Eschete Leads Trio At Hobarts

Devotees of the University of Idaho Jazz Festival have come to appreciate the slinky stylings of guitarist Ron Eschete, of the Gene Harris Quartet.

The L.A.-based Eschete is by acclaim one of the top guitar players on the West Coast and he leads an unusual trio unusual in that he plays seven-string guitar and his bassist, Todd Johnson, a Dayton, Wash., native, plays six string bass.

Eschete can comp like a piano player under his own leads or marry his lead with a bass line. Johnson creates his own rich flurries, playing the bass part and chords simultaneously. The results are practically orchestral, and certainly unlike anything most guitar trios manage.

Veteran drummer Paul Humprhey anchors the group, which appears tonight and Saturday at Hobart’s Jazz Alley. They also will play today, from noon to 3 p.m., at the Sandpoint City Beach.

Cover at Hobart’s is $5, music starts at 9 p.m.

, DataTimes