These guys were good.

The Wycliffe Quintet, led by the eponymous jazz trombonist, entertained and captivated its audience with a focus on jazz fundamentals done expertly. MARIJA VULETIC/Staff

Five cats in black jackets filled Hodgson hall with some of the best jazz music I have ever heard.

To be fair, this was my first, that I can recall, encounter with live jazz, with Wycliffe Gordon on vocals, trumpet and trombone and accompanied by his quintet.

And if I’ve learned anything, it’s that this is how it should be done.

The band eased into each song, whether it started off light and up-beat or with a darker, almost raw, edge. And then as smoothly as it led the audience up and down the movement of the melodies, each musician took turns letting their instrument sing.

It was almost as if, in each of the songs, they were all telling their own story, with the musicians giving each instrument its own voice according to the feeling of the song.

On top of that, each solo started on the theme of whatever overall tune, and then somehow the rhythm and notes were warped by slides, crescendos and fluttering fingers, into something completely different – making each note hang on the last and depend on the next.

After this absurd, awesome musical disfiguration, it always somehow ended up wrapped right back into the initial song, passing the torch to the next instrument with something to say.

There was no end to what these guys could do with their instruments.

I didn’t believe the guy behind me as the show started when he said, “He [Gordon] can do things on the trombone that you’ve never heard anybody do before.” But man was he right.

At times, the sounds they were making seemed so ridiculously impossible, the audience couldn’t help but laugh. The band was so good they were almost making fun of how good they were while showing it off.

When each musician dug deeper into their solos, fingers and notes flew effortlessly, and eyelids closed as bodies swayed.

The way some of their riffs went, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me each solo was free-styled.

Gordon also skatted some crazy lines, which was pretty cool — his deep, raspy voice sometimes sounding a little “Toy Story”-esque, but not in a bad way.

Most of the songs were variations or tributes to “Pops,” the infamous musician Louis Armstrong. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Gordon is a fan of the late jazz icon – especially after he said, “His greatness still carries on as far as I’m concerned.”

So does Gordon’s.