High on Music

At 7:52 p.m., a giant orange-pink sun trembled above the horizon as the band churned out its final soulful notes.

A clutch of bluish-white clouds dramatized the ephemeral picture. The orb, edges rippling, finally sank, and the sky glowed faint amber.

The 17th-floor View Lounge, with near wall-to-wall windows facing the Pacific, lives up to its name. And through Sept. 14, it’s hosting an eclectic Sunday afternoon Sunset Music Series that may appeal to people who wouldn’t dream of listening to the mainstream bands that normally play the popular hotel bar. They might even see a sax player who really needs shades indoors.

Said player, part of the Beto Lovato band, pumped up tourists and locals on a recent night, tearing a preteen New York native away from her virtual Tamagotchi pet for several dances on the small floor.

The blues, rock and Tejano ensemble will return for the summer series’ Sept. 14 finale, a scripted jam reuniting the bands that have already played and those that will finish out the series: Jeff Kashiwa (jazz sax) on Sunday; Two-Way Street (pop-rock) on Aug. 17; J.R. Lewis (contemporary jazz sax) on Aug. 24; Lawrence “L.A.” Auble Quartet (‘50s and ‘60s straight-ahead jazz) on Aug. 31; and Michael Grange (jazz fusion guitar) on Sept. 7.

The panorama from the View, which has operated atop the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club since 1985, is worth the ear-popping elevator ride.

The vista encompasses Costa Mesa’s stolid office buildings; the sprawling Back Bay; Santa Catalina--sometimes; the grassy green of the Newport Beach Country Club golf course; the Fun Zone’s quaint Pavilion, decked in white lights at night; boats sailing and cruising; cookie-cutter homes and deflowered hills soon to be developed, and, from the club’s rear nook, Fashion Island’s shops and parking lots.

Some among a recent all-ages crowd turned their comfy chairs away from the band and toward the windows. Others sat at the modest sushi bar, paying $4 to $11 per platter for tasty raw fish and rice. The casual dress code included nice shorts.

Friday and Saturday nights are a different, dressier story at the View, known locally as a place to watch married folks carry on affairs. The conventional white-collar clientele tends to be 40 and up and cottons to Top 40 and 12-ounce Japanese beers, which include Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo ($4.25). Hot and cold sake cost $5.25 and $6.50, respectively.

Tip: Take sunglasses if you attend the sixth annual series, which benefits local children’s charities.

BE THERE

Sixth Annual Sunday Sunset Music Series, the View Lounge, Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club, 900 Newport Center Drive; (714) 640-4000. Sundays through Sept. 14, 4-8 p.m. Cover: $5. Benefits local children’s charities.