`Vowz` isn`t a real jazz bar but in the spirit of freedom that is Jazz I decided to profile it. The name `Vowz` is a double pun, as in addition to its regular English meaning (as in `to take your vows`), it`s also the phonetic English spelling of the Japanese word `Bozu` meaning priest. Yes, `Vowz` is a Buddhist bar.. the owner is an authorized Buddhist priest, who chose to leave the temple and open a bar.

The place is packed with books in Japanese like `The Way to Live` and a `Buddhist Dictionary`. There is a large calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall that says `Happiness is transient`, and in the corner is a `butsudan`, a Buddhist altar with the Amida Buddha inside.While we were sitting there with our beers on a quiet weeknight, a blind man came into the bar and was greeted by the bartender and other customers. He changed into a robe and then sat in front of the butsudan to chant some sutras. Nobody stopped drinking or talking, and the blind priest didn`t seem to mind. He apparently comes in three times a week to offer his prayers. It`s very unique, to say the least...and on the jazz side, the music in the background was Kenny Burrell the night I was there. The sweet guitar sounds of Kenny, a cold beer and the peaceful gaze of the Amida Buddha..I think that speaks for itself.