HAPPY HOUR
HAPPY HOUR
HAPPY HOUR is a forward-thinking, yet deeply rooted collective quintet made up of five musicians/composers widely respected and recognized as among the best on the West Coast. Individually, their pedigrees are rich and varied, having performed and recorded with hundreds of the leading artists in jazz and other idioms, including Joshua Redman, Dave Liebman, Willie Bobo, Joe Henderson, John Mayer, Maria Schneider, Illinois Jacquet, Bob Berg, Kenny Werner, John Handy, David Kikoski, Mike Clark, Michael Wolff, Miroslav Vitous, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Joe Lovano, Mike Stern, Steve Smith, John Stowell, Galactic, Rachel Z and Makoto Ozone. Individually, they’ve performed at Festivals such as Monterey, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, SFJAZZ, as well as leading venues such as Ronny Scott’s, The Village Vanguard, The Jazz Standard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Small’s, Birdland, Kitano’s, The Blue Note (New York and Napa), Hollywood Bowl, Yoshi’s, and many more.
PERSONNEL:
Berkeley, CA native Erik Jekabson, who spent much of his formative musical time in New Orleans and New York before returning to the Bay Area, is a protean talent equally skilled as a trumpet soloist, composer and bandleader. With 13 recordings to his name as a leader and co-leader, Erik is "A Cutting-Edge Player" according to Jazztimes magazine. He is busy playing and composing for different bands as a sideman, and leading his own groups ( Erik Jekabson Sextet, the String-tet and the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra).
Jazz legend and NEA jazz master David Liebman calls Michael Zilber “one of the best players and composers around anywhere. Period!” and Paul Rauch of All About Jazz enthuses “Zilber is one of the true masters of modern jazz saxophone”. Canadian-born, the ex-New Yorker has led or co-led more than a dozen recordings, including several each with virtuoso drummer Steve Smith and groundbreaking guitarist John Stowell, and his upcoming recording on Sunnyside is Mike Drop, co-led with drumming giant Mike Clark.
Universally beloved by the Bay Area jazz community for his superb soloing and composing, John Gove is equally adept in modern jazz, funk, latin and big band idioms, both as a player and as a composer/arranger. Among his impressive body of work are gigs with Mingus Dynasty, Maria Schneider and Terence Blanchard, among others. Gove was a long-time member of the Tommy Igoe Groove Conspiracy, and arranged for that and The GRAMMY-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra, as well as leading his own bands.
A veteran bassist of impeccable tone and fertile creativity, Peter Barshay has established a strong reputation over the years for his work on both the New York City and San Francisco, Bay Area jazz scenes, as well as touring everywhere from India to Estonia and Israel. A talented arranger, Barshay brings a wealth of experience to the musical table and has performed with such jazz luminaries as Freddie Hubbard, Shirley Horn, Tony Williams, Joe Henderson and Bobby McFerrin, to name just a few.
Jeff Marrs is at or near the top of any discussion about the Bay Area’s best jazz drummers. Capable of immense fire and delicacy in genres ranging from modern jazz to funk to fusion to rock, Marrs has become one of the most in-demand drummers in Northern California. Besides playing in Happy Hour, Marrs has worked with many jazz and classical greats, including Bobby Watson, Dayna Stephens, Josh Nelson (Natalie Cole), Mark Inouye, the San Francisco Symphony with Makoto Ozone, Don Friedman and Ratzo Harris.