30 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM FOR PETE’S SAKE Having the Bach’s early concerts (along with wedding venue rentals) take over your living room was less whimsical than you might think. “In the ‘60s, when people had weddings, it was a big rock band and people slopping red wine all over the place,” Barbara says. She and her sisters would sneak upstairs to swipe food—and sometimes a little booze as they grew older. “But yeah, we hated it.” As word spread, Pete expanded to keep up with the growing demand, adding a dedicated performance space and oceanside deck. But that {punchline} ABOVE: (clockwise from left) Pete Douglas poses on the steps of the Bach with his favorite pipe and Portugese fisherman’s cap, which earned him the nickname Popeye from Etta James; A view of the Jalen Baker Quartet from the mezzanine; Barbara’s mother and older sister Linda around 1960. taker. Tim became Monterey Jazz Festival’s artistic director and founder of the beloved Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. TUNEFUL TALES Barbara’s gaze grows distant as she journeys down musical memory lane. She resurfaces to recount tales from her time collecting tickets as a teen. “It would get so crowded that the door couldn’t open anymore,” she reminisces. “I would stand on my stool back there and watch the music.” One favorite performance from this time was with Michel Petrucciani, a pianist who suffered from brittle bone disease. “They literally carried him onto the stage,” Barbara recalls. But there was nothing stunted about the nimble didn’t change his opendoor policy. Pete had a tendency to bring home stragglers of all stripes, at all hours. Breakfast in the Douglas household often meant a hitchhiker, starving artist or wayward teen would wander in mid-meal. One of those angsty adolescents, Pat Britt, had Pete as his probation officer. Upon seeing the kid’s saxophone, Pete invited him back to the house to play. Music would become a lifelong career for Pat. It wasn’t the only time Pete left a lasting impression. He permitted Tim Jackson, a flute-playing surfer and Volkswagen vagabond, to sleep in the concert hall while working as a janitor and ticketHISTORIC PHTOGRAPHY: BRIAN MCMILLEN / BARBARA DOUGLAS RICHING / MUSICIAN PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHANNA HARLOW {punchline}
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