Crosscurrent Playing Hobart’s Jazz Lounge

Crosscurrent, a contemporary acoustic jazz quintet, will play Hobart’s Jazz Lounge tonight.

Most members of Crosscurrent are well-known to area jazz fans - four of the five are instructors at Washington State University or the University of Idaho and have played in a variety of settings in the region.

The members are: Greg Yasinitsky, tenor sax; Bob McCurdy, trumpet and fluegelhorn; Dan Bukvich, drums; Charles Argersinger, piano; and Roger Shew, bass.

In a feature article, Jazz Player magazine dubbed them “five of the finest jazz musicians in the Inland Northwest.”

Crosscurrent’s debut CD, “Overdue,” is a hard-swinging record described as “hard bop for the ‘90s.” As the group’s primary writer, Yasinitsky says his work has been influenced by the bands of Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis and Horace Silver. The hard-driving Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers is another prime influence, he said.

But Crosscurrent isn’t just a composer’s band - each of the members has strong solo and ensemble strengths, as exemplified in a cut such as Yasinitsky’s “Ready Roll,” a bluesy, swinging piece of modern bop.

Cover charge for the 9 p.m. show is $3.