New adventures in jazz

Sacramento’s jazz scene lives under the radar, yet somehow drummer Mat Marucci and saxophonist Doug Webb fly above. The duo, known as Mat Marucci-Doug Webb, gig at Savannah’s and JB’s Lounge and, occasionally, put out records, like the recent 2009 release Partners in Crime. This time, billed as the Mat Marucci-Doug Webb Trio featuring Reno-Tahoe area bassist Joe Dolister, the sound is absent the often standard pianist, but the result is still both friendly and bold: nine searing jazz tracks, varying from the jivey and uptempo title song—what with Webb’s unrelenting sax and Marucci’s knee-popping backbeat—to the aptly titled “Slow Cookin’” with its wandering ride-cymbal clang and Webb’s meandering tenor. Engineered by Eric Gale, Partners is a great local listen that will appeal to both jazz enthusiasts and also lonely hipsters looking to branch outside the indie-electro wiggle. Oh, Marucci also is a longstanding local drum instructor; check out his forthcoming Mel Bay Publications book, Jazz Drumming Essentials (and More), if you want to bone up on the kit and, just maybe, record your own trio someday. (Better practice.)