Man, I would love to meet Scott Henderson. He is a monster guitarist. Did you ever frequent the Baked Potato when in LA? That club seems to be ground zero for the jazz/fusion movement. I wish I lived near there.
I’ve been to the BP a probably a small number of times for having lived in LA 25 years. It’s absolutely well known, perhaps worldwide, as a “hub”. (La Ve Lee was also on Ventura Blvd maybe a dozen blocks West. Now shut down, btw)
Frankly and without trying to be a butthead, I don’t like the BP, meaning I don’t find it such a great place to see music. It is long and narrow like a store with the band centered on the long wall.
Because of this,
1: You are either there hours early (which means you spend a lot on drinks or bar food, which is fine) or you sit VERY off-axis to the band. And I mean, very, sometimes so far off-axis it’s more like watching the band (only) on TV which is not what you pay and drive and wait in line for IMO. IF you get frontal seats, it’s gonna be very loud. And the place is very chatty (really don’t like hearing 17 competing conversations in a “listen” venue) and sonically very live because the band sound bounces off the opposite wall. Parking is not easy. La Ve Lee, sometimes park 50 feet from the club entrance. Or right across the street. This is not what we call “common” in LA.
The BP has this pile of irritations about it that I just don’t like and that’s my bottom line.
La Ve Lee was a very eccentric but homey little joint, that looked kinda like it was one of those LA-style courtyard assemblages of small buildings from the 1920’s that had been scotch-taped together over the years. The odd result was that the leftover interior walls & partial walls made for GREAT acoustics; completely unplanned, but the club just had a nice sound & vibe. Get there 1/2 hour early and you can sit 10 feet away from whomever you are there to see, if you want.
You know Scott has a msg bd he responds to at scotthenderson.net
Very nice guy, zero pretense at all. Loves to yak about gear and what amp he used on what record, if he can remember. Monster player. In all those times I went to see him, I saw him have a “bad night” maybe for three tunes total.