Cool jazz. Images of the early days on the West Coast when new ideas, harmonies, ensemble playing and great improvisation were all happening. Recreating and updating that experience is the mission of Octobop. Performing and promoting the music that began with the innovations of Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Dave Pell, Jimmy Guiffre, and Howard Rumsey among others—Octobop makes cool jazz hot again.
An octet with an unusual line up—trumpet, trombone, two saxes, vibes, guitar, bass, and drums—the feeling of the group is reminiscent of the pianoless quartet of Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker in the 1950s. Not satisfied with simply recreating the past, Octobop updates the classics and adds contemporary flair for an unusual and enjoying experience.
Now in its twelfth year together, Octobop has an international following with fans on every continent. The group is a San Jose Jazz Summer Fest favorite, and has performed at Left Coast Live, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Yoshi’s, and other great Jazz rooms and festivals up and down the West Coast. With four acclaimed discs to its credit, Octobop’s latest CD, Very Early, reached #4 on the CMJ Jazz charts and finished as a Top 40 Jazz CD in 2007.
“The players have a real feel for the West Coast idiom."
—Scott Yanow, music critic
genre: west coast cool
Brian Brockhouse, bass Dave Casini, vibes Jack Conway, guitar Matt Kesner, saxophone Roddy Magallanes, drums Geoff Roach, saxophone, alto flute Jon Schermer, trombone Randy Smith, trumpet, flugelhorn
