Columnist Jerry Fink: A sea of musical gifts keeps Boatman afloat

Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] at (702) 259-4058.

Tim Boatman was a musical prodigy, learning to play the piano at age 5.

"When I was maybe 7, I was practicing using one of those instruction books where there was a half page of a picture and a half page of music," Boatman recalled. "Mom sat down on the piano bench beside me, she wanted me to play the song that I was learning.

"So I played it, then I played variations of the song and then I went off on something else with variations on the theme, and I kept on doing this for 20 minutes. When I finished, I was sent to my room for an hour. She goes, 'That's not the music you're supposed to play.' "

Boatman, who prefers composing to performing, isn't high on structure.

"Everything I do is my own interpretation," he explained.

Today, Boatman is 44 and performing his version of classical music, pop, jazz, country and other genres at the Four Seasons' Verandah Room from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.

He has a list of 335 compositions he plays by memory during "high tea," when diners snack on dainty finger foods, including tiny sandwiches and rich desserts and, of course, tea.

As he performs, he gauges the mood of the customers who are talking softly as they munch on the sandwiches and sip the tea. He watches them for reactions, determining how and what he should play.

Boatman may begin softly, but as his audience becomes more acclimated to his playing he becomes more dynamic.

"But generally, you have to watch the volume," he said. "I try to make it a pleasant afternoon for our guests."

The Verandah Room is an elegant restaurant in an elegant hotel adjoining Mandalay Bay. It's a long way from DeQuincy, La., where Boatman lived until the fifth grade, when the family moved to Winnfield (100 miles southeast of Shreveport).

Boatman took music lessons for almost 12 years.

"I would get up at 4:30 in the morning and practice for 45 minutes then go to my lessons before going to school," he said. "I did it twice a week for more than a decade."

When it came time for college, he enrolled at his father's alma mater, Louisiana Tech University at Ruston.

Briefly, Boatman was in a band with Kix Brooks, a native of Shreveport and a student at Louisiana Tech. Years later, Brooks teamed up with Ronnie Dunn to become Brooks & Dunn, one of country music's top acts.

"I didn't like the college atmosphere," Boatman said. "It might have been the college, I don't know."

Bored, Boatman dropped out and eventually got a job making pizzas. He was 19 and didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He would spend his days baking pizzas and go to his apartment after work to play piano and write songs.

Finally, his roommate's family invited Boatman to stay with them in Shreveport so he could pursue a music career. His first job was performing at the Commissioned Officers Club at Barksdale Air Force Base in nearby Bossier City.

Boatman also worked at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.

"I worked (there) during the day, then changed into a tux and went to the officers' club," Boatman said.

Before long he had a third job, performing with a band in a small after-hours club, where he wore jeans.

"I did that for two months and burned out, so I let the day job go," Boatman said.

He began getting jobs at nicer venues, working his way up in the music world.

In 1988 Boatman moved to New Orleans, where he lived near Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, and played at a number of venues, including the Hyatt Regency during the Republican National Convention.

A year later he decided to take his talent to Las Vegas.

"Why? I have no idea," Boatman said. "Maybe it's because I've always been an extreme night person, and Las Vegas has always been known as a 24-hour town."

It took him two months to get his first gig -- at the old Cafe Michelle on East Flamingo Road. Before long he began working steadily, and has been busy ever since.

Boatman has been with Four Seasons since it opened in 1999.

"I love the multifaceted personalities of the clients at the hotel," he said.

And he likes the surroundings.

"When it's pretty weather, you can walk 10 feet and dine outside in a completely different atmosphere," Boatman said.

And those tiny sandwiches are pretty good, too.

Lounging around

Blues guitarist Walter Trout returns to Boulder Station's Railhead Thursday for the venue's free weekly Boulder Blues series. Performances are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Trout has performed with many blues legends, including John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton. The Los Angeles Times describes Trout as "a torrential, gladiator guitar player."

The Tommy Alvarado Jazz Quartet heads the jam session Sundays beginning at 9 p.m. at Blue Note Las Vegas.

The Boardwalk's Lighthouse Lounge features the R&B band Spectrum from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays, and Purple Reign (a tribute to Prince) from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Wednesdays through Sundays.

Houdini's Lounge at Monte Carlo presents sleight-of-hand magician Michael Close on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Pianist Michael Parrish performs Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Comic Lamar "The Hatman" Harris can be seen at the Westward Ho's main lounge Tuesday through Sunday evenings. Not surprisingly, Harris incorporates hats into his act, many of them supplied by fans. Preceding Harris onstage is Elvis impersonator Michael Kennedy (who has two shows, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.).

The Randy Anderson Band will perform country hits at Arizona Charlie's East through Dec. 15, coinciding with the National Finals Rodeo. Showtimes are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

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