Where can one go to enjoy an evening of big band jazz in Los Angeles? The Typhoon Restaurant, where you’ll hear the music of Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, Miles Davis and the list goes on and on.

Brian Vidor, the owner who I had the pleasure of chatting with, has been a raconteur for the last 28 years. His appreciation for jazz and big band music has given locals a place to enjoy the big band experience.

On this occasion, musician-composer, Peter Myers and his orchestra took center stage. Myers, who for 35 years was one of the most noted arrangers for such television series as Falcon Crest, Dynasty and Love Boat, brought in his “Peter Myers Orchestra,” with vocalist Loree Frazier.

peter myers conductor typhoon restaurant.
Peter Myers, conductor, Typhoon restaurant.

Ms Frazier sang “Let the Good Times Roll,” “On A Clear Day,” and many others, that brought back memories of that classic era.

The band has several featured soloists. Barbara Laronga on trombone had a clean brisk sound that enhanced the musical composition.

Ricky Woodard, one of the all time great saxophonists today, played with great feeling on a Wilson Picket piece. Juliane Gralle, on trombone played an impressive Duke Ellington solo, and Kevin Hicks, also on trombone, played some great solo jazz pieces.

The Typhoon Restaurant also has a sushi restaurant on the second floor, which is beautifully appointed with mahogany wood and a famous chef to go along with it.

Executive Chef Katsu, who owned his own restaurant chain, has been preparing traditional sushi for quite some time. His style of cooking and preparing sushi is unlike other sushi chefs we encountered.

The Miso soup is highly recommended, complimented with California rolls, yellow tail and how about Sesame seared tuna, consisting of torched tuna sashimi with sesame citrus sauce, mountain carrot and black sesame seeds. I love to use ginger and mix sashimi with sashimi when enjoying sushi.

typhoon vegetarian plum sushi.
Typhoon vegetarian plum sushi.

Typhoon Restaurant is located at 3221 Donald Douglas Loop inside the Santa Monica Airport. For reservations call (310) 390-6565 . Hours of operation are 11:30 am to 2:30 pm for lunch and 5pm to 9pm for dinner.

Celebrity Scene News awards four stars to Typhoon for excellent music and great sushi.

Typhoon Restaurant Photos

typhoon japanese restaurant.
Typhoon Japanese restaurant
poly srisiri thai chef typhoon restaurant.
Poly Srisiri Thai chef Typhoon restaurant.

typhoon restaurant exterior.

pete allman and brian vidor typhoon restaurant
Pete Allman and Brian Vidor Typhoon restaurant

typhoon japanese restaurant

Pete Allman, “The Man on the Scene,” is based in Marina del Rey, California, concentrating on producing feature films, television projects, and commercials. Pete also has an office in Las Vegas, which he visits occasionally.

Pete is also a restaurant critic, broadcast personality and celebrity interviewer. He produces inspirational messages for television and other media.

Of all the investigations he makes, we suspect he likes critiquing restaurants the most, because he can taste the food, savor the atmosphere, interact with people, and photograph all the goodies.

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