Because your humble Lush told Barbara Stahlhut he'd be behind a camera, I stuck to just one drink on April 8. I put back a Glenmorangie (with one ice cube - you've got to be specific when you'remaking the most of a little) and it was on a friend's tab, so it's hard to complain.

I was there for Jim Stahlhut, a Centennial jazz guitarist. I've never considered myself all that prejudiced a guy, but is there really anyone who expects good jazz outta the 'burbs? If I hadn't heard his chops already, you can bet I'd have taken a pass. It's unfair and it's wrong and I've probably missed out on plenty of good music, but don't act like you wouldn't do the same.

Jim put together a great quartet on the fly. Three of the four guys on his Out of Nowhere album, released that night, were in. (Pickthe albumup on Jim Stahlhut's Web site. It's worth it.) Jim headed up the effort and brought in steel guitar luminary Reece Anderson out of Texas and Reggie Quinerly, a young skin-pounder who flew in from New York. Bob DeBoo filled in for the absent bass.

You can't really expect a band to play without kinks when a plane ticket gets in the way of a practice. Anderson felt heavy-handed at first. The band was stuck playing around him. Bob DeBoo wasn't really in the groove either. Take the cohesion out of the band and you've just got four instrumentalists taking turns on solos, and until about halfway, that's what they had. It's great to see when a band clicks, though. When the rhythm section hit it off, everything fell into place. A little pedal steel gone jazz can be a beautiful thing, and Reece and Jim, an ex-steel guitarist gone back tosix-stringer,eased into a smooth give-and-take. There's something magical and glorious in that transformation when a band hits their stride. You can see it in their faces.

Now whether the crowd catches on is another question. The supper club half of Dazzle brings an older crowd than my usual digs. But no worries. If you know your jazz, don't sweat. If you've never really followed it, here's advice for next time: Don't bother with what the rest of us think. Forget about worrying when to clap and you'll hear all the stuff worth clapping for.

Kick back and put on a happy face. If it'll help you loosen up, throw back a shot with me. If you're buying, I'm always in.