If you like your jazz on the harder-edged side, Toby Koenigsberg and his audacious henchmen might be just the cup of java you're looking for. Sounding a bit like Vince Guaraldi in overdrive, Koenigsberg drives his band into frenzied experiments that keep the experience lively and surprising. It's easy to imagine them playing to a room full of nodding beatniks murmuring, "Yeah, man, yeah. You're on fire tonight, man. Go, cat, go."
Formed in the spring of 2002, the trio debuted with a CD, Push, and has recently released a second CD, Sense, a combination of originals, uniquely treated standards and classics by jazz legends such as Bud Powell and Bill Evans.
A pianist and composer whose career has taken him all over the world, Koenigsberg did his undergraduate studies at the UO, where he is now assistant professor of jazz piano.
You can catch the trio on June 9 for a CD release party at Luna.