New York’s The Flail is a rarity in today’s world in that they are an actual jazz band. While most ensembles are collections of musicians under the direction of a leader, or a group given a name solely for marketing purposes, the five members of this group have been a tight unit since their days as students at the Big Apple’s New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. This leads to another rarity in today’s jazz world, a truly identifiable group sound, which will be on display tomorrow night at Blues Alley.

“Since we’ve been playing together for so long,” trumpeter Dan Blankinship told DCist, “even when one of the band members will come in with a composition that’s fully formed, everything is going to be infused with the spirit of the individual players.”

The group is also noteworthy because even though it has always been based in New York, initial success came in Europe, where French saxophonist Stephan Moutot had the contacts to set up The Flail’s early albums and tours. While 2002’s Live in France showed the potential of the group, it is 2007’s Never Fear, also recorded in France, that marks a turning point for the quintet. That album received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Rather than rest on its laurels, The Flail decided to put out yet another recording, titled The Flail, which was released this month.