The Jazz Gallery Presents: Tom Rainey Obbligato

This Saturday, January 20, The Jazz Gallery is proud to welcome drummer Tom Rainey and his group Obbligato back to our stage. About a year ago, Rainey convened the group at the Gallery before heading into the studio to record their second album. The result—Float Upstream (Intakt)—came out in September, and the band will gather for a belated celebration at the Gallery.In an interview with Jazz Speaks last January, Rainey described the origin of the band's name and how it reflects their improvisational approach:

[Obbligato] can refer to when a horn player is playing behind a singer. It’s not really a solo, but it’s a soloistic line that accompanies the singer, or the main melody of a song. That’s sort of the approach of the band—it’s not centered on soloists, but more on group interaction. I never thought of the word decorate here, but everyone is decorating what the others are doing. The focus can shift from musician to musician, but it’s never really about anyone taking a solo, and then somebody else taking a solo turn. So the name is somewhat descriptive of what the music is like, but I also just liked the sound of the word.

Before coming to the Gallery to hear the group's unique approach to the standard repertoire, check out their versions of "Stella By Starlight" and "Beatrice" from Float Upstream, below.Tom Rainey & Obbligato play The Jazz Gallery on Saturday, January 20, 2018. The group features Mr. Rainey on drums, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Kris Davis on piano, and Drew Gress on bass. Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. $25 general admission ($10 for members), $35 reserved cabaret seating ($20 for members) for each set. Purchase tickets here.