A DOCUMENTARY BY DOMINIC H. WHITE
THE BAKED POTATO jazz club began its ascent in the 1970s and quickly became one of the premier jazz clubs in the world.
Founded by Wrecking Crew band member Don Randi, the club’s capacity of 80 ensures that guests are never more than a few feet away from the performers. And with its Hollywood location, The Baked Potato is host to a revolving door of virtuoso musicians who record and tour with legendary artists across every music genre.
Eventually taking over the reins from his father, Justin Randi solidified the club's place in the L.A. jazz scene, as it dished out great music, cocktails, and the club’s signature baked potatoes – on the beat and steady as a metronome. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.
With Los Angeles in full lockdown, The club was forced to close its doors, and just shy of its 50 anniversary the music stopped. This is the story of the rise, reign, near death, and rebirth of The Baked Potato – the biggest little jazz club in the world.
DOMINIC H. WHITE is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker with experience across the major creative disciplines. Raised in the Pacific Northwest – with a stint in the South, a detour to New York, and finally, to sunny Los Angeles – Dominic’s life is powered by music.
As a child, he developed an affection for music while sitting with his mother watching the Boston Pops perform on PBS. It grew while listening to his siblings perform in junior bands and youth orchestras. But the transformative moment was the occasion when his big brother arrived from school carrying a vinyl album under his arm: “You’ve gotta listen to this,” he said with an excited grin.
The album cover featured an illustration of a saxophone surrounded by foliage and the sun’s rays glinting off its bell. As Dominic stared at the cover, the warm tones of a Fender Rhodes drifted, bubbled from the portable turntable speakers. It was Spyro Gyra’s “Catching the Sun” and those chords had taken him to a place he’d never been before.
And it’s the same place The Baked Potato has transported him over his more than one hundred visits there. “The Biggest Little Jazz Club in the World” is a documentary not just close to his heart, but from the heart and to all the amazing musicians who perform there.
Production on the film begins Summer 2023. For more information or to participate, please contact us.