During a rare club appearance at the 20th Century Sunday night, the Joshua Redman Trio was all about finding a groove.

        Mr. Redman, a saxophonist, was joined by an old friend, drummer Brian Blade, and a newcomer, Sam Yahel, who played keyboards and penned several of the compositions played during their eight-song, 1 hour and 45 minute set.

        One of those compositions, “The Gambit,” opened the show and set the tone. Reminiscent of old-school soul-jazz organ trios, it featured Mr. Redman on tenor saxophone and Mr. Yahel on a Hammond B-3 organ.

        Mr. Yahel's solo was a model of understatement: between long stretches of ambient sounds, melody lines were introduced and discarded, replaced by ideas that were equally off-kilter but kept the groove alive.

        With McCoy Tyner's “Ascension” came the fireworks. Highlights were Mr. Yahel's aggressive organ solo, followed by a fiery tenor solo driven by the fine drumming of Mr. Blade. When the song ended, the 200-plus crowd went wild.

        During the next two selections Mr. Yahel, switching to a Fender Rhodes electric piano, played elaborate funk patterns that evoked 1969-70 era of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. When Mr. Redman joined him on clavinet, it called to mind Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea, as sidemen for Miles, simultaneously soloing. This took it to the outer fringe, but the racially and age-diverse crowd loved it.

        When Mr. Yahel returned to the Hammond B-3, the trio revisited soul jazz. A fine ballad by Mr. Yahel, “Can a Good Thing Last Forever?,” featured some of Mr. Redman's freest and most straightforward playing, like when he modulated between repeating the melody line and blowing harmonics.

        The set closed with “Jazz Crimes,” a musical roller coaster ride that showcased the versatility of Mr. Blade. When the tenor and organ left out parts of the melody Mr. Blade caught fire, deconstructing and reconstructing the beat.

        Climaxing with a lengthy drum roll played against a repeated riff, “Jazz Crimes” brought the crowd to its feet and ended the night on an adventurous note.

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