The new Catalina opens in style

Catalina Popescu has finally put together all the pieces of the puzzle. After more than a week of speculation, changes, postponements and cancellations, her brand-spanking new Catalina Bar & Grill is open. And it was worth the wait.

Thursday night’s performance by the David Sanborn sextet before an enthusiastic full house displayed the perfect interface between artist and room, an instant definition of the venue’s importance to Los Angeles -- and to the music -- as one of the world’s finest jazz performance spaces.

Sanborn had not been the initial choice as the opening act. That honor would have gone to pianist Ahmad Jamal last week, but last-minute glitches caused his appearance to be postponed. Sanborn may have been an even better choice.

At a time when few primal influences are roving the jazz world, Sanborn has quietly managed to become the most imitated alto saxophonist of the past few decades. His playing, with its rich, passionate blending of blues-drenched melody and propulsive rhythms reaches easily across generation lines, attracting the blend of age-diverse listeners that will be needed to bring Catalina’s the success it deserves.

Positioned across a broad stage, the Sanborn players whipped through a lengthy program. Up to speed from the very first number, a groove-driven romp through “Comin’ Home Baby,” Sanborn followed with an unusual, Latin-tinged version of the old alto saxophonists’ special from the ‘40s, “Harlem Nocturne.” Other pieces followed: a pair of slower numbers, “Man From Mars” and Sanborn’s arching ballad “Lisa,” as well as “Full House” (written with Marcus Miller). By the time he reached yet another funk groove on “Tequila,” Sanborn was loose and flying, soaring through his piercing upper register, countering riffs with his two primary soloist companions, keyboardist Ricky Peterson and percussionist Don Alias.

The atmosphere in the room was warm and engaging from start to finish. Spread across an L-shaped area, the new Catalina’s is at least three times as spacious as the original club on Cahuenga Boulevard. But the combination of deep-hued colors, the comfortable seating at tables placed in uncrowded combinations, the perfectly placed lighting and airy ambience make for a setting at least as cozy -- if different in style -- from the old room.

Sanborn wrapped his set to the insistent applause of a happy crowd. It was an appropriately upbeat ending for an evening to remember -- one in which jazz in Los Angeles moved into a marvelous new home.

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David Sanborn Group

Where: Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood

When: Today and Sunday, 8 and 9:30 p.m.

Ends: Sunday

Price: $40 Saturday, $35 Sunday, with two-drink or dinner minimum

Contact: (323) 466-2210