Tucked away in the Beverly Glen shopping center just the other side of Mullholland Drive is a ritzy new supper club called Vibrato. Proprietor is Herb Alpert, Tijuana brass man and founder of A&M Records, mourned by many when Universal acquired Polygram Records and dissolved the historic A&M label. Alpert teamed with renowned restaurateurs Bob and Gregg Smith of the Parkway Grill and they quietly opened the place last New Year's Eve. Sculptures that once adorned the old A&M studios now grace the bar, and Alpert's own paintings add to the ambiance. The decor in various shades of muted reds is warm and inviting, the sound wonderful and the food superb. Top jazz acts are featured seven nights a week. On a recent Monday night, we heard the Steve Hufsteter Quartet, with John Campbell on grand piano, Pat Senatore on stand-up bass and veteran on numerous jazz recordings, Ralph Penland on drums. Hufdteter gave me a new appreciation for the forgotten flugelhorn, from which he coaxes the sweetest sounds.
