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Last Thursday my friend Jonathan and I went up to LA for a Joshua Redman concert. A few years ago we made the same trip with a couple other guys for the same show (well, a different trio, but still Joshua Redman). It seems whenever JR plays at the Catalina he does two shows a night. Since we both have a penchant for late-night jazz and (apparently) a masochistic desire to slog through work with 3 hours of sleep, we decided to go to stay for both sets.

The last time we went to the Catalina for a JR show he was playing with Sam Yahel in a kind of funk trio. This time out he was promoting his latest effort, “Back East,” which is a more straight-ahead, accoustic album. (JR on saxophone with a bass player and a drummer.) It seemed the Catalina itself had changed a bit, too, since the last time we were there. A few years ago (as I remember it) it was a hole in the wall a block or so off Hollywood Boulevard. This time, though, it was a new place nestled in some type of office building, right on Sunset Boulevard. It’s possible I’m completely wrong on this, but that’s how I remember it.

I was too busy trying to find Don Cheadle to notice that the maitre d’ had led us to a table that was literally touching the stage. (zoinks!) We were about 10 feet from where the man would be playing, were in for 3+ hours of live jazz, and were required to suck down least 4 drinks (2 drink minimum per show). Could life be better?

I’ll spare you the details of the actual show (I don’t think any of my three readers are jazz fans), but will simply say it completely blew my mind. Of all the live music I’ve seen in my lifetime it’s possible this night would make it into a list of the top five. Eric Harland, who I had never even heard of before, played drums and, hands down, made the show. Joshua Redman was standing about 10 feet in front of me, yet I was mesmorized by the guy in the corner going completely ape-shit on the drum set. I’ve never really been a huge “drum guy,” but then again, I’ve never seen anything like this. It was unbelieveable. That’s not to say that JR didn’t tear the place up. He did. You could definitely tell the guys were having fun and were completely into the music. Yeah, I was completely dragging ass the next day at work, but it was so worth it.

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