I saw Octobop for the first time last night in San Ramon and thoroughly enjoyed them. They are great and looking forward to seeing them again...

Excellent recording. Sounds palpable, real music in a real space. The trombone and sax had me taking notice. I don't know your recording techniques but technology really has given the recording artist the ability to come close to live. Tom

Octobop are a group from San Francisco who play traditional jazz, sometimes sounding like a big band, other times coming off like a strong combo from the early days of Prestige or Blue Note. As indicated by their name, they are an octet who play very classy, knowing about the birth of the cool while expanding on that coolness to keep the vibe alive, as they do on Very Early (Mystic Lane Productions). They perform such standards as "Born To Be Blue", "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans", "Powder Puff", and "Very Early" with respect to the originals with fine arrangements of each. The chops on these guys are amazing, sounding as tight as the old Tonight Show Band or any of those military jazz bands who play with the kind of precision that comes from musicians who have made this their calling. It sounds like Brian Brockhouse is playing a fretless electric bass, so hearing him in their rendition of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" is almost... I don't know if uncertain would be the right word, but one almost wants to hear the song with a stand-up bass and nothing but, because this is Mingus we're talking about here. But his playing is so damn good, and the band get locked into a groove that is different from the original, that one would like to think Mingus would tip his hat to these guys. Maybe not before bitching them out a couple of times for no good reason other to complain. Matt Kesner joins in with a tasteful sax solo (soprano style) and the performance works, especially when everyone in the horn section plays together. It only makes one truly feel how much Mingus is missed, but how much his music has meant to everyone of his and future generations.