The Perfect Largo Set: Jon Brion’s Gig

Just when you thought the Fairfax district had quieted down to a whisper, with only Damiano’s and Canter’s offering any signs of late-night frolicking, comes one of Hollywood’s most forceful comebacks: the return of the Largo. It’s been eight months since Flanagan, one of the club’s previous owners, took over the reins and breathed new musical life into the room.

Seemingly overnight, Flanagan turned the club into a full-blown cabaret for the ‘90s. Gone are cumbersome booths and the smallish stage. Largo now features a good-size performance area and a floor crowded with numerous cocktail tables, giving it an old-school, supper-club flair. Although the entertainment features comedy, poetry and singer-songwriters in genres ranging from pop to folk to rock, the ultimate Largo experience currently happens on Friday nights, when multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion gets on stage (he’s booked each Friday through March).

Brion, a singer and songwriter who has worked with such artists as Aimee Mann, Sam Phillips and Fiona Apple, has a near-cult following. His sets include quirky pop, barroom blues, electric noise and lounge piano, with impromptu backing by guest musicians.

Moving easily from guitar to piano and occasionally the drum kit, Brion is spontaneous, unpredictable and uneven, but to his devotees this is part of the experience. The mood is already set before he takes the stage when his roommate, Brian Kehew, plays an hour of videos--turning the club into an attentive classroom studying Pop Culture Kitsch 101. Last week’s videos included a show-stopping performance by Telly Savalas and rare footage of a 12-year-old guitarist named Jimmy Page.

Possibly the quintessential Largo moment occurred when Brion--backed by film clips of Charlie Chaplin--offered a poetic tribute to Laurence W. Austin, the recently slain owner of the nearby Silent Movie Showcase.

* Largo, 432 N. Fairfax Ave. All ages, cover varies. (213) 852-1073 or 852-1851.

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Club Buzz: At the former location of Big N Tall, one of L.A.’s beloved art cafes, comes Lumpy Gravy, a new art bistro inspired by the works of Frank Zappa. Although the venue, which is being touted as a “postmodern/industrial gallery and performance space (for avant-garde music)” opened on Tuesday, a pre-opening gala held last weekend featured a performance by Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, a sampling of Lumpy Gravy’s health-conscious menu and all the ‘70s musicians you could fit into the dizzyingly over-art-directed, two-tier space.

* Lumpy Gravy, 7311 Beverly Blvd., (213) 934-9400.