steady gig was at Christopher’s in Beaverdale, and one night Linda Bisignano called me from Chuck’s. I was [like] a junior in high school, and she said ‘Hey, you don’t know who I am- but I’ve been running this restaurant for 50 years and I was at the hospital the day you were born and I’d like to talk to you on Friday night about music here at Chuck’s’ and then she literally hung up... So I went and we talked and I ended up doing Wednesday and Friday Nights at Chucks for like 2-and-a-half years. I learned SO much. Linda became one of the closest people in my life. Truly, one of the most special things to me in life is that I have lineage to historic things in this city that feel very special to me. This song always makes me think of Linda.. I never liked this song, but she would often request it.. and she told me shortly before she passed away [and I was still playing at Chuck’s] that she thought it was about heaven and it completely changed the way I thought about the song. It’s become one of my favorite tunes. It was the theme to Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Mancini. It’s called Moon River.”
To me, what makes a successful artist has nothing to do with the things that might signal financial success. No likes on an Instagram page, no number of records sold, no money, nothing like that, these are things that may help an artist keep going and keep creating but the ability to conjure real human emotion in an audience, big or small will always be true success to me. I do it with visuals and this man does it with vocals.
Damn it, Max, I hated Moon River before this too.
Max Wellman performs Moon River with the Annie Booth Trio in Denver, 2018
Those looking to see Max perform live should look into attending Last Call With Max Wellman at Noce. The show runs most Saturday nights from 9:30 until at least midnight. There is no cover for Last Call and the drink menu is priced for happy hour.