Erik Jekabson Quartet and John Santos: Live at the Hillside Club

Live at the Hillside Club features trumpeter Erik Jekabson and his quartet performing live along with percussionist John Santos at the Berkeley, California establishment in October of 2011. The album follows up his 2010 studio album Crescent Boulevard and acclaimed 2012 string-tet album Anti-Mass. Both Jekabson and Santos (who received a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional World Music category for his 2009 album La Guerra No) are highly respected educators and working musicians based in the Bay Area. Together, they make engaging, sophisticated jazz that touches upon post-bop, experimental modal music, and Latin jazz. Here they are backed by Jekabson's adept working quartet featuring pianist Grant Levin, bassist John Wiitala, and drummer Smith Dobson. On this night, they performed a handful of Jekabson's compositions including the roiling modal opener "Occupy," the Kenny Dorham Afro-jazz-inspired "Like Kenny," and the expansive, late-'60s Miles Davis-inflected "Actual Tune." Also included are the ensemble's lively takes on Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning" and Sonny Rollins' "Pent-Up House." This is adventurous, organic music performed in front of a warmly receptive audience by a band that never fails to swing.