Best Buy a new jazz club?

Bassist Matt Penman recently appeared at the winner of the "Most unusual jazz club of the year" imaginary award, with a performance led by drummer Peter Erskine at New York's newly opened Best Buy store at Union Square. Fluorescent lights and various handheld gadgets substituted for the traditional alcoholic beverages on this early 6 pm set. Best Buy, which has established itself on the scene in recent years, has potential for a new kind of jazz venue, promising an optimal contrast to the dark jazz clubs a few blocks away from Union Square. A 6 pm performance time also hardly competes with the traditional clubs' sets of 9 & 11 pm, allowing musicians to be playing in the presence of digital cameras and blinking recording devices before moving to their usual terrain. Unfortunately, this was a one-time event with no subsequent jazz offerings by Best Buy in sight.