Bullitt - Coffee Cantata

  Bullitt meets Cathy and friends at the Coffee Cantata, a real cafe with that name at 2026 Union Street in the Cow Hollow district.  It is now the popular Betelnut restaurant.

Then ...   There's a pastry counter at the front of the cafe and a coffee bar up the right side.

Coffee_cantata_1_pan

... and Now,  a full bar replaced the confectionery and the coffee bar up the stairs is gone.

Betelnut_front_pan_2_crop

 

  Then ...  Up the stairs, a jazz quartet is playing in the back corner next to the coffee bar.

Coffee_cantata_2_pan

... and Now,  with the coffee bar gone, this space has become the side dining area.

Betelnut_coffee_bar

 

Then ...  Bullitt and Cathy join their friends at a table at the rear, filmed though the window from the rear deck.  The band's bass player can be seen off to the left.

Coffee_cantata_3_rev
... and Now,  the rear deck was sacrificed when the Betelnut renovation pushed the rear wall back for added space.  The same view, taken inside from where the deck was, shows part of Betelnut's open kitchen.

Betelnut_rear_pan_crop

 

  The jazz band plays throughout the entire Coffee Cantata scene; they are seen below behind a radiant Cathy.

Coffee_cantata_4

A collage of the band members from the movie is shown below.  The band was Meridian West and the musicians were:

Flute - Julie Iger Roseman          Guitar - Larry Vogt

Bass - Nat Johnson                     Percussion - Al Pimental

  Citysleuth learned the identity of the band from a reader of this blog (see comments at the bottom of this post including much appreciated background about the gig from flutist Julie Roseman and news and comments from other band members).

Band

 

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14 Comments

Dec 21, 2010
Jsherburne said...
The band is called Meridian West with Nat Johnson on bass:

http://www.natjohnsonbassistvocalist.com/bio.html

I just saw "Bullitt" for the first time and loved the Coffee Cantata scene; had to figure out where it was and who was in the band.

Dec 21, 2010
CitySleuth said...
Thanks so much, I'll contact Nat to follow up on the other band members. - CitySleuth
Dec 24, 2010
Julie Iger Roseman said...
We're delighted that people are still interested in Meridian West and our 'Bullitt' gig. We performed mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 60s and 70s. Nat, who also sang with the group, and Al played in several night clubs, especially Gatsby's in Sausalito. During that time we were the house band for Cecil Williams and the Glide Memorial Church so we had the privilege of playing with and/or for a number of celebrities, such as Leonard Bernstein and Rasaan Roland Kirk.
In 1968 Steve McQueen 'discovered' us while we were playing a weekend gig at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito. He sat down with us after our set and bought a round of drinks. A few day's later we got a call asking us if we wanted to be in a movie. We recorded the music at Francis Ford Coppola's studio in San Francisco. We filmed the scene overnight in the Coffee Cantata which was an actual well-known coffee house that supported live music. Months later when 'Bullitt' premiered we played at the premier party at the Palace of the Legion Of Honor in San Francisco. It was a very good year!
Dec 29, 2010
CitySleuth said...
Thanks Julie for sharing with us how you got the Bullitt gig.

I also heard from Larry Vogt, the guitar player who emailed me with: "One answer to the question about still playing is this link to a slide show I did on Dec 25 while snowed in here in the Kentucky mountains in my cozy little cabin."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzxXwo4CQfQ

Bassist Nat Johnson emailed me with: "I now live in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I'm currently playing weekly in Carmel at the Spanish Bay Inn every Thursday night, frequently play at the Monterey Hyatt and I'm part of a Gypsy Jazz group in the San Jose area. So I'm still active. I keep the calendar on my website up to date: http://natjohnsonbassistvocalist.com/

And I heard from Julie again about her activities: "I currently play Flute on the First Friday of each month for the Salinas Art Walk, with a Cellist, using the name "Strings and Winds" . I recently completed the Music for Healing and Transition Program and am a Certified Music Practitioner. This is a program for playing music at the bedsides of people in hospitals and hospices. In addition to this, I am a member of the Monterey County Composer's Forum and have performed quite a few original pieces at our three yearly concerts. A compilation CD and the creation of a website at FluteMagic.com are in the works for 2011.

Jan 20, 2011
Roy Brand said...
I have always loved that scene in Bullitt, now I know the name of the band, Meridian West, I would like to know if I can get a copy of that song they were playing in the movie. Or, what the title of the song is. Thank you
Feb 03, 2011
Will said...
Julie, thanks for sharing. I'm now watching Bullit, blue ray version, and had to pause to look up Coffee Cantata and get some more information. I was there before they closed it, but just once back in the early 80s. It's really a beautiful scene in the movie, the way it captures a moment in time, and the romance between the two characters looking at each other from across the table. But it's really your music that made that scene. Funny, I was wondering a few minutes ago where you are now, and if you and your band are still playing. I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread! :-)
May 25, 2011
Ernie said...
Can you please provide the name of the song in the coffe house scene. It is available to download? Thanks.
May 29, 2011
Larry Vogt said...
Regarding the name of the tune, the soundtrack itself is not Meridian West but a composed piece by a Hollywood composer that is available as a soundtrack recording - Meridian West is there on the print as a visual only. The music sounds like us to some extent because we did record some music for use in the soundtrack but due the political nature of the music business our actual recording was not used. The piece we recorded now goes by the name of Counting the Steps of the Sun and will be available from our website. We will let you know as soon as the site is up and running so those interested can sample our original music as we played it in 1968. We also plan to make a reunion recording sometime within the next year. Thanks for all your inquiries and interest in the music of Meridian West.
Jun 27, 2011
Cliff said...
Hey Larry, I want to say that I am eagerly awaiting when this track becomes available. I have wanted it on my Ipod for a long time! What I would like to know is why cant I find the track on the soundtrack. It is easily the most exciting track in the movie yet it is not on the soundtrack.... very odd
Jul 26, 2011
carol Josephs said...
Wow, I worked at the Trident as a cocktail waitress in 1968! Great to hear all these stories. Although I wasn't part of the scene, I loved the great feel of the place.
I actually stumbled upon this blog looking for something about the old Coffee Contata on Union. I can never forget the fabulous salad dressing ! I would love to replicate it if anyone has a clue. I can still taste it in my memory! Funny, huh?
Jan 22, 2012
James L Hendricks said...
Spent many happy hours at the Coffee Cantata back in the late 1950's. It is fondly mentioned in my forthcoming book "A Year On Castle Street"
Feb 25, 2012
Peter Ballantine said...
Your band was wonderful and music amazing.
Feb 25, 2012
Peter Ballantine said...
Carol,

I worked as a parking lot attendant back then. We probably crossed paths

Apr 18, 2012
John Morrow said...
Thank you, CitySleuth, for this post and answering a more than 4 decade puzzle (for me) regarding the name of this band. I was just starting to learn flute at the time of this movie and was simply amazed at the pyrotechnics of the song played in the restaurant scene ("A Song for Cathy"). Does anyone know if it's available in sheet music or have a transcription...?

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