Dan's Papers - December 7, 2007

There is little so quintessentially Hamptons as an evening at the wide mahogany bar of Bobby Van's. And for nearly twenty years, the man at the helm was Bobby Van himself. Sadly, he passed away last Tuesday at the age of 64.

Bobby Van, a masterful pianist, opened his saloon on Main Street in Bridgehampton in 1969, across the street from where Bobby Van's restaurant stands today. In the dim light of the dark paneled pub, literary giants and artistic legends including Kurt Vonnegut, George Plimpton, Willem de Kooning and Roy Lichtenstein found a home away from home. Mr. Van's wooed patrons with his elegant décor, complemented by the rich sound of his grand piano. Then, once they had cozied up to the sound of Mr. Van playing Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, they were hooked. Truman Capote became a regular as well as a close friend of Bobby Van, and he passed many evenings sipping on his "orange thingy" - four parts vodka, one part orange juice. He was so devoted to Bobby Van's Saloon that he could sometimes be found waiting outside the doors in the morning so he could be the first one at the bar at noon. Other notables who frequented the place while Mr. Van swooned on the piano include Irwin Shaw, Willie Morris and James Jones.

Bobby Van was born Robert Craig Van Velsor in Baldwin, NY in 1943. He started playing the piano at the age of three, and his first public performance was at age five. When he grew up, he attended the Juilliard School and specialized in the Romantic composers such as Chopin and Beethoven. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish his education there becasuse of financial reasons, and he ended up playing jazz to help contribute to the family. Then, in the late 60s, he was drafted, and he went to serve in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry. There, the men in his unit called him Van, and when he returned, he kept it as his last name. Upon his return from the war, he started playing jazz and tending bar, and soon after, opened Bobby Van's Saloon.

In 1975, he married Marina Barone of Sag Harbor. They were married for over a decade. In 1986 they sold the saloon to some seasoned Manhattan restaurateurs, and the couple divorced shortly thereafter. In an interview with the New York Times in 1987, Mr. Van said, "I'm still not sure about what I want to do. I know what I don't want, and that's to return to playing in cafe society. I don't enjoy it. I don't want to have to mix my music with that clamor and din. I don't want to share the spotlight anymore with people eating and talking."

He kept playing the piano, in both jazz and classical styles, and started driving a cab to make ends meet. His ex-wife said he enjoyed the flexible hours that being a cabbie allowed him. Mr. Van's health began declining due to kidney problems, and he had recently moved from his home in Westbury to an assisted living community in Nassau County. He is survived by his ex-wife Marina Van, as well as two brothers Richard and David Van Velsor, and many nieces and nephews.

A remembrance of Bobby Van written by his ex-wife Marina will run in next week's issue.