“One night, playing between sets at a small club … [with] his eyes closed in reverie, [Katz] did not realize that his bandmates had crept back onstage. The stage was tiny and crowded, and by the time the band swung into an up-tempo number and he realized what had happened, he could no longer get to the piano. So he stayed where he was, cello in hand, and played along – and with that the group had its new sound, and went on to become one of the most popular in jazz.”