Gilbert goes upbeat with Warren’s Jazz Bistro. Improvise, East Valleyians: Try Warren’s Jazz Bistro in Gilbert.

Bill and Renee Warren opened the restaurant, 1451 East Williams Field Road, last October because they couldn’t find good food and music — in one place — in the southeast Valley. Married in November 2006, the Warrens finished building a home in Gilbert a year later.

Neither are restaurateurs or entertainers, but they share extensive finance and management experience, which has helped in starting and building the business. Bill was raised in Los Angeles but has been in Arizona since 1986, when he relocated with then McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing. Renee spent 18 years with Motorola.

“Renee and I have a penchant for good food and music and were tired of driving across town,” he says. “Hence, the bistro was born.”

Warren’s Jazz Bistro serves lunch, dinner and brunch as well as offers live music and dancing.

“It’s basically one-stop shopping,” Renee says.

Lunch includes a wide variety of soups and starters, salads, sandwiches and entrées, such as Pan Seared Scottish Salmon and Penne Pasta with Charbroiled Chicken. For Brunch, enjoy plates such as the Blackened Catfish. Dinners offer a selection of platters including Braised Osso Buco, Shrimp Carbonara with fettuccini and prosciutto, a charbroiled 10-ounce Rib Eye and Grilled Alaskan Halibut with sun-dried tomato pesto, Montana wild rice and seasonal vegetables.

Every Wednesday and Thursday, Warren’s offers performances of jazz and R&B with the in-house band, Smooth Groove, starting at 7 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, Renee and Bill bring in different guest bands from 6 to 8:45 p.m. These have included Elixir, Melloland, KoKo Mo and saxophonist Dominic Amoto. Smooth Groove closes these evenings from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Smooth Groove includes five players. Dowell Davis, drums, has toured and/or performed with musicians such as George Benson, Francine Reed, Stevie Wonder, Marion Meadows, Joanie Sledge, Winton Marsalis as well as the Valley’s Khani Cole. Lead singer Jennifer Browne, who lives in Gilbert, has toured nationwide with the Continental Singers.

On keyboards, Raul Yanez teaches jazz at Mesa Community College, Scottsdale Community College and Arizona State University and has worked with jazz artists Joey Defrancesco and Jimmy Smith. His innovative “Concerto for Turntable” premiered in Carnegie Hall. He was also awarded the Best Latin Jazz Ensemble in Arizona by the Latin Perspective in 2007.

Anthony Kinchon, lead guitar, can be heard on CDs with artists such as Nelson Rangell, Marion Meadows and Sister Sledge and has toured with the Drifters, The Platters, Sister Sledge, Natalie Cole and Khani Cole. The bass guitarist is Tony Contreras, a native Arizonan who has been playing in he Valley for 30-plus years and who has performed with Sister Sledge.

Closed Sundays and Mondays, Warren’s is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 3 to 11 p.m., Fridays from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Saturdays from 4 p.m.–1 a.m. If you’re planning dinner, Bill and Renee suggest calling for reservations, (480) 899-5299. For more information on Warren’s Jazz Bistro, see www.warrenjazzbistro.com.Closed Sundays and Mondays, Warren’s is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 3 to 11 p.m., Fridays from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Saturdays from 4 p.m.–1 a.m. If you’re planning dinner, Bill and Renee suggest calling for reservations, (480) 899-5299. For more information on Warren’s Jazz Bistro, see www.warrenjazzbistro.com.

Written by David M. Brown

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 4:03 pm and is filed under Dining Insider. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.