The fervor brewing over Albuquerque's annual International Balloon Fiesta is beginning to boil over.  Tourists and visitors arriving this week seek not only the colorful spectacle overhead, but the city's heartbeat, its lifeblood.  What are we eating?  Where are we shopping?  Where's the nightlife?

For years, one of Albuquerque's verve centers has been St. Clair Winery and Bistro (http://www.stclairvineyards.com/Bistro).  This unique venue combines the intimacy of an upscale restaurant with the casual, heady, SoHo/Greenwich Village type atmosphere of the large outdoor patio.  This is where, on a crisp, fall evening under the patio canopies, some of the best blues and jazz Albuquerque has to offer can be found.

One of the Bistro's premier bands of late has been The Abby Maxwell Trio.  Vocal stylist Abby Maxwell, possessing a degree of sultry reminiscent of Anita Baker, combines with super-cool Norm Toy on bass, and on guitar, Larry Otis--easily one of the most gifted blues guitarists this writer has heard across the region.

While The Abby Maxwell Trio's bread and butter seems to be blues and smooth jazz, they also cover R&B and other genres--truly something for everyone, and the perfect accompaniment for an evening on the patio.  The three are part of the larger Downbeat Band, an eclectic five-member group currently making a name for themselves at such impressive venues as Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in Santa Fe (http://www.buffalothunderresort.com), and the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa at Santa Ana Pueblo (http://tamaya.hyatt.com). 

If you're in need of entertainment and relaxation for your Balloon Fiesta visitors (or for yourself), The Abby Maxwell Trio is not to be missed.  Find their upcoming gigs on their website, http://www.downbeatband.com/abbymaxwelltriogigs.  For now, you can catch the Trio from 6:30-9:30 p.m. this Saturday, October 3rd at St. Clair Winery & Bistro, 901 Rio Grande Blvd. (adjacent to Old Town).  Stop in, grab a glass of wine, and be amazed at what ABQ has to offer.  This is what Fiesta is all about!