Drummer Jimmy Ryan leads a stellar rotating crew of musicians on the 2nd Friday of each month — usually two horns on the front line, piano, bass and drums.  This week, he’s got Stu Pilorz on trombone; Stephen Norfleet on tenor sax; Don Alberts on piano; and Bishu Chatterjee on bass.  Each time out, there’s a slight adjustment in the line-up, so the dates are always fresh and energized.  It’s a wonderful Friday-after-work neighborhood crowd with the occasional visitor keen to see what all the fuss is about.  Music ends at 8, so don’t be too late…

Jimmy learned his trade as a jazz drummer in L.A. in the ’50s, and hit the San Francisco scene (by way of a short stint in Monterey) in 1960.  He’s played alongside influential musicians Putter Smith, Vince Wallace, Kent Glenn and Bishop Norman Williams, putting in significant time in the early days at legendary San Francisco clubs including Jimbo’s Bop City, Ronnie’s Soulville in the Fillmore and the Jazz Workshop in North Beach, and in a more recent era, North Beach’s Gathering Caffe on Grant Avenue.