Ryles Artist Showcase - Jason Yeager and his dynamic and original "Trio + 1"

Ryles Artist Showcase is Ryles' contribution to the up and coming talent in the New England area.

A rising senior at Tufts and New England Conservatory (where he studies with such jazz giants as Danilo Perez and Jerry Bergonzi), Yeager expands what has recently been his regular instrumental format—a trio—to include some of Boston's finest up-and-coming stars, including virtuosic saxophonist Ben Roseth, a Seattle native and fellow Tufts and NEC student (now graduate); Kai Ando on bass; and Matt Rousseau on drums, both of NEC.

Yeager says audiences will hear an eclectic set of original compositions and unique covers of standards and other material. While rooted in the jazz tradition, their original tunes also feature elements of drum'n'bass, South American grooves, and even a Vietnamese Buddhist Chant. Above all, however, Yeager says the band pursues honest expression and interactive group improvisation: "We try to listen to each other as we improvise and take new musical journeys while always playing the song—but no tune is the same way twice."