Dave Ellis, saxophone
Grant Levin, piano
Aaron Cohn, bass
Jaz Sawyer, drums

Through the heart of the 1990s, down on Folsom Street at the Up & Down Club, out on Market at the Cafe du Nord, over on Valencia at the Elbo Room, in clubs across the land and on ground breaking albums, Dave Ellis made waves in the Charlie Hunter Trio while Alphabet Soup (Kenny Brooks and Dred Scott), the Broun Fellinis (David Boyce), Will Bernard, Ledisi, Scott Amendola and a raft of other musicians made allied explorations into jazz inflected with psychedelic and hip hop influences. He’s never stopped, playing with jazz greats including pianist Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller and Christian McBride along with high profile soul and R&B artists and a whole slew of bands from the Grateful Dead universe and the Dead themselves.

Jaz Sawyer, influenced by teachers and mentors Eddie Marshall, Donald Bailey and Ed Kelly, has many albums as a leader and dozens as a sideman with the likes of Jacky Terrasson, George Benson, Wynton Marsalis, Abbey Lincoln and Zambian guitarist Robert Mwamba. That short list barely hints at his prolific recording career, much less the ground he’s covered in live performances across the U.S. and abroad.

Bassist Aaron Cohn has found a niche for himself as a first-call bassist on the local scene, while leader Grant Levin’s legion of admirers grows with every gig.