Tasteful jazz

Jazz club The Back Page opens this spring next to sushi bistro Blue Taleh in swinging Kearney Square. Owned by the brother of Taleh owner Steve Rameriz, Lowell’s new music club should hop. And since the spot is next to the restaurant along the canal, it will serve apps from the BT. I hope the volcano makes the list and tuna tostatos. I dined there last night for Great Plates, which became Pricey Plates with avocado salad (so good), volcano and a boatload of sushi. New discovery: white tuna sushi packed a clean protein punch. They may have lost their star sushi chef and fancy bartender Matt, but they haven’t missed a beat. New mixologist Victor and his perky co-pilot add a youthful glow to the place and make a meal at the bar more fun. Only caveat: the blue taleh mojito. It sounds like a pathway to paradise, but too much simple syrup makes this a trip to saccharineville, where no hungry diner wants to go. Trust me. I new I was in trouble when I saw the blue hue. A drink should be that color, unless you’re a mermaid. Victor nicely diluted the libation with soda water and transferred it to a tall glass, but it was still too candy forward. The drink clouded my taste buds. In retrospect I wish I had asked for a different cocktail. Is that within my rights? I’ve done it with beer, but a cocktail is a different story. Has anyone made the sip switch successfully?