Essential Bay Area jazz albums: San Francisco Nighthawks

May 11, 12:27 PMBay Area Jazz ExaminerDavid Becker

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Bay Area Jazz Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Drummer Eddie Marshall is one of San Francisco's criminally underappreciated institutions. During his more than 50 years in the business, he's lent his steady hand and supremely fluid style to support artists ranging from Pharaoh Sanders to The Pointer Sisters.

Among his sadly overlooked contributions is the 1996 album featuring a one-off group that includes Wayne deSilva on sax and Paul Nagel on piano. The combo (which has nothing to do with the Nighthawks soccer team)  runs through a dozen original tunes that showcase a breezy sense of melody, intriguing Latin influences and a masterful sense of the art of subtlety in rhythm.

By the end, there should be no argument about whether there truly is a West Coast style of jazz. Just don't try to define it.

The CD has been out of print for a while, but used copies are readily available.