Mean to Me resurrects jazz of the 1920s through 1940s–sometimes twisted by the more modern stylings of Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and Ahmad Jamal–and an eclectic variety of soul-jazz and latin-jazz.
This mix reflects the interests of its three core members: Judy, who trained as a cabaret singer but whose love is for soul music; Ben, a pianist interested in exploring jazz’s roots after living in New Orleans; and Dave, a trumpeter drawn to more modern and funky sounds.
All three grew up in San Francisco and have played together on and off for ten years now.
For their Bird & Beckett date this Sunday afternoon, Mean to Me will perform as a sextet, with the guitar, bass and drums of Scott Foster, Kenan O’Brien and Cairo McCochran completing the band.