Matt Wilson Quartet @ Blues Alley

At one point during last night's early set at Blues Alley, drummer Matt Wilson turned over his snare drum and started playing the bottom head with one stick, while his right hand stick alternated between playing his cymbals and rubbing against the snares themselves. The result was an effect that sounded like a DJ's scratching to augment the groove Wilson was playing with his other three limbs.

Just one of the many ear and eyecatching moments from last night show, it simply illustrated why Wilson is considered one of the most inventive jazz drummers on the scene. His band and its music are quirky and playful, making the live experience very different from listening through speakers, because watching this ensemble is almost as fun as listening to it.

Any resemblance to your standard detached and staid jazz performer was obliterated from the second the group launched into "Andrew's Ditty", the quartet's standard opener. The song's frenetic energy was only outmatched by that of altoist Andrew D'Angelo. Heaving his body back and forth, with eyes closed and a grimace on his face, D'Angelo's aggressive tone and the sheer physicality of his performance conjured an image of what Iggy Pop might have looked like as a jazz musician. Jeff Lederer was D'Angelo's foil throughout the set, playing tenor sax, soprano sax, and clarinet. While less of a presence on stage, Lederer's style was no less intense, but more soulful. Wilson's playing was interactive and at times quite busy, but never heavy handed. Holding all of this organized chaos together was the solid foundation of bassist Chris Lightcap.