Jazz Mafia August 20, 2011

Here’s one Mafia that won’t have you sleeping with the fishes, or getting any rest at all. San Francisco’s Jazz Mafia is a collective of musicians that mix jazz with hi-hop, symphonic music and whatever else works, which results in some spectacularly energizing music. They’ve worked with a range of musicians, including Carlos Santana, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Stevie Wonder and Thomas Dolby, but it’s on their own and unfettered that the group really shines.

With a roiling rhythm section, horns that are sharper than the crease in Cab Calloway’s pants and more musical ideas than you can pack under a pork pie hat, the Jazz Mafia is one of the hottest, most inventive forces in jazz. Don’t miss the Jazz Mafia’s satellite band, Shotgun Wedding when they stir up the dance floor at the Great Park’s dance party, Friday, August 19.

Official Website: http://www.ocgp.org/2011/06/jazz-mafia/