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. ~ Matt Collar