Michael Bates Quintet

Bassist Michael Bates rounds up the cast heard on his new Sunnyside record, Acrobat—reedist Chris Speed, trumpeter Russ Johnson, pianist Russ Lossing and drummer Tom Rainey—for a CD-release gig. You don't need to know much about the disc's inspiration, Dmitri Shostakovich, to enjoy the moody, handsomely interactive chamber jazz it contains.