Tucked in the belly of the elegantly restored Lafayette Hotel on El Cajon Boulevard, you’ll find one of San Diego’s most historically significant jazz clubs.
And yet many might not realize that it’s still a thriving music venue today.
Built in 1946, the North Park hotel, then known as Imig Manor, became a retreat for Hollywood’s elite. It glittered with celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner and Bob Hope, who owned one of the penthouses. Even “Tarzan” actor Johnny Weissmuller designed the inviting courtyard swimming pool.
From the late 1940s through the 1960s, its downstairs nightclub, The Mississippi Room, hosted legendary jazz artists including Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Bo Diddley and John Coltrane, as the framed posters lining the walls attest. The space even served as the set for the “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” scene in 1986’s “Top Gun.”
Now known as Lou Lou’s Jungle Room following the Lafayette’s $31 million renovation in 2023, the trendy supper club showcased emerging neo-jazz artist Zinadelphia on May 13 — and the 24-year-old singer-songwriter’s fans came out in droves.
Don’t let the tongue-in-cheek name, which is a combination of her nickname, Zina, and her Philadelphia roots, fool you. Zinadelphia is no novelty act. She possesses one of those immediately identifiable voices — raspy, sultry, equal parts assured and vulnerable.
She opened her fourteen-song set with “The Ugly Truth,” from her latest release, “The Boutique,” before easing into “The Magazine,” a powerful slow-build on body image and obsessively measuring oneself against the polished perfection presented in media.
By “Dusty’s,” a sway-worthy ballad, sound issues became impossible to ignore. Zinadelphia’s vocal mix lacked crispness, and when she spoke between songs, her voice was virtually inaudible from dead center about 30 feet from the stage. At one point, someone in the audience shouted, “Turn up your mic!” The constant din from young chatterboxes did little to help.
Neo-jazz artist Zinadelphia performing at the Lafayette Hotel. (Photo by Donovan Roche/Times of San Diego)Still, it was hard not to be captivated by Zinadelphia’s free spirit. Barefoot in a long, flowing dress and adorned in chunky jewelry, the petite singer twirled around the stage with bohemian ease, her shine filling every corner of the room. This really came through on the groove-laden “Love Language,” featuring a sax solo from Greg Carleton that had the packed dance floor vibing, and “Postcard,” inspired by a new love that took hold just before she hit the road on “Zina’s Boutique Tour.”
For a relatively new artist, Zinadelphia attracted a surprisingly ardent audience, predominantly 20-something women who filled the night with shrieks and joyfully sang along to many of the songs.
The excitement epicenter was when Zina revealed she had hidden a “Nancy Card” inside one of the free concert programs available at the front bar. The lucky recipient was invited onstage during “Call Up Nancy” and gifted a track jacket. Clearly a devoted fan, he seemed to appreciate dancing with Zina more than the free merch. It was a genuine feel-good moment, prompting the artist to declare it possibly the best fan dance of the tour so far.
The singer covered plenty of ground, weaving soul, pop, folk, and even disco into her jazzy foundation. She sparkled on “The Seamstress,” a classic pop confection, while the torchy “Mirrorball,” her 2022 debut single, took Zina from a gravelly low voice to soaring falsetto. And the penultimate “Love Over Glory,” a disco-funk nugget, had the sold-out room singing along.
What tied all the songs together was the compelling blend of retro and modern — the same lightning that Amy Winehouse once captured.
At one point, Zinadelphia (née Hannah McKenney) shared how important it was for her to play Lou Lou’s. “What you seek is seeking you,” she told the crowd. When Los Angeles was added to the tour itinerary, she said that she knew she had to find a way to perform here.
So, as she closed her taut 70-minute set with the viral hit “Cosmos” — shimmering in front of the club’s iconic gold clam shell — it felt as though she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Though still early in her ascent, Zinadelphia is destined for bigger stages. She has the voice, the look and the magnetic charm that pulls people in. On a night spent performing in the shadows of jazz giants, she looked like an artist confidently carving out a place of her own.
Donovan Roche is a longtime music writer and regular contributor to Times of San Diego.
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