Originally Harris on guitar, Bryan Nichols on piano, Chris Bates on bass and JT Bates on drums, the Zacc Harris Group has expanded to include John Raymond on trumpet and flugelhorn and Brandon Wozniak on saxophone. What was really good to start with is now even better. This is an album where everything works. The tunes, all by Harris, are melodic and inviting, the playing clean and tight, with that coveted communication among all the members. Favorite track: “Apple Jacks.” With the Bates Bros. providing a rock-solid NOLA-flavored rhythmic foundation, Harris’ joyous solo leads the way for Raymond and Wozniak’s playful conversational and unison passages splashed with Nichols’ piano. The sound throughout is exceptional. This is not a pandemic album. It was completed before the pandemic, then waited patiently for the live audience it deserves for its release. At Sunday’s event, Aaron Hederstrom will step in for Wozniak, who had another commitment. -PAMELA ESPELAND
SUN SEP 19 • 7PM • $20/15