Yes, you read that right, Mostly Other People Do the Killing is actually the name of a jazz band…and a killer jazz band at that. One of the highlights of the most recent Winter Jazzfest in New York City, the freewheeling high-energy Downtown quartet slayed the crowd with an immediately infectious sense of fun (a spirit too often missing in the jazz scene). Spearheaded by bassist/composer Moppa Elliott, the band features A-list talents including Jon Irabagon on sax (he recently played here with the Mary Halvorson Quintet) interlocking with Peter Evans on trumpet, backed by thoroughly unbridled drummer Kevin Shea. All find a special thrill in upending expectations with a grin, mixing in rapid-fire, affectionate swipes at classic jazz styles while keeping the forward-thinking momentum in overdrive.
Here’s what ejazznews.com had to say:
“Thoroughly entertaining and in-your-face.… They shift the pulse and overall scope either on a nanosecond’s notice or seamlessly bridge the gap between trad jazz with cartoonish like candor. Top-notch soloing abounds throughout.… At times, brash, loud and irrefutably witty, the musicians forge a bond…by morphing the old with the new. But don’t expect to hear anything that hints at easy listening. These folks go for the proverbial jugular.”
“Mostly Other People Do the Killing should rightly be famous, or possibly infamous, for their live shows.… But just go with the flow and you’re guaranteed a payoff in genre-busted exhilaration.”—Jazz Mann
Check out a live clip of “Mostly Other People Do the Killing”:
Mostly Other People Do the Killing
Saturday, March 2nd, 8pm
Wexner Center Performance Space