Karen Ponzio Photos.
The Greg Sherrod band with guest Mark Zaretsky.
The last night of March saw the last show at Cafe Nine under the helm of longtime owner Paul Mayer shake the stage right up until midnight.
The much-revered Rocky Lawrence and earth-shaking Greg Sherrod Band gave the crowd three hours of rocking blues and beauty that could be considered just another night in New Haven, a city that has been blessed with a bounty of talent and good times — many of them under the guidance of Mayer himself.
As Mayer reminisced about the past 20 years, he considered his time at the Nine one full of fortunate experiences shared with friends from near and far, especially as a wealth of them have been stopping by to wish him well beyond the Musician’s Living Room.
“It made me think about all we did here,” Mayer said Friday night before to the show. “I was able to book my favorite bands. Not everybody gets to do what they like for 20 years.”
Mayer considered himself “very fortunate” to have been in the right place at the right time, calling it “fate” that led him to ownership of the venue.
That fate Mayer is talking about was his entering Cafe Nine 20 years ago to put up posters for a CD release show for The Swaggerts, his band at the time. He had a conversation with then-owner Mike Reichbart, who said Mayer would be a good fit for the place — setting in motion the idea that Mayer considered and eventually followed through with.
“I had always been looking for a tiny place like this,” he said. “It was always a dream of mine. It was a real honor to be able to take it forward, and now I look at it as I was able to live one of my dreams. Now it’s my time to step aside and let them” — the new owners — “live their dream.”
“Let someone else have the opportunity to get what I was given,” he added.
Mayer surrounded by flyers from past events.
Mayer is grateful for the local community, the friends he has made and kept throughout the years, and, of course, the music.
“It’s been a great time. I got to meet so many cool people, tons of friends in the community and musicians I admired. It became a great hub for creativity. It was cool to be able to do that.”
He also mentioned it being “humbling” to see how much that community cares about Cafe Nine continuing, and he hopes people keep supporting the place and “focus on the future.”
“I’m forever grateful,” he added, “People are grateful, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
Asked if there was anything he wanted people to know, and, of course, his focus was on the future — and the music: “Pay attention to the calendar. There will be a lot of good stuff coming up they shouldn’t miss.”
Friday night’s calendar was full, as Westville’s own Rocky Lawrence took the stage offering a few words about Cafe Nine and more than a few hot guitar licks that got the crowd whooping and cheering throughout, while Lawrence himself looked like he was having the time of his life. He dedicated a song to his brother Rohn Lawrence, who passed away at the end of 2021, and gave an old Muddy Waters tune his own spin. For his final song of the evening, he made his guitar chug and slide along like a train itself, as he sang about the train that “took my baby back home.” The 30-minute set flew by, and Lawrence left the audience cheering and hungry for more.
Lawrence’s brilliance was acknowledged often throughout the night by Sherrod, who said he was “the man who taught me everything about the blues.” He also noted before the set even began that he and Lawrence had played a similar show before.
“The last time they sold Cafe Nine, the all-day celebration was Rocky Lawrence and Greg Sherrod, so the next time they sell the bar they gotta call me and Rocky,” he said, adding with a laugh that “it better be soon because we’re getting old.”
Sherrod was joined by his band, which included Chuck Czajkowski on guitar, Jerry Langley on bass, and Steve Tavares on drums. The band’s horn section featured Bob Delagrange on trumpet and John Collinge on saxophone. The indefatigable band offered a two-hour set that saw them covering everyone from Marvin Gaye to Paul Simon to William DeVaughn to The Beatles, with plenty of searing solos and the ever-present cheering on of Sherrod, who kept the audience captivated with his charm and powerhouse vocals.
The band also shared a selection of songs — including “Cake,” which Sherrod said was “one of my most favorite songs in the whole world” — from his latest record, 2020’s Do You Feel It?, which married R&B, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll in perfect harmony.
Sherrod also told a story of how, years ago, he started coming to the Sunday night blues jam at Cafe Nine but “they would not let me sing.” He eventually got onstage after the fourth week in a row of trying.
“And that’s when I became part of the family,” he added. “I learned from some of the best musicians in the world.” He then named a roster of musicians. “Jazz-ers, blues-ers, funk-ers, punks: we all hung out together all the time.”
He introduced “one of those guys I learned the most from, the amazing, the one and only Jerry Langley,” and let the bassist take over lead for Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
The group was later joined by musician (and New Haven Register reporter) Mark Zaretsky on harmonica for a rousing number that saw Sherrod come off stage and sing a verse of “Amazing Grace” a cappella, which more than a few audience members joined in on. It was one more example of a night full of connection and community that exemplified what Cafe Nine represents to so many. Even though the show went until midnight, many lingered long after, as they often do, to reminisce and reconnect.
Earlier in the night I asked Mayer if he would be returning himself to attend shows.
“Absolutely,” he said with a big smile. “I’ll be here tomorrow for the jazz jam.”
Rhon Lawrence and George Baker live on through the music and the people! Thank you Cafe 9!