Judy Wexler's Birthday Bash at The Baked Potato, 5-6-25

Jazz vocalist Judy Wexler held her birthday party last night (a few weeks after her actual birthday) at The Baked Potato in Studio City. She did two shows, and I was able to catch the early one, at which she delivered an excellent set of music. The show started right at 8:30 p.m., and after a brief thank you to the audience, Judy went straight into the group's opening number, "Wish You Were Here," a song she included on her newest album, No Wonder, which was released in January. Backing her at the show were Jeff Colella on keyboards, Danny Janklow on saxophone and flute, Gabe Davis on bass, and Steve Hass on drums, all of whom played on that album. It wasn't long before Danny Janklow delivered a nice lead on sax, with Steve Hass adding some great accents on drums during it. That first song also featured a good lead on keys. "But you are here," Judy said afterward. "Thank you so much for being here." She did not reveal which birthday she was celebrating, but indicated that it was scary one ending in a zero.

"I find these times very dark," Judy said in introducing the next song. "So this song is for this moment." That song was Irving Berlin's "Let's Face The Music And Dance." It really is a perfect song for these times. Things seem quite bleak, but life is so damn short as it is, so we can't give too much of ourselves to the darkness. We need to find joy, even when things are at their worst, even when half the nation has embraced fascism. After that song, Judy told the audience that is why she goes out to hear music now more than ever, for that much needed sense of community. It's important to know there are still good people out there, that there is still joy, still some humanity. I think everyone in the audience knew and felt exactly what Judy was expressing. After all, they had made it a point to be there. They had sought out the music, they had sought out this community.

Danny switched to flute for both "A Weaver Of Dreams" and "That Sunday, That Summer," both of which were featured on the new album (the first third of the set focused largely on that release). The latter of the two, as Judy introduced it, was about that one special moment in someone's life. And so it made each of us think of that special moment in our own lives when we met that special someone. Mine, perhaps not surprisingly, was at a concert. Perhaps it was partially due to the song's subject matter, but everything was feeling particularly good, everything was feeling right at that point. There was a certain joy in the room. This song featured some really good drumming. Danny was back on saxophone for "The Summer Knows," delivering a great lead. This song was one of the highlights of the set for me. We could feel that sultry sense of summer, we could hear it in Judy's performance. "I Took Your Hand" then began with some nice work on saxophone. That was followed by "A Certain Sadness," which contained one of the evening's most beautiful vocal performances.

"You'd Better Love Me" was a lot of fun, with some great stuff on bass. That was followed by "One Less Bell To Answer," "The Long Goodbye," and "Someone To Light Up My Life." "Someone To Light Up My Life" was another highlight for me, that song really grabbing me, mostly because of Judy Wexler's gorgeous and moving vocal performance. "Searching for something or someone to light up my life." Then "I'm In Love Again" featured a wonderful lead on keyboard. And it was during that song that we finally were treated to a lead on bass, which was a total delight. "The Last Goodbye" was another of the set's highlights. Judy Wexler included this song on her Crowded Heart album. She wrapped up the set with "Comes Love," the band cooking and letting loose on that final song. At the end of the set, a cake was brought out for Judy. The band and audience joined together in a rendition of "Happy Birthday To You," and Judy blew out the candles. She invited the audience to have some cake, one more thing to bring everyone together, to add to that sense of community. And that, after all, is it what it's about, those moments of beauty, of community, those moments where the better parts of humanity shine. Judy Wexler is not just aware of the importance of such moments, but is adept at fostering them, as she did last night. Life is short, the times are dark. Let's face the music and dance.

Set List

1. Wish You Were Here
2. Let's Face The Music And Dance
3. A Weaver Of Dreams
4. That Sunday, That Summer
5. The Summer Knows
6. I Took Your Hand
7. A Certain Sadness
8. You'd Better Love Me
9. One Less Bell To Answer
10. The Long Goodbye
11. Someone To Light Up My Life
12. I'm In Love Again
13. The Last Goodbye
14. Comes Love

The Baked Potato is located at 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. in Studio City, California.