PHOTOS BY ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Above: A Joyful Noyse performs as part of a musical series at the Taylor House Bed and

Breakfast in Jamaica Plain. Below: Concert-goer Karen Kirchoff of Roslindale with Taylor House Co-owner Daryl Bichel, who says the series is “a way building of community.” Bottom: Built in 1853, the house has undergone extensive renovations.

Living|Arts

Monday, November 26, 2007

THE INN CROWD A Jamaica Plain

B&B becomes a nice home for art and live music. By Johnny Diaz

Globe Staff

The chandeliers dim. Audience members settle into their seats. The pianist and the jazz singer take their places along the grand piano. Showtime! The musicians serenade the guests with the Miles Davis ballad "Solar," which echoes throughout the ballroom. These 30 guests may be in a Symphony Hall state of mind, but they're sitting in the Taylor House Bed and Breakfast in Jamaica Plain. Since March, owners Dave Elliott and Daryl Bichel have hosted monthly classical and jazz performances featuring local musicians, from Baroque violinists and harpsichordists to sopranos. In addition, the couple invites visual artists to show their work throughout the Italianate Victorian house for two-month exhibitions. With its growing roster of performances, the inn has become

an unofficial neighborhood arts center. "This is a very nice way to hear jazz," said Fran Barna, sitting a few feet away from jazz vocalist Steve Thomas and pianist Ben Schwendener, who performed on a recent Wednesday night. "This is kind of casual and nice." For the inn's owners, the concerts offer their guests and neighbors a chance to tour the understated bed and breakfast, which blends in with

its fellow Victorians on Burroughs Street. For the invited artists and musicians, the residence provides another outlet to promote their art and get paid for it.

"It was a way of building community in the neighborhood," says Bichel, who bought the house 12 years ago with Elliott. The men have the support of the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, whose volunteer board regularly scouts for new talent to present at the three-story home, built in 1853. The council has also used the home as a site for the neighborhood's Open Studios art events. "It's great to have a space where people in our neighborhood can come together, listen to great music, and in the process support local talent," said Dalia Llera, a JP resident who has attended a recent jazz performance by pianist Josh Rosen and vocalist-saxophonist Stan Strickland, both professors at Berklee. "I really enjoy the intimate atmosphere." That event was standing room only. Robin Radin, a board member of the JP arts council, said she likes what the Taylor House events are doing for the neighborhood. "This is a natural connection between the inhabitants of the community with some people who are not only making the art but with people who also appreciate it," she said. "This is life in Jamaica Plain."

A house with promise Bichel and Elliott bought the house in 1995 after an afternoon of cycling in the neighborhood. At the time, each sought a career change. Bichel was an assistant director at the Harvard School of Public Health. Elliott worked in computer training at a bank. When they spotted a "for sale" sign on the decrepit three-story property, which had been split up into five rental apartments, they thought it would make a great setting for a bed and breakfast, an urban inn that could serve as an alternative to Back Bay and Cambridge. After extensive renovations, the couple opened for business in 1996. They were such novices that they used a book called "How to Open and Operate a Bed &

Breakfast" by Jan Stankus. Their guests: people visiting relatives in Jamaica Plain, tourists, and out-of-towners affiliated with teaching hospitals in nearby Longwood.

Taylor House B&B co-owner Dave Elliott says the intimate setting is a plus.

Over the years, Elliott and Bichel decorated their walls with local art and used their function room for wedding rehearsal dinners, luncheons, and receptions. The idea for the art and music series began last fall when they attended a piano quartet performance at a friend's home in Arlington. The couple was intrigued by the concept because most music aficionados have to buy tickets in advance to a concert hall or trek to a club for live music. A performance in a home, they thought, would make the experience more personal. "It was just so pleasant that I thought, 'I want to do this.' So I persuaded Dave to buy a piano, and we started in March," says Bichel, an art collector and organist.

Neighbor Paul Rabin at a concert

"I think people like seeing musicians up close to watch their hands," Elliott said. "In Jamaica Plain, there was no shortage of artists and performers."

They also had some help from Vivienne Frachtenberg of the neighborhood's arts council, who located local artists to exhibit their work. "It offers artists a gallery space," says Frachtenberg, who has lived in JP for 17 years. "It's become our Cheers." This month's artist: Gail Jerauld Bos, whose paintings and prints fill the walls in the residence's living room, dining area, and staircases. "I have really appreciated the combination of music and art," said Bos, who was introduced to the crowd on a recent night before the musicians began to play. The $10 cover goes to the musician. A reception follows the performance. So far, the events have steadily filled up, through word of mouth advertising and e-mail blasts.

In addition to Music, Taylor House shows local artists. (Gail Jerauld Bos)

"Music isn't always a big splash," said Thomas. "This is a reasonably interesting alternative to a club. They [the audience] can see what we are doing. It demystifies the music process." David Miller, a librarian, arrived at the Taylor House early for Thomas's performance. "I really appreciate the performance of art, which happens in all kinds of venues including private homes," Miller said. "It spills out into the unexpected small places like this."

Johnny Diaz can be reached at jodiaz@globe.com