Bazaar Cafe an Incubator for Musical Talent

By Stacy De Polo

At local art consignment and live music hotspot Bazaar Cafe on a Saturday night, people are tucked into the intimate space, enjoying dinner.

An assuming woman picks up her guitar and starts strumming. Without a microphone, she gently takes control of the room with her mesmerizing voice. Swaying to the pulse of her guitar, Mia Mustari draws the audience into her world and reveals her emotions. It is a moving display.

Looking around the quiet room at the people actively listening to the performer, you realize you are in a special place. On the wall behind Mustari a set of posters announce upcoming shows, which are performed five nights a week. Above her a sign advises performers to sing only their original compositions.

In an alcove, a listening station offers dozens of independently produced CD's for sale by local artists. As a further sign of support for local musicians, the familiar sound of a cappuccino machine being pulled is absent during the performance, and the staff moves quietly to fill orders. It is this respect for the music that has made the Bazaar CafŽ a real community of musicians and music lovers.

More people drift in and the tiny cafe takes on a more intense feel, with the smiles and glint in the eyes of the audience reflecting the pleasure of the honest, unpretentious music. Between songs Mustari explains how she is living her dream of pursuing her music, something she was not doing when she first walked to the cafe from her Richmond apartment more than three years ago.

That's not to say she has quit her day job. In fact, one of her "day jobs" now is working behind the counter at the cafe on Wednesday nights. But tonight the stage is hers and she fills it with songs that reveal her intense belief in being true to one's self, and some of the pain she has had to experience to realize it.

After a half hour, Mustari trades places with Mokai, who she first introduced to the cafe in 2000. Mokai now plays the CafŽ once a month and often stops by for the cafe's renowned "open-mic" on Thursdays.

He starts off with some folksy tunes, reminiscing about a childhood forest playground that was destroyed by bulldozers. Between songs he explains his experience in the forest as the basis for his love of "wild creatures" trees and justice. Several of his songs show off the advanced guitar technique he uses to create a complex sound - like he is playing bass and guitar at the same time.

He shifts easily between folk, jazz and blues. The nearly full house seems to enjoy the variety, sometimes snapping their fingers to add rhythm, drawn into the performance by Mokai's intense lyrics and clever rhymes.

"I have to thank Les (the owner) and all the folks here at the Bazaar for your inspiration to complete my CD," Mokai says about half way through his set. "I just sent it off for production today!" He'll be celebrating his debut release, "Unearthed," at a show at the Bazaar Cafe May 16.

During breaks, customers at the cafe admire art hanging on the walls and sculptures located under the moonlight on the cafe's patio.

During the second musical set, Mustari and Mokai invite their friend, Austin Willacy, to play a few of his songs. Willacy is an accomplished performer who tours internationally with his a cappella group, The House Jacks, Willacy is fresh from a show in Boston. He stopped by the cafŽ on the way from the airport to his Sunset District home. He spins a richly textured tapestry with his honeyed voice and syncopated guitar work. The obvious admiration is palpable in the way Mustari and Mokai drink up every note.

Several local neighborhood women, who dropped in to have some food and music, liked what they found on both counts. They carried home the image of Mokai and Mia singing together on their final song, their voices lifting together and intertwining as a fitting end to the evening.

The Bazaar Cafe is located at 5927 California St., between 21st and 22nd avenues. Its calendar is available at www.bazaarcafe.com. Mokai plays there April 5 and his CD release party will be held May 16. More information on some of the artists that perform at the cafe is available at www.mokaimusic.com or www.miamustari.com.