The Alley

The Alley is a restaurant and piano bar located in the Lake Merritt neighborhood of Oakland, California, in the United States. It is known for its nightly singing by patrons who take the microphone accompanied live by veteran pianist Rod Dibble, who also sings.

History

The Alley is one of the last remaining Oakland piano bars. It was founded in 1933. Most of the previous piano bars closed upwards of thirty years ago. The bar looks like a saloon or 1920s alleyway with wood shingles and windows in the interior. Writer Kimberly Chun has described the interior as being designed by "a drunken Walt Disney". It has booths throughout it similar to those found at a diner. Approximately 40,000 to 50,000 business cards from visitors are displayed all over the walls, attached with staples. Business cards from Jerry Brown and Gregg Allman can be found. Dinner, which is served nightly, focuses on American cuisine such as steaks and burgers. An average steak dinner costs around $10. A piano is located past the main bar surrounded by a lacquered wood bar. Twelve seats sit at the bar and a pianist sits on the far end. Songbooks and microphones also rest on the bar. They primarily play songs from the Great American Songbook.

Gregory Porter

Gregory Porter (born November 4, 1971) is an American jazz vocalist, songwriter and actor. Porter won the 2014 Grammy for best jazz vocal album, Liquid Spirit.

Life and career

Gregory Porter was born in Sacramento and was raised in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister. A 1989 graduate of Highland High School, he received a full-ride athletic scholarship to San Diego State University (SDSU Aztecs). A shoulder injury during his junior year of high school restricted his football career.

Porter moved to the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn in 2004, along with his brother Lloyd. He worked as a chef at Lloyd's restaurant Bread-Stuy (now defunct), where he also performed. Porter performed at other neighborhood venues including Sista's Place and Solomon's Porch, and moved on to Harlem club St. Nick's Pub, where he maintained a weekly residency. Out of this residency evolved what would become Porter's touring band.

Porter released two albums on the Motéma label, 2010's Water and 2012's Be Good, before signing with Blue Note Records (under Universal Music Group) on May 17, 2013. His third album, Liquid Spirit, was released on September 2, 2013, in Europe and on September 17, 2013, in the US. The album was produced by Brian Bacchus. The album won the 2014 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Take Me

Take Me is the title of a 2001 British television drama miniseries on ITV, starring Robson Green and Beth Goddard.

Take Me was produced by STV Productions (then known as "SMG TV Productions") and Coastal. It was filmed between October and December 2000 and first broadcast in the UK on 5 August 2001. Alex Pillai was the programmes' director.

Plot

Jack and Kay Chambers are thrilled when the residents of Hadleigh Corner welcome them to their new home with open arms. But then the neighbours invite them to share their beds too. When Jack and Kay Chambers leave their city apartment for an exclusive housing estate, they hope to save their ailing marriage. Hadleigh Corner is the rural idyll of their dreams and the newly built house is the perfect symbol of their fresh start.

At first, all is rosy. The villagers are warm and welcoming and the party invitations are flowing. Even their children seem more settled. But as Jack and Kay try to rebuild their relationship, they discover their new neighbours are anything but normal. What starts as a cosy dinner party suddenly turns into a night of adult party games with absolutely no limits. What's more, the perfectly polished and manicured estate hides a terrible deathly secret. As the truth about Hadleigh Corner is revealed, Jack and Kay are torn apart and caught up in a nightmare, which will change their lives forever.