The music is coming – get out there and enjoy it!

With the approach of our two October jazz fests, the time has arrived when my appreciation for our local eateries is coupled with my love of music.

Over the past three decades, the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival has grown into blockbuster events staged at spacious venues, complete with online tickets, professional sound and lighting, and tight schedules. It runs simultaneously with the True Blue Jazz Festival, where many of the headliners perform alongside our local student prodigies. Both festivals offer something for everyone.

And our restaurants love getting into the act. The combination of food and live music is and always has been pitch-perfect. Over the last five years, I’ve had the honor of providing a bit of live music at some of those restaurants, and I’m here to tell you that one of the most difficult things for most any band is creating a list of songs that match the ambiance, the clientele and the menu of the host restaurant. The stark fact is that musicians are hired to improve the dining experience, i.e., the bottom line. If a band is six notes into the first song and half the patrons cry, “Check, please!” then something isn’t right. Playing in a restaurant is very (very) different from appearing in a theater or auditorium.

Pairing music and food is an art and a science. A good example is Turntable Kitchen, a well-designed blog that shares recipes and reviews of selected songs. Every month, the writers on the site create a Monthly Pairings Box that includes menu ideas and ingredients alongside suggestions for musical pairings. Sort of like wine pairings, but without the morning Advil.

We are lucky to have so much great music in the area. From quiet piano musings to blues to country, hard rock, classic rock and bluegrass, performers all tailor their sets to please the guests. But some of that responsibility also lies with the restaurant: A band that specializes in heavy metal rock might not be the ideal one for Cultured Pearl. And lilting cocktail music with a smoky chanteuse perched on a grand piano probably won’t go over very well at Conch Island. A set list for 1776 Steakhouse will bear little resemblance to that of, say, Hammerheads Dockside. This correlation has been borne out in scientific studies, including those at Oxford University’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory, where the relationship between the perception of taste and certain audible frequencies (known as pitch) are compared. In short, sounds of a higher frequency (like a piccolo or a cymbal) seem to be related to foods with a sweet or sour taste. Low-frequency notes (a bass guitar or organ) have been tied to savory tastes generally referred to as umami. So can the music accompanying a meal actually change the taste of that meal? Research is ongoing. (Of course, I’m unselfishly doing my part ... )

Jazzfest season isn’t the only time to venture out for live music. After the echoes of this year’s festivities fade away, add an audio track to your dining experience by keeping an eye on Cape Gazette’s Steppin’ Out section and the various restaurants’ websites. Local live music is a way of life at Bethany Blues, Atlantic Social, The Pond, Rehoboth Ale House, Big Chill Surf Cantina, 1776 Steakhouse, Irish Eyes (both Lewes and Milton), Dogfish Head, Victoria’s, Crooked Hammock, The Starboard, Café Azafran, Bluecoast Rehoboth, Thompson Island and Casa DiLeo. The same applies to The Cultured Pearl, Conch Island Key West Bar & Grill, Hammerheads Dockside, Coastal Taproom, Beaches Milton, Chaps Pit Beef, Blue Moon, Grain on the Rocks, The Pines, Blackwall at the Beach, Zogg’s, Bushels, Wheelhouse and even Mulligan’s Pointe in Georgetown. Just to name a few.

By the way, you can still get tickets to our much-anticipated live-music onslaught by visiting RehobothJazz.com (just two of the headliners are Peabo Bryson and Sheila E!) and TrueBlueJazz.org. Either way, it’ll be a feast for the ears.