Scott Amendola / Kasey Knudsen / Mat Muntz

Drummer Scott Amendola leads this trio with saxophonist Kasey Knudsen and bassist Mat Muntz in a performance that promises genre-bending improvisation and high-energy interplay. A nexus figure in the Bay Area scene for over three decades, Amendola has built a reputation for twisting musical genres in unexpected directions — fusing jazz with funk, rock, and experimental music through both technical virtuosity and electronic manipulation. His collaborators include Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter, and Jenny Scheinman, and his performances are known for their intensity and unpredictability.

Amendola's drum work goes beyond conventional timekeeping. Critics describe him "whomping those damned skins, as if they were covered with deadly vipers," and his playing often serves as a launchpad for spontaneous interaction and explosive jamming. In past performances, he's been known to reach for tambourines mid-groove, strike heart-shaped cymbals for eerie textures, and build polyrhythmic foundations that invite his bandmates to explore freely. As one reviewer put it, "Nobody fuses like Scott Amendola — he's not pandering, he just loves to rock, and freak out, and write actual tunes, and improvise, and devise a space where great musicians can explode."

Expect music that shifts between foreboding atmospheres, propulsive grooves, and freewheeling improvisation — where anything can happen and often does. The trio format keeps the focus tight and the energy high, letting Amendola's rhythmic inventiveness and his collaborators' voices come through clearly. If you're drawn to jazz that takes risks and rewards attentive listening with surprises, this is a night to catch.