We FINALLY made it to the new H Street NE location of HR-57 last weekend. It was long one of our favorite DC spots for live jazz music when it was formerly located on 14th St, and since it was super-nice enough to move along with us into our new neighborhood — well, yeah, we really have no excuse for not getting there earlier.

It’s still got a “new” vibe to it with the white-painted side walls (I definitely prefer the exposed brick at the former location), but the music was just as enjoyable during our evening there… so I’m not complaining. These places take time to settle into and find their real character. And if you judge by these pictures, doesn’t it look just as moody and comfortable and awesome as ever?

One other note of interest! It looks like they are now equipped with crepe-makers up front in the windows where you come inside. Though I didn’t smell any of the fresh doughy treats or see anyone order them, I’m going to have to look into it on our next visit. Wine, jazz, and crepes. Match made in heaven.

The show was great too — lots of long numbers in their set, hilarious commentary by the band members in between jams, and also a few spontaneous breakouts into the theme song from Sesame Street. This song is brought to you by the letters “H” and “R.” Love it!

Is it just me, or can you can almost hear the sounds of jazz coming from this silhouette near 14th and U St?

This shot is a closeup of “Lightswept,” a neon light sculpture by artist Craig Kraft , that sits outside HR-57 on 14th Street. I wasn’t a huge fan of this piece at first, but in reading more about his process through his website, I can at least appreciate his craftsmanship, as well as some of his other public installations, much more now. I never put it together that this would be the same artist who created a similar neon sculpture, Lightweb, in Downtown Silver Spring, a piece I see nearly every day. I guess I like the Silver Spring sculpture a great deal more because it is integrated with the elevator shaft and seems to sweep around the existing structure. The one in front of HR-57 seems much more arbitrary, like it is sitting out in the open as an afterthought. Nonetheless, public art is a great thing that we shouldn’t take for granted, and I’m sure I will come around to this piece more in the future — maybe it will require another visit to HR-57 for an evening of jazz very soon.